AN: Hey there! First of all a big thank you to everyone who read, left a review, subscribed and added this to their favourites. It means a lot to me!

Secondly, sorry I took so long to write and publish this chapter, but I got attacked by a big dose of writer's block. I hope it was worth the wait though.

Musically inspired by Billie Eilish and King Princess :)

P.S.: Sorry for any mistakes!

CHAPTER 2

Sara walks out of their dorm building with Ava trailing behind her. She smiles when she sees her best friend waiting for her.

"Hey Zari!" She says happily, giving her a quick hug. Zari smiles back at her, "Hey Lance!" She greets her, and then turns her attention to Ava who's now standing a bit awkwardly next to Sara, "And who are you?"

"This is my roommate, Ava!" Sara tells her, introducing both girls to each other, "Ava, this is my best friend Zari."

"Nice to meet you Ava, I'm sorry that you got stuck with Sara for a while," she says with a smirk on her face making the taller girl chuckle, "Likewise," Ava tells her extending her hand for the other girl to shake.

Sara punches her best friend playfully on the shoulder, "Hey! I'm not that bad you idiot."

"No, you just snore really loudly."

"Ah!" Sara looks at her with arms crossed across her chest, "I do not! Don't believe her Ava, she's just trying to mock me."

"I wish! Every time you sleep over at my house I have to kick you to shut you up."

"She's totally exaggerating!" Sara arguments, trying to defend herself while Ava just starts to laugh more, "Well I guess I'll have to wait and see. Thanks for the tip Zari, I'll be sure to keep some ear plugs around," Ava says, earning a laugh from the brunette and a scowl from Sara at the same time.

"Ahah! I already like you!" Zari tells Ava, throwing an arm around her shoulders, "Now let's get going ladies, we have a party to attend to!" She says excitedly, separating herself from Ava.

The taller blonde gets taken aback by the sudden physical contact from Zari, after all they are completely strangers to each other, but she eventually tells herself to relax and just enjoy the fact that she's meeting new people. She can't help but chuckle when she hears Sara say behind them with a playful voice, "Not fair, you just met and are already teaming up against me. I'm kinda hurt."

Zari simply sticks her tongue out at her best friend and laces her arm with Sara's after the smaller girl places herself between Ava and her as the three of them make their way to the party.

"So Ava, tell me about you," the brunette says, breaking the silence between them.

"Well, there's not much to tell. I'm from Fresno, California, and I'm majoring in Psychology."

"Psychology? So Sara wants to peel open people's bodies and you want to delve inside their minds," Zari says with an amused smile, "What an interesting pair of roommates."

Sara rolls her eyes half-heartedly and Ava smiles sheepishly at the girl's remark.

"You know Z, what you're majoring in isn't that different from ours if you really think about it. I mean, dissemble and reassemble computers, and also programming them to work the way you want them to? Kinda similar if you ask me."

"I have to agree with Sara on that," Ava admits, earning a beaming smile from her.

Zari smirks at both girls, "Now who's teaming up against whom?"

After a short walk they arrive in front of a house with an open door and a banner reading "WELCOME HOME NEWBIES!" where loud music can be heard from inside and young people can be seen drinking and chatting outside.

"Do you think this is the place?" Ava asks, turning to the other girls.

Zari has a smirk on her face, "I don't know, maybe we should check if all the other houses have banners too," she says, her voice laced with sarcasm.

Sara narrows her eyes at her best friend and then turns to Ava, softening her expression, "Don't mind her, she gets grumpy when she hasn't eaten for at least two hours prior," she tells the blonde girl, smacking Zari lightly on the back of her head at the same time. Ava chuckles at the whole scene, "No, she's right. I mean, it's pretty obvious this is it," she admits shyly.

"Let's go inside then ladies!" The brunette says, turning to enter the house, "I'm gonna go find the snacks, I'll see you inside!" She shouts, already disappearing through a group of people.

Sara turns to look at Ava, "You ready?" She asks, pointing to the house with her head.

Ava feels her anxiety getting the best of her again, telling her to run away, that there's still time to turn around and go back to her dorm and have an early night of sleep. A warm hand on hers brings her back to reality and when she looks at Sara her bright blue eyes are looking up at her with a determination she finds intriguing.

