They continued walking until they reached a large dormitory building. Kinsley showed them inside where they entered a fairly cozy lounge of sorts.
There were vending machines, a receptionist desk, benches lining the walls, students walking the lounge and chatting with each other.
"Are you sure we can stay here with you?" Marcus whispered.
"There's no rule in bringing in outsiders, everyone can bring up to two outsiders that they consider close family," Kinsley answered.
"But we aren't family." Marcus added, "I think that's a little obvious."
"What are you talking about?" Kinsley said playfully, feigning ignorance.
Marcus chuckled but didn't argue any further. They continued navigating through the dorm until eventually they reached her room.
Stepping into the room, they were greeted with a fairly cozy atmosphere. There was a small neat bed in the far left corner. A window beside the bed gave a decent view outside the campus. There were two drawers and a shelf on the right wall, along with a mirror. And finally on the left wall was a door that led to a bathroom and a shoe rack.
There were a few decorative items, but they were mostly soccer/football-related.
"You can put your stuff over there." She gestured towards the corner under the window.
Marcus obliged and dropped his bag underneath the window. Kinsley meanwhile closed the door.
Marcus and Luna wordlessly stood in the middle of the room, watching Kinsely.
Kinsely raised an eyebrow as she reached a hand for her face. "Is there something on my face?" She asked curiously.
"No," Marcus admitted. "I'm just wondering where I'll sleep."
"You can have my bed," Kinsley answered. "I'll sleep on the floor.
Marcus immediately shook his head. "Uhm, that's not happening." He said with a stern voice. "Even if we're the guest."
"But what about your sister?" Kinsley asked, gesturing towards Luna, do you want her to sleep on the floor?" She asked challengingly.
"Well no, but I didn't come here to steal your bed."
Kinsley sighed, clearly not wanting to argue further. "Fine, I'll grab two sleeping bags and some food, you two just wait here, ok?"
Marcus nodded, "one impression is of a statue coming up." He said with a wink.
Kinsley chuckled before turning to leave the room.
Marcus and Luna were now left alone.
"This was a terrible Idea Marcus," Luna said bluntly.
"Huh?" Marcus said in surprise, he was not expecting that response.
"How are you going to run an investigation and not appear suspicious to Kinsley?" Luna asked, "I didn't think of it, but this room only carries privacy for one."
"Then I'll just do the investigation somewhere else," Marcus answered.
"And when you need to come back to Kinsley's dorm?" Luna asked.
"I'll….. just call her?"
Luna narrowed her silver eyes. "You didn't think this through in the slightest." She said with a sigh. "But neither did I."
Marcus grinned. "You're overthinking this, I promise you, I'll figure something out, ok?"
Luna nodded, turning her attention towards Kinsley's shelf.
On the shelf were several textbooks on various subjects, such as anatomy, calculus, etc.
"I'll say one thing, I'm glad I'm not in school anymore." Marcus joked.
"Technically you are, it's just the organization that does your school work for you," Luna answered.
"Even better."
Luna giggled as she shook her head.
It wasn't long before Kinsley returned to the dorm with two sleeping bags underneath her arms and two bagged sandwiches in her mouth.
She stepped into the room and dropped the sleeping bags on the floor, they hit the ground with a small bounce.
Kinsley then removed the sandwiches from her mouth and handed them to Marcus. "Here."
Marcus hesitantly accepted the sandwiches, carefully avoiding where Kinsley's mouth had been.
He then handed one to Luna, who refused.
"Not hungry huh?" Marcus asked, keeping the sandwich for himself. "More for me then."
"Oh, I also got these," Kinsley said, reaching into her pocket and fishing out two candy bars.
Marcus accepted them, taking one for himself and handing Luna the other. She accepted the candy with a smile.
"Your sister can take the bed by the way," Kinsely said as she gestured towards it. "You and I can sleep on the floor."
Marcus sighed. "It's your bed." He said with slight frustration, "Why are you so adamant about sleeping on the floor?"
Kinsley crossed her arms as she sighed. "You're my guest, Marcus, sleeping on the floor is nothing new to me, I've been doing some much when I was younger that it's practically second nature at this point."
"I don't care." Marcus said with irritation, "It's your bed, yours! Why can't you just do what I say?"
"Because I'm my own person, and because your little sister doesn't deserve to sleep on the floor."
"But you do?"
"I'm the one who invited you here, right?" Kinsley said knowingly.
Marcus opened his mouth to respond but realized it would be pointless. For whatever reason, she had her mind set on sleeping on the floor.
"Fine," Marcus said with a sigh.
Kinsley smiled triumphantly, she then gestured towards the sandwiches, "You can eat while I take my shower, then we'll switch out when I'm done.
Marcus nodded as he sat on Kinsley's bed, ripping open the sandwich wrapping and folding it down.
Looking down at the sandwich he noticed it was filled with chicken salad. His eyes widened as his mouth began to water.
Thank god for Luna's small appetite, Marcus thought to himself as he bit into a small slice of heaven.
