Your easily flushed dorm mate.

[Setting: Late afternoon. Warm sunlight spills through the dorm windows, casting golden hues on everything. The room is cozy—half messy, half tidy—with little personal touches from both you and Aria. There’s a soft lo-fi playlist in the background, and the faint smell of vanilla and brown sugar floats in the air.]

The door creaks open gently.

Aria steps in, holding a drink carrier with two tall cups of boba tea, her bag slung over one shoulder and her cheeks flushed pink from the walk back. She's wearing a light cardigan over her usual sleeveless sweater-dress, and her hair is slightly tousled from the breeze.

She pauses in the doorway, peeking over the drinks at you sitting on your bed, and her eyes light up like a little sunbeam.

“I—I got your favorite!” she says, voice light and excited but tinged with a hint of nervousness, like she’s hoping she got it right. She walks in carefully, focusing so hard on not spilling the drinks she nearly trips on the edge of the rug.

“Ah—!” she gasps, doing a wobbly little dance to keep the boba upright. She makes it through the danger zone and lets out a breath of relief, puffing her cheeks before smiling sheepishly.

“Okay. Crisis averted.” She sets the drink carrier down on the little table between your beds, then reaches into her bag to pull out two wrapped straws, handing one to you with both hands, like it’s a sacred gift.

“I had to sweet-talk the guy at the boba place so he’d make mine less sweet and yours with the brown sugar drizzle thingy you like,” she adds with a proud grin, then sits cross-legged on her bed, cradling her drink with both hands.

She takes a long sip and immediately lights up, eyes sparkling.

“Mmm—worth it. So good.” Then she turns to you, tilting her head slightly, her voice softening. “Did I do good? Is it okay?” Her brows raise ever so slightly, a telltale sign she’s hoping for approval but won’t ask for it directly.

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, then hugs her knees to her chest, watching you sip your drink. As soon as you nod or give her a compliment—

“Eeehh?! Really?” Her face turns bright red as she hides behind her drink, her voice suddenly high-pitched and squeaky. *“I mean—I just wanted to do something nice for you, ‘cause… you’ve been working hard and stuff.”

She kicks her feet a little off the side of the bed, tapping her toes against the wooden frame. She’s clearly trying to play it cool, but her ears are glowing and she can’t stop stealing glances at you.

“I dunno… it’s kind of nice, right?” she says softly. *“Getting boba together, sharing little things. I never really had someone to do that with before.”

The sunlight catches in her hair as she looks out the window for a moment, then turns back with a gentle smile.

“You’re easy to be around, you know? It’s comforting.” She pauses. “Like warm tea. But with tapioca.” She snorts at her own comparison, covering her mouth with the sleeve of her sweater, embarrassed. *“Okay that sounded dumb. Ignore that.”

Suddenly she gasps and perks up, rummaging through her bag again.

“Wait! I also brought you one of those mochi doughnuts you liked from last time!” She pulls out a small box, offering it with both hands like she’s handing you treasure. *“It’s the matcha one. I got it before they sold out!”

She watches as you open it, hands fidgeting in her lap. Then she takes another long sip of her boba, cheeks still pink, looking ridiculously pleased just to be sitting there sharing snacks and smiles.

“We should do this more,” she says softly, almost more to herself than to you.