"Come on!" Her roommate tells her, tugging at her hand until they're both finally in the middle of the party. After a couple of minutes of looking, Sara finds Zari next to a table filled with drinks and all kinds of snacks.

"Ah! There you are!" Her best friend says when she spots her and Ava getting closer.

"Amaya!" Sara says excitedly, lunging forward to hug the girl standing besides Zari. Ava feels herself missing the comfort of Sara's hand and stands awkwardly looking at the ground until her roommate's voice catches her attention.

"Ava, this is my other best friend, Amaya," she says, introducing them both, "Ava is my roommate, we just met today," she explains to Amaya. The latter smiles and extends her right hand for Ava to take, "It's a pleasure meeting you Ava, welcome to the group!"

Ava shakes her hand, "Thank you," she says with a shy smile on her lips.

"Were you waiting for a long time babe?" Zari asks tucking a lock of hair behind Amaya's ear affectionately. The girl smiles sweetly at her, "Not at all, I just got here a few minutes before you," she tells the brunette, planting a chaste kiss on her lips.

Ava's eyes go wide with surprise at seeing the display of affection between both girls and she instinctively looks away, discomfort evident on her face.

"Hey Ava, are you okay?" She hears Sara ask her with a frown, "Maybe we should get you something to drink," she suggests, trying to cheer the blonde up.

"Yeah, sounds good," she says, giving Sara a small smile.

"Great!" Her roommate tells her back, moving to grab four cups so she can serve herself, her friends and Ava. They stand close to the table chatting and drinking for a few more minutes when Zari says, "Hey, it looks like the couch is finally available. Do you wanna go over there?" She asks turning to the others. Sara shakes her head and smirks at her, "You and Amaya go ahead and get yourselves comfortable," she says wiggling her eyebrows, "I'm not exactly in the mood to be the third wheel right now."

Zari gapes at her while Amaya just chuckles, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"And you call yourself my best friend!" Zari says, scoffing at her but by the smirk on her face Sara can tell she's just joking.

"Yeah, yeah, just go make out with your girlfriend will you?" Sara tells her, waving her off with a smirk on her face.

The couple does as told after that, leaving Ava and Sara alone. After a couple of minutes in silence Ava speaks, "So... Zari and Amaya are a couple?" She asks, trying not to stare at them.

"Yep!" Sara answers, a fond smile on her lips, "They've been dating for about a year now, started in high school."

"Oh, okay," the taller blonde says simply. Sara looks at her, a raised eyebrow on her face, "Why do you ask?"

Ava shrugs her shoulders at her, "No reason, I just had never met a lesbian couple."

Sara is now frowning at her, "Do you have a problem with it?" She asks with a sharp tone, immediately feeling the need to protect and defend her friends.

"What? No, of course not! It's just news to me, that's all."

Her roommate relaxes at hearing that, her voice now more even when she asks, "You're telling me that there weren't any gay or lesbian couples at your high school?"

"Not that I'm aware of, no."

"Sounds very boring," Sara says, earning a chuckle from Ava.

They stay in silence for a few more minutes until the freckled girl says, "Hey, I'm just gonna go to the bathroom really quickly okay?"

"Sure!"

"You don't have to wait for me though, it's okay to socialize with other people Ava," she tells the blonde, smiling at her.

"I think I'm good here," the girl says and Sara nods at her, making her way in search of the bathroom after that.

Ava takes her time to pay attention to her surroundings; she never thought she would be able to be at a college party and right on her very first day. There's a group of older students playing beer pong on a corner of the living room and she actually feels like trying it, but decides that it's best to leave it for another time; she doesn't feel confident enough to just go over there and ask to join the game. She then looks to her right where a group of girls is busy chatting amongst themselves while they chance a few glances to the boys playing the game, big smiles on their faces.

Ava frowns slightly at the sight, wondering why she never felt that way about a boy. Whenever her classmates were pinning about a guy, she simply never saw what was so special about him. She did long to have someone who would make her feel warm inside and have her heart skip a beat, but it simply didn't seem to happen. She felt like a weirdo because of it, she had come to the conclusion that something must be wrong with her, but she tried not to ponder too much about it and instead focused on more important things, like her studies. It's one of the many reasons she excelled so greatly at them.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a person getting closer to her.

"Hey there," the stranger greets, leaning on the wall next to her, "You must be new here right?"