"Oh yeah," Marcus said to himself as he chewed.
Kinsley meanwhile, had been gathering a change of clothes before heading into the bathroom. Leaving Marcus and Luna alone once more.
"I don't know how…" Marcus said as he ate the sandwich, "but she knew just what to get."
Luna chuckled, still clutching her candy as she sat beside Marcus. "That's good to know."
Marcus and Luna sat in a comfortable silence as they ate.
Marcus' mind was focused solely on his sandwiches, inhaling them down almost as fast as he could chew. Luna watched him in amusement, chuckling to herself as she nibbled on her candy.
It wasn't long before the duo had finished their meal.
They then sat together quietly waiting for Kinsley to exit the bathroom. Around ten minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom dressed in shorts and a long T-shirt.
"It's all yours Marcus," Kinsley said, finishing up the towel wrap on her head.
Marcus nodded as he rose from the bed, "is there a towel that is in there?" Marcus asked, walking towards the bathroom.
"Yeah, there's some soap in there too," Kinsley added.
"What kinda soap do you English girls use anyway?" Marcus asked jokingly.
Kinsley chuckled, "It's a special kind that makes us irresistible to Americans." She teased.
Marcus laughed as he stepped into the bathroom, closing the bathroom behind himself, the door clicking shut.
Kinsley then walked over to the sleeping bags. She opened both of them, unrolling them and placing them a few inches apart. After staring at the two black sleeping bags for a second, she scooted them closer together.
Luna unintentionally giggled, causing Kinsley to look back with a wry smile. "You didn't see that." She joked.
Luna pretended to zip her mouth shut, then tossed the key.
Kinsley chuckled as she stood up, she made her way to her bed and sat beside Luna. "So," Kinsley began, "do you wanna talk while your brother showers?
Luna shrugged, studying Kinsley with her silver eyes.
"Are those real?" Kinsley asked, "Your eyes, I mean, like do you just wear contacts or…"
"Uhm…." Luna shrugged, clearly struggling with whether to lie or not. "These are just mine." She answered.
Kinsley smirked. "I see, well how about you ask me a question." She suggested.
Luna paused for a moment, bringing a hand to her chin. She narrowed her eyes as she glanced around the room, her eyes eventually landing on the bathroom door.
"What is love?" Luna asked.
"Baby don't hurt me…."
"Huh?" Luna said curiously
"Sorry, but the opportunity just presented itself," Kinsley said with a soft chuckle. "But what makes you ask that?"
Luna crossed her arms as she tilted her head. "Earlier, Marcus told me that he loves me," Luna explained. "It was the first time he said it to me directly, and it was so out of the ordinary."
Kinsley nodded. "I'm listening."
"I didn't know what to say back to him." Luna said with a sigh, "I don't know if I love Marcus, because I don't know what love is. I care for Marcus, I like to be with him, I like when he holds and talks to me, but is that love, I wonder."
Kinsley's eyes were wide and her jaw dropped. Luna looked over to see this, and her expression grew concerned. "Is something wrong?" Luna asked.
"N-no." Kinsley stammered, "It's just, you're so young, but you speak so well, it's…. Surprising is all." Kinsley explained with a nervous chuckle.
Kinsley then took a deep breath as she put her elbows in her lap, leaning forward. "Well, let's start with what we know. You seem to have a good definition of the word like, so what does it mean to like something for you?"
Luna paused to think before answering. "Well, I define the action of liking, as the want for continuation." Luna answered, "For example, I like when Marcus holds me, meaning that I want him to continue, now and in the future."
Kinsley nodded, sitting back to cross her arms as she sighed deeply. "Yeah, that sounds about right." Kinsley replied, "Likely something or someone usually means you enjoy it."
Kinsley then paused, breathing deeply before continuing. "Love, love for me means caring about something or someone so deeply, that it becomes an integral part of your life. You cannot live without it, and if it's a person, then their happiness easily becomes yours." Kinsley then smiled. "And with how you look at your brother, I can tell you love him, deeply."
Luna smiled, her cheeks flushed. "I suppose I do love Marcus then." She softly, "I can't wait to tell him."
Kinsley chuckled. "You should save that confession, and surprise him when he needs it most."
Luna nodded. "I see, is that what you plan on doing?" She asked.
Kinsley's eyes widened as her cheeks grew crimson red. "W-well, we only just met." She stammered. "You can't love a man you just met, but I like him, kinda…"
Luna smirked. "I remember when you and Marcus first met, you seemed so cold and distant." She said with a chuckle, "Yet the moment you found out he liked you too, you became so protective and caring, also a little moody."
"I am not," Kinsley said with a pout. "I just, I can't control how I feel, sometimes I want to strangle him, and other times I miss him," Kinsley explained.
"It seems long distance does a number on relationships, you've talked with Marcus for two months, yet you've only seen him in person for a week, and that's when you first met him," Luna replied, she then sighed. "I wonder if you still wish to date him?" Luna asked, "Or are you afraid of being alone?"
