Go to bed

I started walking back towards dorms. Replaying everything that just happened.

My mind was a mess.

I thought about Sarah’s goodnight text. The casual way she’d said she hoped I slept well, completely unaware of where I actually was.

When I got back, the dorm was quiet. I opened the door carefully and saw that everyone else was asleep.

I changed clothes, washed my face, and sat on the edge of my bed.

I stared at the floor for a while.

I knew I’d crossed a line.

There wasn’t much else to call it.

But mixed in with that realization was something I hadn’t expected.

I felt different.

For years, I’d been the guy who kept his head down and never really thought of himself as someone women would pursue. Tonight had challenged that.

Mia had approached me.

She’d flirted with me.

And I’d let things go much further than I ever intended.

The realization gave me a strange sense of confidence, even though I knew it came attached to consequences.

I picked up my phone.

Sarah’s conversation was still near the top of the screen.

I didn’t open it.

Instead, I put the phone facedown on my nightstand and lay back.

Tomorrow I’d have to wake up, go to class, and act like everything was normal.

For tonight, all I could do was stare at the ceiling until I fell asleep.