Chapter 45 The Beginning of Everything
Chapter 45 The Beginning of Everything
POV: Valeria Cruz
Move-in day is chaos.
Not the kind you can control.
The kind that just… happens.
Cars lined up along the curb.
Trunks open.
Boxes everywhere.
Parents giving too many instructions.
Students pretending they’re not nervous.
Everyone trying to act like this is normal.
It’s not.
But that doesn’t make it bad.
“Tell me why there are this many people,” Nico mutters behind me.
I glance over my shoulder.
He’s holding two boxes and still looks offended.
“Because it’s move-in day,” Elena says.
“That doesn’t explain anything.”
“It explains everything.”
He shakes his head.
“I don’t like it.”
“You don’t like anything,” Dylan says, walking past him with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
“That’s not true.”
“It is.”
Matteo drops a box next to the dorm entrance.
“I already regret everything,” he says.
“You’ve been here ten minutes,” I point out.
“That’s enough time.”
I laugh.
Because somehow—
this feels exactly like us.
Different place.
Same chaos.
Same people.
Rafe walks up beside me, carrying the last of my boxes like they weigh nothing.
Of course he is.
“You don’t have to do all of that,” I say.
“I know.”
Same answer.
Always.
And somehow—
I don’t argue anymore.
Because I know what it means.
Because I know it’s not about whether I can do it myself.
It’s about the fact that I don’t have to.
We make our way inside.
The hallway is crowded.
Doors open.
Voices echoing.
People introducing themselves.
Parents hovering.
Boxes scraping against walls.
Everything loud.
Everything new.
My room is smaller than I expected.
Not bad.
Just…
mine.
There’s already a bed.
A desk.
A window that lets in more light than I thought it would.
My name taped to the door.
I stand there for a second.
Taking it in.
Because this—
this is real.
This is the next part of my life.
“You’re thinking again,” Rafe says quietly.
I glance at him.
“I think I’m allowed to today.”
“I’ll allow it.”
“How generous of you.”
He smirks.
“Very.”
Nico drops a box on the floor.
“I’m claiming the couch,” he says.
“You don’t live here,” Elena replies.
“Details.”
“You’re not sleeping here.”
“We’ll see.”
“You won’t.”
Dylan laughs.
“This is already a mess.”
“It’s our mess,” Sofia says.
And she’s right.
It is.
We unpack slowly.
Not rushing it.
Not trying to make everything perfect.
Just placing things where they feel right.
Clothes in drawers.
Books on the desk.
Pictures on the wall.
Pieces of my life fitting into this new space.
And for the first time—
it doesn’t feel like I’m leaving anything behind.
It feels like I’m bringing it with me.
Maya and Sofia help me hang a string of photos near the window.
Beach day.
Graduation.
Random moments that somehow became everything.
“Okay, this is cute,” Maya says.
“It’s not cute,” I argue.
“It’s very cute.”
“Don’t start.”
Sofia smiles.
“It’s home.”
That word settles differently now.
Not heavy.
Not uncertain.
Just…
true.
Eventually, people start to leave.
Not all at once.
One by one.
Dylan and Matteo first.
Practice schedules already pulling them away.
Then Maya and Sofia.
Hugging me longer this time.
“We’re calling tonight,” Maya says.
“You don’t have a choice,” Sofia adds.
“I wouldn’t say no.”
They smile.
Then go.
Nico and Elena linger.
Of course they do.
“You’ll survive,” Nico says.
“I know.”
“You better.”
“I will.”
Elena hugs me next.
Tight.
Quick.
“You’re ready,” she says.
I nod.
“Yeah.”
Because I am.
They leave together.
Still arguing.
Still loud.
Still exactly the same.
And just like that—
it’s quieter.
Not empty.
Just different.
Rafe is still here.
Standing in the middle of the room like he’s memorizing it.
Like he’s making sure everything is exactly where it should be.
I walk over to him.
“You can go,” I say softly.
He looks at me.
“I know.”
But he doesn’t move.
“Are you going to?” I ask.
He steps closer instead.
Stops just in front of me.
“You good?” he asks.
That question.
Always the same.
I take a breath.
Look around the room.
At everything that’s mine.
At everything that’s ahead of me.
At everything I didn’t think I would get.
Then I look back at him.
And I smile.
“Yeah,” I say.
This time—
I don’t hesitate.
Because I’m not waiting for something to go wrong.
I’m ready for something to go right.
He nods once.
Satisfied.
Like that’s all he needed.
He leans in.
Kisses me.
Soft.
Certain.
Like a promise.
Not of perfection.
Not of ease.
But of staying.
Of choosing this.
Every day.
He pulls back.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says.
“Yeah,” I whisper.
Because tomorrow is real now.
Not something to survive.
Something to live.
He leaves.
And for a second—
I just stand there.
Alone.
But not lonely.
Not scared.
Not unsure.
Just…
ready.
I walk over to the window.
Look out at the campus.
People moving.
Laughing.
Living.
And for the first time—
I don’t feel like I’m watching life happen from the outside.
I feel like I’m part of it.
Like I belong here.
Like I belong somewhere.
And maybe—
that’s what all of this was leading to.
Not just surviving.
Not just getting through.
But finally—
being able to begin.