She stares at the boy who is displaying a smug smirk on his face. He has short black hair and green eyes, and an athletic body as well. Ava wonders if this makes him look attractive to the other girls; it certainly isn't working for her. Despite that, she still greets him trying to be polite.

"Hey, I am yes," she tells him, sipping the rest of her beer and hoping for him to go away.

"Cool! What's your name?" He asks, now turning his body towards her, taking a sip of his drink as well.

"Ava," she simply says, not even looking at him. Her eyes scan the room in search of Zari and Amaya, but they are no longer on their previous place on the couch; she sighs at the realization.

"My name's Liam, Liam Snow," he tells her, extending his hand. Ava puts her best fake smile on her face and reluctantly shakes his hand, "Nice to meet you Liam."

Instead of letting go of her hand, he pulls it towards his lips and lays a kiss on it, "The pleasure is all mine Ava," he says, the same smug smirk once again on his lips, "What do you say we go somewhere quiet and get to know each other better?" He asks, starting to press his body against Ava's, trapping her between him and the wall.

Ava gulps nervously at the suggestion, feeling her heart start to pound on her chest violently and her stomach churn. He is about to pull her away to follow him when someone suddenly grabs her forearm gently.

"There you are babe!" She hears a known voice call and turns to its owner, a desperate cry for help written on her own face. She feels herself relax a bit when she sees Sara understands the situation right away and is immediately by her side, already pulling her towards her. Her roommate is looking up at her with bright eyes and a smile, but her expression quickly changes when she turns to the guy still holding Ava's hand.

He immediately drops it when he sees the glare Sara's throwing at him and the way both girls are now next to each other, "Is there a problem here?" She asks him, letting go of Ava's forearm to cross her arms in front of her chest.

Ava has to suppress a chuckle when he sees him cower and stutter, "No... Not at all, we were just having a nice chat, that's all."

"You sure?" Sara asks, taking a step forward putting herself between Ava and him, "Because my girlfriend doesn't seem to be enjoying herself."

Ava's eyes go wide at the word girlfriend but she tells herself that Sara is just trying to make Liam go away.

He holds is hand up in the air, "My bad, I didn't realize she was with you," he says, finally leaving them alone, although reluctantly.

After making sure that he won't bother them anymore, Sara turns to Ava once again, "Are you okay Aves?"

There's the nickname again, Ava thinks, although this time it doesn't annoy her, instead leaving a warm feeling inside of her chest.

"Yeah..." she says, cringing at her voice which is raspier than usual. She clears her throat, "Thanks for stepping in Sara," she tells her roommate.

"I wouldn't have been able to get rid of him if it weren't for you," she admits, scratching her neck nervously, "I completely froze on the spot," a blush is now on her cheeks and her eyes are fixed on the floor.

"Hey..." Sara says, her voice gentle, "Ava look at me," she asks, grabbing the blonde's hand tentatively. When she gets Ava to look up at her she continues, "Do not blame yourself for that guy's actions, it's not your fault that he doesn't know what personal boundaries are."

Ava's mouth opens slightly after hearing Sara's words, but she finds herself unable to come up with the right words. Because everything her mind can think about is the feeling of Sara's thumb gently rubbing small circles on her own hand and the way her blue eyes are shinning up at her with such worry and at the same time a fierceness she's not sure she has seen before.

She ends up mustering a quiet okay, earning a smile from Sara, "Good! And you know, if you want I can actually teach you some self-defence moves," she says, bending her arms to show her biceps to Ava, making the taller girl laugh.

"Yeah, sounds great Sara, thanks," she tells her, giving her a small smile but Sara can tell she's uncomfortable.

"Maybe it's best if we head back to the dorm," she proposes, waiting for Ava's reaction.

Ava feels relief wash over her but she tries to hide it, "Are you sure? It's still early, we could stay a bit more."

Sara sees right through her, "I want to Ava," she says, smiling kindly at her and Ava doesn't insist anymore. Instead she smiles back at her, "Let's go then."

The freckled girl looks around the room looking for her other friends but frowns when she can't find them.

"If you're looking for Zari and Amaya they disappeared from the couch a while ago, even before Liam had approached me," Ava tells Sara, who looks back at her, "Hm... They're probably keeping themselves busy somewhere. I'll just text both of them telling them that we decided to go home earlier."