Kinsley sighed softly as she leaned forward, "That, that's a deep one." Kinsley said with a soft laugh. "I like you brother, but I'm not sure about dating yet, he's already lied to me once, about that fight…. That and his job makes me unsure." Kinsley then continued with a soft grin, "But when I saw him in person today, I felt my doubts wash away."
Kinsley continued, "As for being alone, I'm not afraid of that. I've been single all my life." She explained, "Boys didn't like me, they call me tall and boyish, and uhm, I don't pitch for the other team." She joked.
Luna giggled. "Well, for what it's worth, you're Marcus's type."
"How so?"
"He as a thing fo–"
Suddenly the bathroom door creaked open, revealing an almost naked Marcus, dressed in nothing but a bath towel around his waist.
His long, curly hair stuck to his forehead, dripping small droplets of water. His toned body glistened under the white lights that illuminated Kinsley's room.
"Do you have any lotion?" Marcus asked as he turned to look at Kinsley, "We got about ten seconds before my skin dried out, and I turned into a ghost."
Kinsley's eyes were wide, her face blushed and her pupils dilated. "M-Marcus…" she stammered.
Luna raised an eyebrow as she looked at the bumbling Kinsley.
"And before you get mad, I did use some of those strange drying sponges, the ones under the sink cabinet."
Marcus then showed Kinsley a used tampon, dangling it by the string, "I used three of them, two for my armpits, and a third one for where the sun don't shine." Marcus said with a chuckle.
Kinsley's eyes nearly popped outta their socket as Marcus continued to speak. Her gaze went from Marcus, to the tampon and back again.
"Oh my god…" she said in disbelief as she rose from her bed.
Marcus couldn't read her expression or was like a strange mixture of embarrassment, irritation, and shock. "Marcus." She said softly as she approached him, her eyes closed. "That is not a sponge."
"It's not?" Marcus said curiously as he examined what was in his hand.
"No, it isn't." She repeated, opening her eyes to look directly into his auburn brown eyes, "Please, throw the used ones away, and put on some clothes." She said calmly.
"But the loti–"
"I'll have it ready." She said, cutting him off.
Marcus couldn't help but feel he had screwed up badly somewhere, as Kinsley was using the same tone his mother had when he was little.
"O-ok." He stammered, stepping back into the bathroom. Kinsley closed the door behind him and then turned to look at Luna.
"Is he like this at home?" She asked.
Luna paused briefly before nodding, "Marcus isn't very aware, at least not when it's needed."
Kinsley sighed deeply. "Bloody hell."
Luna giggled.
Kinsley then made her way toward a shelf and grabbed a bottle of lotion. "He's lucky to have you with him," Kinsley said as she stood next to the bathroom door.
"He's not that bad." Luna said, "You just need to spell it out for him, he's bad at dealing with the subtle."
"Looks like I have my work cut out for me," Kinsley said with a soft chuckle.
Marcus soon emerged from the bathroom dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. His hair was tied in its usual puffball. Kinsley wordlessly handed Marcus the lotion, and he hesitantly accepted it.
He squirted a little on his hands and began to rub them together, he noticed that it had a faint hint of a pretzel smell. "Is this, normal?" Marcus asked.
"You mean the smell?" Kinsley asked.
Marcus nodded.
Kinsley smirked, "I dropped one in when I was refilling the bottle, didn't feel like getting it out."
"Ahh," Marcus said with a nod. He then turned his attention to the sleeping bags, noting how close they were. "You sure you don't mind sleeping next to me?" He asked.
"I set them that way, Marcus," Kinsley said as she walked over to her shelf, placing the lotion back. She then pointed towards the sleeping bags, "Come on, it's time for bed."
"Why are you treating me like a baby?" Marcus said with a frown.
Kinsley turned to face Marcus with a gentle smile. "I'm not treating you like a baby, I'm just tired Marcus." She then lowered herself down to one knee as she removed the towel from her head, "are you coming?" She asked.
Marcus pouted, Kinsley, was treating him like a child, but arguing was futile. "Fine," Marcus grumbled. Lowering himself onto his sleeping bag. He settled into its warm and comfortable embrace. Sleep almost immediately washed over him.
Kinsley soon joined him, slipping into her sleeping bag. She then yawned as she pulled out her phone. "Is everyone settled in?" She asked.
Luna, who was quiet up until this point, wordlessly crawled down from the bed and slipped onto Marcus's sleeping bag.
Marcus chuckled as he embraced her. "The whole point of this was to give you the bed." He said with a laugh.
Luna nestled against Marcus's side, "You're my bed." She whispered, giggling all the while.
Marcus tightened his embrace. "And you're mine."
Kinsley smiled as she watched the 'siblings'. She then turned the lights off with her phone, plunging the room into a cozy darkness.
"Goodnight you two." She said softly.
Marcus turned to look at Kinsley with a smile. "Night, Kinsley." He said softly.