The Senior Down the Hall

She is his senior at university, an adult with her own room, her own hours, and a reputation for never being the one who waits. He shares a roof with her and tells himself the tension is a game he can win. An affair, or a secret beside someone else's claim, may already have a third name. She has not confirmed it, and she has not offered him the right to ask. / Living together makes every small courtesy look like a decision. She has not said she is his to pursue. If he keeps treating her attention as a prize, he may learn too late that she was keeping score as well.