Cold as Ice • HS

Chapter 3 • New Romantics

"Cause baby, I could build a castle

Out of all the bricks they threw at me."

XXX

Khione

It's only my first week here and I'm already drowning in assignments. It's starting to pile up and I want to get some stuff done before it overwhelms me. I can't seem to concentrate in my dorm with Louis being there. He's not loud or annoying or anything. But when I'm not in class I'm in my dorm, so it might be a good idea to get out and see the campus.

Louis has been very kind showing me around a bit on campus. We grab coffee together every morning, walk to classes and he's spent most of the evenings at our dorm this week to keep me company. It's sweet really, he tells me he's got nothing else to do anyway, but I see the texts he gets. Must be his friends right?

He's taking me to the campus pub tonight. "To show me around" he says, but I think he's just using that as an excuse to meet up with friends.

As I walk through the campus looking at my phone for directions to the library, I walk straight into what feels like a brick wall. The coffee I got at the corner café spills from my hand and drops to the ground accompanied by my phone.

As I dive down to grab it, I hear a thick Irish accent.

"I'm so sorry! Didn't see ya there"

I crouch down to grab the now-empty coffee cup on the street and pick up my phone.

"No it's completely my fault, I was glued to my phone trying to find the library" I apologize.

As I look up I'm met with a familiar face staring down at me. I know him from somewhere, can't seem to remember where. But apparently, he recognises me too, because his smooth Irish accent sounds again as he ruffles his blonde locks.

"Oh! I know you, you're the new girl in my English lit class!" He smiles as he reaches out his hand to help me up.

"Yeah that's right, you're Niall right?" I remember him now, he lent me a pencil on the first day.

"Yeah, that's me! I'm so sorry, going to sound like an arse right now but I don't think I remember your name" he replies.

"That's okay, It's a really tough name anyway" I smile and stick out my hand for him to shake "You can call me Khio"

"Alright Khio, nice to meet you!" He laughs and shakes my hand. "You were walking in the right direction by the way" He moves to stand next to me and points to a building about 100 meters away. "That's the library"

"Oh great! Thank you so much. I'll see you in class!" I thank him as we both continue our path.

XXX

After a few hours, I finally close my textbook and computer. I managed to finish the first deadlines coming up and start up some of next week's assignments so I'm one step ahead. I've been so focused on my work, I haven't looked around the library yet.

"Excuse me?" a soft voice sounds next to me.

I look over to see a girl my age, maybe a bit older. Her deep brown eyes peek at me and her hair is up in a bun.

"Yeah?" I answer

"I don't mean to pry, but I saw a green pencil in your pencil case and it's the exact color I've been looking for" She whispers, trying not to disturb the other people at the working desks.

"Uhm.. Do you want to borrow it?" I take the pencil and hand it over. She looks ecstatic and starts using it on the paper in front of her. I peek over at what she's doing with my pencil and discover she's using it to color in a drawing of a beautiful dress.