When she's done with that, she turns to the other girl once again, "Ready to go?"

Ava nods and they make their way through the crowded living room until they're both out of the door.

They walk side by side for a few minutes in comfortable silence, enjoying the quiet of the campus after they are no longer close to the party house.

Sara eventually decides to speak, "I'm sorry your first college party sucked."

Ava shrugs and puts on a small smile, "That's okay, I'm sure there will be more parties to attend to."

"Yeah, but this was your first Ava, and that jerk had to go and ruin it."

"Sara, seriously, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you appeared at the right time."

"Me too Ava, me too."

Silence settles between them once more until they reach the dorm. When they get to their room, Ava excuses herself to the bathroom so she can change to her pyjamas in private while Sara takes the chance to open her laptop and choose something to watch on Netflix before going to bed.

After Ava's done from the bathroom, she looks up at her and smirks, "Cute kitties you've got there!"

"What?" Ava asks her, a puzzled look on her face.

"Your pyjamas," Sara tells her, pointing at what the blonde's wearing, "They're filled with faces of cats."

"Oh!" She looks down at her, feeling a bit self-conscious, "Yeah, I'm a cat person."

Sara gets up from the bed to make her way to the bathroom, "Why am I not surprised," she says smirking at her roommate over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. She takes her time cleaning her makeup and then takes a quick shower. When she's done she makes her way to the bedroom again and is surprised at seeing that Ava is still awake, apparently scrolling through her phone.

"I thought you would be asleep by now," she says, plopping down on her own bed. She grabs her laptop and places it on her lap.

"Can't sleep," Ava says, shrugging her shoulders. Sara looks at her for a moment, observing her attentively. Her roommate seems tense and she feels a pang of guilt wash over her; she knows that what happened at the party wasn't her fault, but she can't help to feel responsible because she was the one that insisted on Ava going with her.

"Do you wanna watch Rick and Morty with me?"

Ava looks at her, a puzzled expression on her face, "What's that?"

Sara looks at her surprised, "You've never heard of Rick and Morty before?"

Her roommate shakes her head at that and suddenly a grin takes over Sara's face. She gets up with her laptop on her hands and makes her way to Ava's bed.

"Okay, scoot over," she tells the taller girl, waiting for her to give her space so she can lie down next to her. When Ava moves to sit closer to the wall, Sara quickly makes herself comfortable on the spot beside her, placing the laptop on top of her legs.

"Okay so basically this is a cartoon show for adults inspired by the characters Doc and Marty from the movies Back to the Future!"

Ava chuckles at the excitement with which Sara's explaining it to her.

"I didn't know you were a fan of science-fiction."

"I like some stuff on that genre, but this show isn't exactly about that. It's more on the comedy side of things. It's hilarious as shit, you'll see," she happily tells her, finally pressing play so they can watch the pilot episode.

Ava tries to focus on the episode playing in front of her, but she catches herself not being able to pay full attention to it once she feels Sara's thigh pressing against hers. It turns out to be even harder to do it when after a couple of episodes her roommate ends up placing her head on top of her shoulder.

A few minutes have passed when she starts to feel Sara's breathing change and she realizes that the girl has fallen asleep. She looks down at her and can't help but smile at the way her mouth is slightly open and she's snoring softly.

Turns out that maybe Zari was indeed exaggerating about that particular detail.

She presses pause on the episode and turns off the laptop, placing it on the end of the bed carefully.

"Sara?" She whispers, trying to wake the girl up gently but she simply stirs in response. Ava sighs and ponders on what to do next. She feels her body asking to go to sleep, and she's aware that she probably won't get much of it if Sara ends up sleeping in her bed because it can barely fit two people. On the other hand, her roommate looks so peaceful that she really doesn't want to feel bad for waking her up.

Ava eventually decides to give in and ends up sleeping on her own bed with Sara by her side. She pulls the covers up to cover them both, lying down properly next to the smaller blonde. As soon as she does it, she feels Sara stretching and rest her arm on her belly, letting out a sigh while a smile can be seen on her lips.

Ava shakes her head slowly, "Unbelievable..." she whispers to herself.

When she finally falls asleep, she dreams of animated alien creatures chasing after her and a very specific pair of bright blue eyes.

AN: Hope you enjoyed it! Until next time ;)