When I returned to school after participating in an art competition in New York, everyone told me Orion Gray and Violet Ross were together. Who is Orion Gray, you ask? He’s my current boyfriend who chased after me for three whole years in high school. You’ve got to be kidding me. When I stormed into Orion’s classroom angrily, I didn’t see him, but instead found his group of roommates. These three roommates of his each had their own distinct personalities – the oldest was quiet and reserved, the second was always joking around without a serious bone in his body, and the third had always shown hostility towards me. Orion was the youngest, the baby of their dorm. Perhaps due to his youthful appearance and gentle nature, he had always been the one they looked after the most. “Well, if it isn’t the beautiful Zoe back from her trip,” the second oldest greeted me with a teasing smile. “Where’s Orion?” I wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. “Oh, he might be in the cafeteria, or maybe on the sports field. Who knows, he could even be in the little forest!” He laughed after saying this, which only irritated me more. “Forget it, I’ll find him myself.” Knowing I wouldn’t get any useful information from them, I tried calling Orion again, but still no answer. “Don’t listen to him. Orion is in the study room,” the usually silent oldest one suddenly spoke up. I glanced at him, muttered a thanks, and turned to leave. Since I got back, not only did he not come to pick me up, but he didn’t even send a single message to check on me. Instead, he gave me this huge surprise. Orion Gray, you’ve really done it this time! There weren’t many people in the study room. At a glance, I spotted Orion sitting near the window. The girl next to him must be Violet Ross that everyone was talking about. I knew of Violet Ross, but wasn’t very familiar with her. If she hadn’t gotten involved with Orion, I probably wouldn’t have even known we were at the same university until graduation. I gently tapped on the desk next to Orion. He looked up at me, not seeming particularly surprised. Looks like he knew I was back. “Come out for a minute, I need to talk to you,” I said quietly. Orion closed his book and got up to follow me out. “Why didn’t you answer my calls?” I asked. “My phone was on silent, I didn’t hear it,” he replied nonchalantly. “Did you know I was coming back today?” I asked again. “Yes,” he answered. “So?” I pressed, “You knew I was coming back today but didn’t come to pick me up, didn’t answer my calls, and instead came to study with another girl.” “Did you forget we’re still in the middle of a cold war?” I nearly choked on my own breath, momentarily at a loss for words. Orion was great in every way, except when it came to arguments and sulking. For anything he believed he wasn’t wrong about, he would never be the first to back down. So most of the time, I was the one who had to reach out first, and then the matter would be considered over. This time, I had been too busy with the competition to keep in touch, and he actually thought we were still in a cold war. I had even forgotten what this cold war was about in the first place. “Are you and Violet Ross together now?” I knew the answer was definitely no, but I still wanted to hear what Orion had to say. “No,” he replied firmly. “But that’s what everyone is saying.” “I said no, and that means no.” He was being stubborn, but I knew his personality – he always told the truth. However, not being together didn’t mean there wasn’t any ambiguity between them. “I don’t like her,” I said bluntly. “Because I’ve been spending time with her?” he asked. “Not just because of that.” The name Violet Ross reminded me of some things from the past. “I might not be able to completely distance myself from her right now,” Orion hesitated before continuing, “But I’ll keep my distance from her.” I couldn’t help but laugh, “Orion, don’t you think what you’re saying is contradictory?” Orion fell silent. “Is there something you can’t tell me?” I teased, guessing it was probably his overflowing sympathy at work again. Orion was such a kind-hearted person. “I can’t tell you right now,” Orion was still firm on this issue, but he did make his stance clear to me, “But please trust me, there really isn’t anything between us.” As far as I could tell, Orion didn’t seem to be hiding anything major. I nodded, understanding, and asked, “Is it because she has depression?” Orion looked surprised, “How did you know?” “Severe OCD plus mild depression, right?” I mused thoughtfully, “Orion, when she told you all this, did she mention that she, you, and I were all classmates in high school?” “She never said that, and I never asked,” Orion replied. Why didn’t she say anything? Was it because she was afraid of being called out if she brought up the past? Violet Ross, didn’t you do your homework before targeting Orion? “I don’t object to you having friendships with other girls, but her – she’s off limits!” I made my stance clear as well. “Okay, I understand,” Orion didn’t press further, and I didn’t say more either. If he wanted to know, I would tell him eventually. If he didn’t want to know, there was no point in telling him anyway. “Let’s go get something to eat then,” I took his arm, considering the cold war over. As for his situation with Violet Ross, I decided to wait and see. Our meal together wasn’t very pleasant. His group of roommates seemed to have some kind of radar – I had barely ordered when they showed up right on time. Well, since they’re here, might as well eat together. “Oh, looks like you two made up,” the second oldest teased when he saw us. “You have no idea how miserable our little bro has been these past few days. He couldn’t eat or sleep properly.” Orion coughed lightly and turned to look out the window. “Is that so?” I asked disinterestedly while scrolling through my phone. “He didn’t send a single message or call in all these days. I thought he had forgotten he even had a girlfriend.” “Come on, don’t be like that!” The second oldest tried to smooth things over. “You know you’re the officially recognized sister-in-law of our 305 dorm, right Leo?” He nudged the third oldest with his elbow, signaling him to say something nice, but Leo didn’t play along. “That’s just what you guys say. I never agreed to it.” “Well, looks like there’s some disagreement within your group,” I put down my phone and looked at Leo. “Seems like I’m not good enough in your eyes, huh?” Leo’s hostility towards me seemed to come out of nowhere. I had asked Orion about it before, but he said there was nothing and told me not to overthink it. But eyes don’t lie – Leo’s hostility was far too obvious.
