Asher’s POV The first thing I noticed every morning…
Was him.
Not because he was loud.
Or because he demanded attention.
Quite the opposite.
Kael Rowan was the quietest person in Room 407.
Yet somehow…
He was always the first person my eyes searched for.
— The dorm was unusually peaceful.
The morning sun spilled through the curtains, stretching across the floor in warm golden strips.
Liam was still asleep.
One leg dangled off the side of his bed while his blanket had somehow ended up on Noah’s desk.
“…How does he even sleep like that?” Noah muttered while pushing the blanket back with the end of a ruler.
I chuckled quietly.
My attention drifted toward the bed beside mine.
Kael was awake.
Well…
Half awake.
His blanket was pulled up to his nose, revealing only a pair of sleepy eyes blinking lazily at the ceiling.
He looked like a little rabbit hiding inside its burrow.
“…Morning, Rabbit.” His eyes shifted toward me.
For a second, confusion flickered across his face.
Then…
His cheeks slowly turned pink.
“…M-Morning…” Liam suddenly sat upright.
“WAIT!” He pointed dramatically.
“Did he just call him Rabbit again?” Noah sighed.
“You’ve noticed this for the tenth time.” “I’m conducting research.” “You need a hobby.” “I have one.” “What?” “Watching these two.” I shook my head.
“You seriously need help.” — After breakfast, the four of us walked toward our first lecture.
The campus had become familiar to Kael now.
He no longer checked the map every few minutes.
He no longer looked frightened by every unfamiliar hallway.
Instead…
He walked quietly beside me.
Every now and then, I’d catch him glancing at the flower beds lining the paths.
Or watching squirrels dart between the trees.
He noticed little things.
Things most people walked past without a second thought.
“You like flowers?” I asked.
Kael blinked.
“…They’re pretty.” He crouched beside a bed of white daisies.
One tiny butterfly landed on a flower.
Kael smiled.
A real smile.
Soft.
Gentle.
Almost childlike.
He didn’t touch it.
He simply watched.
I found myself watching him instead.
Liam leaned toward Noah.
“…He’s doing it again.” “What?” “Asher.” “He looks at Kael the way people look at puppies.” Without missing a beat, Noah replied, “No.” “Worse.” “He looks at him like he’s already planning the wedding.” I nearly choked on my coffee.
Kael looked between us in confusion.
“…What happened?” “Nothing,” I answered a little too quickly.
Liam laughed so hard he almost dropped his bag.
— The afternoon lecture ended earlier than expected.
Professor Hargrove placed several sheets of paper on the desk.
“Since next week is the Welcome Festival…” “You’ll be completing today’s assignment in pairs.” The classroom buzzed with excitement.
“Asher Bennett.” “Kael Rowan.” Professor Hargrove read our names one after another.
“You’ll work together.” Kael looked up.
Our eyes met.
For some reason…
Neither of us complained.
— Our assignment was simple.
Interview five students about what “home” meant to them.
The answers were all different.
“My parents.” “My hometown.” “My little sister.” “My dog.” “My grandmother’s cooking.” Kael wrote each answer carefully in his notebook.
His handwriting was surprisingly neat.
Small.
Just like him.
As we walked toward the next interview, I noticed he had gone unusually quiet.
“What does home mean to you?” I asked.
He stopped walking.
His fingers tightened around his notebook.
For a long moment…
He didn’t answer.
Finally…
His voice came out barely above a whisper.
“…I don’t know.” My chest tightened.
He wasn’t avoiding the question.
He genuinely didn’t know.
He had never had a place that felt like home.
— “I’ll ask you again someday.” He looked up.
“…Why?” I smiled.
“Because I think…” “…One day you’ll have an answer.” For the first time that afternoon…
Kael smiled.
“…Maybe.” — The sun was beginning to set when we finished.
On the way back to the dorm, we stopped at a small convenience store.
Kael wandered toward the refrigerated drinks.
His eyes immediately found the strawberry milk.
He reached for one.
Then another.
He frowned.
“…They’re on sale.” I looked over.
“Buy both.” He quickly shook his head.
“…One is enough.” “You’ll drink the second tomorrow.” “…That’s wasteful.” “It isn’t.” He hesitated for a moment before quietly placing the second carton into the basket.
As we reached the cashier…
He secretly took one out again.
I noticed.
Without saying anything…
I slipped it back into the basket.
Kael looked at me.
“…Asher.” “Hm?” “…You’re stubborn.” I laughed.
“I was about to say the same thing.” For a second…
He stared at me.
Then…
A tiny laugh escaped him.
It was so soft that most people wouldn’t have heard it.
But I did.
And somehow…
It felt like I’d won something priceless.
— That evening, after dinner, the dorm settled into its usual rhythm.
Noah read quietly at his desk.
Liam played games on his phone, complaining loudly every time he lost.
Kael sat cross-legged on his bed, reviewing the day’s notes.
I opened my laptop to check tomorrow’s work schedule.
Another extra shift.
I sighed.
Kael looked over.
“…More work?” “Yeah.” “…Will you be back late again?” His question was casual.
Almost too casual.
But there was something in his eyes.
Something that made me pause.
“I’ll try not to.” He nodded slowly.
“…Okay.” He returned to his book.
But for some reason…
He didn’t turn the page.
— Much later that night…
The room had gone dark.
Only the moonlight spilled through the window.
I couldn’t sleep.
Work.
Tuition.
Bills.
The future.
Everything swirled around in my mind.
A soft sound broke the silence.
I looked over.
Kael.
Still asleep.
He shifted beneath his blanket…
Then murmured something so quietly I almost missed it.
“…Asher…” Just my name.
Nothing more.
He didn’t wake up.
He simply hugged his pillow a little tighter.
I smiled to myself.
“…Good night, Rabbit.” Outside…
The wind stirred the trees.
Inside Room 407…
Neither of us knew it yet.
But little by little…
We were becoming each other’s definition of home.