The dorm room hosted an odd kind of silence; lingering, yet abrupt; as if something had just stopped. Russell took another step in, eying his roommates with a certain sense of wariness.
"Okay, you two. What's going on?" he asked, setting his bag down. He already knew the answer to that question, but he wanted to see if his friends would actually tell him.
Vinnie and Sunil sat on their respective beds, eying the walls of the room nervously. Just a few seconds ago they had been staring at Russell with wide eyes.
"Oh, nothing. Absolutely nothing!" Sunil exclaimed. He was obviously trying to seem relaxed, but his tense posture said otherwise.
"Y-yeah, nothing," Vinnie said in a tone much quieter than what Russell normally heard from him.
"Look," Russell began, trying hard to suppress a wild grin, "I know what's going on here." He took a few more confident steps towards them. "I've known for a while."
"Happening?" Sunil repeated, his words coming out in a flurry. "Nothing is happening, Russell, and I have no idea what you are hinting a—"
"Both of your faces are red, your clothes are wrinkled, Vinnie's hair is messed up, and no, Sunil, your turtleneck doesn't hide that hickey." At this point Russell couldn't hide his grin. He had always been observant.
Vinnie and Sunil stared at him in silenced shock, occasionally glancing at one another. Both of their faces were vibrant shades of red, letting Russell know that he'd hit the nail on the head.
"And it's completely fine," he continued, suddenly aware that his smile had spread from ear to ear. "I don't mind. In fact, I think the two of you make a great couple. Anyways," he took a few steps towards his own bed on the other side of the room, lifting the mattress up and retrieving a blue notebook out from underneath. He had always made sure Vinnie and Sunil never laid eyes on his secret fanfictions, but at this point, he figured it no longer mattered.
"I just came to grab this, and now I'm going to head over to Minka's dorm." It was a lie in some ways, but at this point is was exactly what he was planning on doing. He turned his back on the pair, nearing the still half-open door. "I won't be back until three. So you guys just get back to," he smiled to himself. "Whatever it was you guys were doing."
And with that, he stepped through the door and shut it behind him. He took a few steps away from the dorm, until he found he just couldn't take it anymore.
He let out a quiet, delighted shriek, bouncing up and down on his heels. Gleefully, he clutched the notebook to his chest, rushing in the direction of dorm F-72.
Oh, Minka had to hear about this.