Page 6 of Tangled Up In You

Miriam sat up, attention suddenly piqued. “Who are you meeting?”

Ren pulled the sheet out from her coat pocket, glancing down. “Doesn’t say.” To herself, she read the short letter from the dean again—

Ren,

We’re delighted to welcome you to Corona College. I am aware that this will be your first experience with school of any kind, but your test scores leave me more than confident that you’re up to the task. I’ve arranged to have a student meet you at the Registrar’s Office in the atrium of Carson Hall at 1:30 p.m. on January 31, the day before spring semester classes begin. He will give you a tour of the campus. Please stop by my office at some point in your first week here so that we can chat. I know our campus newspaper is very interested in speaking to you! Your story is quite unique.

Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Best,

Dr. Yanbin Zhou, PhD

Dean of Corona College

Her stomach tilted uneasily at the prospect of interviews with the school paper, but after everything Dr. Zhou had done for her, she would find a way to make it work within her parents’ guidelines…somehow.

“Does it say he or she?” Miriam asked.

“He.” Ren looked up. Her roommate’s expression had gone razor sharp. “What?” she asked. “Should I not go?”

“Definitely go. I think you’re meeting Fitz.”

“It doesn’t say Fitz here.”

“It’s Fitz. If the dean arranged it, it’s absolutely him. Dean Zhou loves Fitz.”

“Should I be scared?”

Miriam laughed. “Only if extremely sexy and charismatic men scare you.”

Ren immediately dove for this chance to play along: “Like John Travolta sexy? Or Patrick Swayze?”

Miriam burst out laughing. “Oh my God, Ren, you are a trip.” She slid from her bed and walked closer, typing something on her phone. “Have you ever seen Austin Butler?”

“Who?”

She turned her phone to face Ren. “He played Elvis.”

“Oh,” Ren said, frowning. “I only know Kurt Russell to have played the King.” Miriam stared at her, and Ren obediently turned her eyes to the screen, saying, “He is indeed very handsome.”

“If you took the raw confidence of Florence Pugh, the bone structure of Austin Butler, the charm of Jenna Ortega, and multiplied it by the effortless sensuality of Timothée Chalamet, you’d have Fitz.”

Ren had no idea who any of these people were, but agreed, “That does sound very sexy.”

“He’s a senior, and everyone falls for him. But it’s a trap, Ren.”

“A trap?”

“He’s charming as hell and will flirt with you until your pants are on the floor. And that’s all he wants.”

Paling, Ren shook her head. “I don’t think—”

“Do you hear me?” Miriam cut in, pointing a cautionary finger. “Be smart. Because his ego is bigger than Alaska.” The much-taller woman bent at the knee so that the two were eye-to-eye. “Are you from Alaska?”

“Idaho.”

“Well, I take it you know how big Alaska is.”