Dirk: A Stepbrother Romance(107)
She was about to crawl under her duvet and try to sleep when there was a light knock at the door. She silently debated ignoring it, but when the tap came again, she slid from the bed and dragged her feet across to the door. She opened it and was instantly glad that she had.
“Hey,” Julie smiled with a wave. “I thought I’d come and see how you did today.”
“Oh, hi,” Freya smiled, stepping back so the door hung open. “Do you want to come in?”
Julie didn’t answer her but smiled and walked past her into the room. She sat down at the chair next to Freya’s desk and rested her hands on her knees.
“So, how did you find my room?” Freya asked with an impressed laugh.
“Oh, I just asked a couple of people,” Julie smiled. “It’s not exactly hard to find anyone in this building, especially with a name like yours… pretty unique!”
“I guess,” Freya sat down on the bed next to her and looked around the room, unsure of what to say next.
“Listen,” Julie said, as if she could tell there was a slight tension in the air. “I was just wondering really if you felt like getting off campus tonight and going for something to eat… Sort of like a celebrate the first day at college type of thing?”
“Sure,” Freya sat forward. “That would be great.”
Julie smiled back at her, and Freya had the feeling there was something else on her mind that she was holding back.
“Is everything okay?” she asked her finally.
Julie shrugged and smiled. She was staring at Freya, taking in every feature on her face and sizing her up.
“Everything’s fine,” she said. “You just remind me of someone, that’s all.”
“Oh?” Freya asked, but Julie waved her hand as if to bat away the conversation.
“So, tell me all about how you did,” she said instead. “I’ve got a mountain of books to buy. What about you?”
“Oh, totally the same,” Freya laughed, “I think I’m going to be glued to books for the foreseeable future.”
“Yes!” Julie laughed. “Me too! Good job we’re not into partying, huh?”
“Well, I guess we’ll have to let our hair down at some point,” Freya shrugged. “All work and no play makes Freya a dull girl… or something.”
Julie threw her head back and laughed. “I’m glad you said that before I did,” she grinned. “Everything in moderation, I guess.”
“Definitely,” Freya nodded.
“What are the other people like?” Julie gestured to the rest of Freya’s corridor.
“Wild,” she rolled her eyes. “I went out with them last week, but to be honest I didn’t really gel with any of them.”
“I don’t think I’ve even really met anybody else apart from you…” Julie said quietly. “To be honest, I’m pretty selective about my friends.”
Freya nodded, knowing exactly what that felt like.
“So,” Julie jumped to her feet. “Can I come back around seven?”
“Sure,” Freya stood up to and walked over to the door with her. It hung open still and they could see other girls and guys coming back from their own lectures and seminars. “I’ll be ready!”
“Great,” Julie smiled as she started on down the hallway and turned back and waved.
As she walked away, Freya had a suspicious feeling. There was something in Julie’s eyes that Freya couldn’t put her finger on… It was as if she wanted something from her, but didn’t dare ask. She shook out her shoulders and told herself to stop being paranoid. Both the girls obviously had trouble making friends, and they had found each other and instantly clicked. Maybe Julie just couldn’t believe her luck that she’d found someone in the craziest dorm on campus who liked spending her evenings more chilled out than girls gone wild. But as she started to get ready and curled her hair, she couldn’t shake the feeling. When Julie came back for her later, she was determined to find out what was going on. She would just have to tread carefully.
Chapter 3
At seven o’clock, Freya re-opened her dorm room door and turned off her mp3 player. The hallways were crammed with people going out for the evening and arranging parties. One of the guys she had met on one of her first days there ducked his head in and asked her if she wanted to go to a kegger with them, but she shook her head and said no thanks. He shrugged before turning on his heel and going back down the hall. As he turned the corner to head towards the stairs, he did a double take at the short, pretty brunette walking in the opposite direction. Freya instantly recognized Julie and got to her feet and waved before she stepped out into the hall, slamming the door behind her.
“You’re right, it is crazy down here,” Julie laughed as she turned and took in the scene around them. Girls were in six-inch heels and tiny mini-skirts, tottering along the hallway with bottles of vodka in their hands and their lips over plumped with shiny red gloss.
“It’s even worse at three am,” Freya joked as they started down the stairs. “Don’t you see any of this though, I mean, if you’re in 5C?”
“Have you seen where my room is?” Julie looked up at her. “I’m right at the end of a private corridor, part of the perks of being in my family.” She rolled her eyes and laughed.