He Promised Me A Home And Gave It To Her Chapter 06

It was raining when my plane landed in Westhaven.

But this rain was nothing like the storm I’d left behind.

The drops were gentle against my face. There was no smell of alcohol, no sound of Dad screaming at me.

I dragged my suitcase toward the university pickup area.

A student volunteer was holding up a sign and calling out, “Westhaven University freshmen! Over here!”

As soon as I approached, a short-haired girl took my suitcase from me.

“Wow, this thing weighs nothing.”

“Are you moving into the dorms, or did you run away from home?”

I froze for a moment.

She grinned and held out her hand.

“Summer Hughes. I’m your roommate.”

“Our room assignments went out in the group chat. You’re the only one who hasn’t said anything.”

“Elena Shaw.”

Summer noticed the bandage on my arm but didn’t ask about it. She simply shifted her umbrella so it covered more of me.

Once we reached campus, a financial aid advisor called me into her office.

“All your paperwork is in order.”

“But your scholarship funds won’t be available until the end of the month. You’ll still need to pay for your dorm essentials and put some money on your campus meal card.”

I gripped my debit card.

There was only $67 left in my account.

After setting aside enough for transportation, I could afford food for just a few days.

The advisor seemed to notice how worried I was. She slid an application for an on-campus job across her desk.

“The library’s hiring.”

“They can advance part of your first paycheck.”

“And with your grades, you could apply for a teaching assistant position later on.”

I accepted the application without hesitation.

“Thank you.”

When I left the office, Summer was waiting for me on the steps outside.

She pushed a bag of sandwiches into my hands.

“The campus café had a two-for-one special. There’s no way I can eat both.”

I knew she was lying.

That café never ran two-for-one specials.

But I took the sandwiches without calling her out.

Our dorm room was small, with my bed beside the window.

The mattress was hard, the furniture was old, and the door still used an ordinary brass key.

But when the residence hall attendant handed me that key, she looked me in the eye.

“Take good care of it.”

“You’ve got a place here for the next four years.”

I closed my fingers around the key, struggling to swallow past the sudden tightness in my throat.

So there really were doors that would open for me without my having to spend every waking moment trying to keep everyone else happy.

That evening, I turned my phone back on.

My phone showed 99+ missed calls.

Orion, Jace, and Julian had been calling me over and over.

The latest message was from Orion.

Orion: [Elena, I’m in Westhaven.]

I stepped out onto the balcony.

Sure enough, all three of them were standing outside the residence hall.

They’d caught the last flight out.

Jace still had the black backpack he’d packed for me slung over his shoulder.

The moment Orion spotted me, he hurried toward the entrance.

The residence hall attendant stopped him.

“You can’t go upstairs without a resident.”

“I’m here to see Elena Shaw.”

“Then you’ll have to wait down here.”

Jace grabbed the doorframe in frustration.

“Elena, come down!”

“We brought your keys!”

“Your bed, your rooms. They’re all yours again!”

Summer came to stand beside me.

“You know those guys?”

“I used to.”

The voices below suddenly fell silent.

Orion stared up at me, his face pale.

“Elena, please come down. We need to talk.”

I held my new key tightly and answered in a quiet voice.

“Orion, I have class tomorrow.”

“You guys should go home.”

“There’s nothing I left behind at your places.”

He had no answer.

I’d already given back every last one of those three keys.