I had mentioned this to my best friend Chloe before. With her wild imagination, she asked, “Could it be that he likes your Orion and sees you as a love rival?” I rolled my eyes at her. “You need to stop reading so much BL.” “No, seriously! Your Orion always looks so soft and gentle, and his roommates keep calling him ‘little bro’ more affectionately than we do. It’s hard for me not to think in that direction,” Chloe insisted as if it was an established fact. “Give me a break. Orion is as straight as they come,” I retorted. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have chased after me for three years in high school. “Straight guys can be turned too,” Chloe seemed to be quite knowledgeable on this topic. “He might be straight, but his roommates might not be.” “Stop right there. Even if Orion was into guys, which of his roommates looks like boyfriend material?” I countered. “You have a point there,” Chloe pondered, stroking her chin. “The oldest one might have a chance, but he looks pretty straight too. As for Leo, forget it – two bottoms won’t work out. Zoe, looks like your boyfriend is safe for now.” I dismissed Chloe’s wild theories as a joke. While Leo did show hostility towards me, he had never openly expressed it. But this time, it seemed he was making a clear statement. “It’s not that you’re not good enough. I just don’t think you and Orion are a good match,” he replied. Okay, he finally said it out loud. I’m sure they must know about the Violet Ross situation, and might even be encouraging it. After all, they’ve never really approved of me as Orion’s girlfriend. “Shouldn’t the question of whether we’re a good match be asked to Orion himself?” In other words, who are you to judge whether we’re suitable or not? “Alright, Leo, Zoe and I are doing fine. Please don’t interfere in our relationship,” Orion sighed, sounding a bit exasperated. “I just don’t understand why Violet Ross isn’t good enough for you. At least she genuinely likes you and treats you well!” Leo exclaimed. The implication being that I don’t genuinely like Orion and don’t treat him well? Interesting, very interesting. I’ve only been gone for a short while, and this Violet Ross has already infiltrated Orion’s inner circle. “My relationship with Orion is between the two of us. What does it have to do with you? If you think Violet Ross is so great, why don’t you go after her yourself? Why try to set her up with Orion? Do you think I’m just a placeholder girlfriend, or do you think I’m easy to push around?” I paused for a moment before continuing, “Have you been hiding under our bed or something? How do you know I don’t treat Orion well? Are you a mind reader or somehow connected to his thoughts? Do you know better than us whether we like each other or not?” It had been a while since I’d verbally sparred with someone. I was a bit rusty. There’s no point in being polite to someone like this. Did he really think I was a pushover? Leo was left speechless by my tirade. He put down his chopsticks and stormed off angrily. I looked at Orion innocently, “Aren’t you going to go comfort him?” Orion pushed a glass of water towards me. “You must be thirsty after talking so much. Have some water.” The second oldest across from us burst out laughing, and even the usually stoic oldest one had a hint of a smile on his face. I looked at Orion suspiciously, “He doesn’t actually like you, does he?” “What are you thinking?” Orion rapped me lightly on the head with his chopsticks, sounding annoyed. “You need to stay away from Chloe in the future.” Seeing the second oldest across from us laughing uncontrollably, I once again confirmed that Chloe’s speculation was completely baseless. I didn’t see Violet Ross again until a week later. During that week, Orion spent most of his time with me. I thought the matter had been put to rest, but I didn’t expect her to actively seek me out. It was during an elective class. I had deliberately chosen a seat at the back and pulled Orion to sit with me. As luck would have it, Violet Ross also came to this elective class. Seeing the empty seat next to Orion, she sat down beside him. “What a coincidence, Orion,” she greeted him. “Mm,” Orion responded coolly. “So you’re taking this elective too? I think Professor Brown’s lectures are really good. I come to listen to his class every week,” she continued, seemingly very interested in the course. Orion shook his head awkwardly, “I’m not.” “He’s here to keep me company while I earn credits,” I turned to look at her. Was she pretending I didn’t exist? “He’s not interested in these dry, boring courses.” “And you are?” she asked, feigning ignorance. “Zoe Quinn, Orion’s girlfriend,” I extended my hand politely. “Oh, I see,” she acted as if she had just realized. “I’m Violet Ross, Orion’s friend.” “You two must have just met recently then,” I withdrew my hand. “I’ve never heard Orion mention you before.” “Yes, we’ve only known each other for less than a month,” she always had this soft, fragile demeanor, just like in high school. “But I feel like we clicked instantly, as if we’ve been friends for a long time.” “Is that so?” This level of subtle provocation had no effect on me. “After all, we all went to the same high school, right?” “Really?” She looked both surprised and delighted, as if she genuinely didn’t know. “Yes, indeed,” I nodded, resting my chin on my hand and tilting my head to look at her. “Orion had a really good friend in high school named Jack Brown. Do you remember him?” Violet Ross’s smile became a bit stiff, and her expression started to look unnatural. “I don’t remember high school classmates very clearly.” “That’s a shame. No worries, I’ll make sure to introduce you sometime,” I responded generously. “Mm,” she answered softly, opening her book. “Class is about to start.” I turned back, the smile on my face only growing. Orion leaned in and whispered, “Who’s Jack Brown? I don’t remember having a good friend by that name.” I blinked innocently at him, “Don’t you remember? You two were really close in high school.” “Cut it out,” Orion didn’t believe me at all. “I can say with certainty that I don’t know anyone by that name. So, who exactly is Jack Brown?” Great, now he’s jealous. I quickly waved my hands, “I don’t know him well either.” “If you don’t know him well, why did you bring him up and say he was my good friend?” Orion pressed on. “Just because I don’t know him well doesn’t mean others don’t,” I glanced towards Violet Ross. “Her? Didn’t she say she doesn’t remember?” Orion still seemed doubtful. “You believed her when she said she doesn’t remember, but you doubt me when I say I’m not familiar with him. Orion Gray, who exactly is your girlfriend here?” I was getting annoyed.
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