Lana barely remembered how she got back to her dorm.
Her mind was a blur—flashes of Dylan's piercing gaze, the warmth of his hands steadying her, the shock in Mason's voice when he called him Dad.
Even now, as she stared at the ceiling of her dorm room, the events of last night played on a loop.
Dylan Orwell.
She had felt something in that moment—something deep, something electric.
And now she knew who he was.
Lana groaned, rolling over and pressing her face into the pillow.
Carlyle, still in her pajamas and sipping coffee from a physics-themed mug, raised an eyebrow from her desk. "Rough night?"
"You have no idea."
Carlyle smirked. "I take it the party was… eventful?"
Lana sat up, rubbing her face. "That's one way to put it."
She hesitated before blurting it out.
"I met Mason's dad."
Carlyle blinked. "Okay?"
"And… I kind of almost collapsed into his arms."
Carlyle stopped mid-sip, her eyes narrowing. "Go on."
Lana exhaled. "It was after this stupid game Bailey made me do. I got overwhelmed, so I slipped away. Then these guys cornered me, and before I could figure out how to get away, Mason's dad just… showed up. Like, out of nowhere."
Carlyle was fully awake now. "Wait, hold on. So, you're telling me you had a damsel-in-distress moment, and the man who saved you just happened to be Mason's father?"
Lana hesitated. "I mean… yeah."
Carlyle smirked. "That's dramatic as hell. I love it."
Lana groaned. "It's not funny. It's—"
"Insanely coincidental? Maybe fate? Possibly the plot of a very questionable romance novel?" Carlyle teased.
Lana threw a pillow at her. "Shut up."
Carlyle caught it, still grinning. "Alright, alright. So, what happened after he saved you?"
Lana hesitated, feeling her heart skip just thinking about it. "I… don't know. It was intense. He looked at me like…" She shook her head. "I don't even know how to describe it."
Carlyle leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "And how does Mason feel about his dad sweeping you off your feet?"
Lana winced. "Well, he definitely wasn't thrilled to see me with him."
Carlyle let out a low whistle. "Drama. I love it."
Lana flopped back onto the bed, covering her face. "It's not drama. It's just—"
"Complicated?"
Lana sighed. "Yeah."
Carlyle took another sip of her coffee, then shrugged. "Well, if nothing else, you're definitely making college interesting."
Lana could only hope that was all it would be.
Because deep down, she had a feeling—
This was just the beginning.