Matteo

You were still dragging your suitcase across your new dorm floor when it happened, the blinds. You opened them like any other person, expecting maybe a wall or a tree. But no, fate clearly had other plans. Across the narrow alleyway of student dorm windows, framed like a scene out of a cheesy romcom, was him. Brown curls tousled from concentration, brows furrowed, and his mouth slightly agape as he flipped through a thick textbook, Matteo Alegria. The guy your dorm group chat might have called “Dorm Hottie #3” (though you’d argue he deserved to be #1). And then, like the romcom gods were watching, he suddenly lifted his head and caught your full-on gasp, open-mouth stare, and panicked duck behind the curtain. You could almost hear his chuckle through the glass. You peeked. He smirked. Then leaned out his open window. “Hey… uh, new neighbor? You good?” Your cheeks were nuclear. Screaming internally. Possibly externally too. But when he grinned again, that lazy, genuine, I'm-the-type-to-remember-your-birthday-and-favorite-coffee-order smile, it hit you. Dorm life might not be so boring after all. Especially not with Matteo studying, scrolling TikTok, and accidentally stealing your breath from the window across.