The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room. Evan stirred in his bed, groggily stretching as the remnants of sleep clung to him. He rubbed his eyes, the warmth of the bed still lulling him into comfort, but just as he began to sink back into his pillow, there was a knock at the door.

  "Hey, Evan?" Sienna’s voice called from outside, light yet firm.

  Before he could respond, the door creaked open, and she stepped inside, carrying a tray den with food. Her posture was rexed, but her eyes gleamed with something that only made Evan’s heart skip a beat. She was in a loose shirt and jeans, looking very composed as she set the tray down on the nightstand beside him.

  "Good morning," she said, her voice sweet but her expression still sharp, as though her mood was as high as her usual confidence.

  Sienna gnced over at him as he stayed lounging in bed, still dressed in his pajamas. Her eyes softened briefly, but then a flicker of irritation crossed her face. She cleared her throat, her gaze flicking to the side. "I thought you’d be up already. Sorry…," she said, her voice a little lighter than usual but still carrying that confident tone. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”

  Evan blinked in confusion. He looked down at himself—his oversized, faded navy-blue T-shirt, wrinkled and sporting a random stain near the hem, paired with baggy gray sweatpants that were pilled and fraying at the cuffs—and then back at Sienna. “I don’t see what’s wrong with my pajamas,” he said, raising an eyebrow. He couldn’t figure out what she meant, his eyes flicking between her and the food.

  Sienna didn’t meet his eyes immediately. She bit the inside of her cheek, her fingers briefly pying with the edge of the tray as she avoided his gaze. “Never mind,” she muttered under her breath, almost inaudibly. “Guess I was hoping for something cuter.”

  Evan tilted his head. “What?”

  “Nothing,” she said quickly, her voice smooth again as she straightened. “I got you breakfast”

  Was she annoyed by his clothing choice? It’s true that the old Evan would never touch these clothes, but they were the most comfortable pajamas that he found. Either way, her reaction only added to the strangeness of the moment. Part of him was still stunned by the sight of her bringing breakfast to him—something he’d only ever dreamed about in his past life, but never imagined would happen in this strange, reversed world.

  “Well, thanks,” Evan said, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he took the tray from her. “This looks delicious.”

  Sienna raised an eyebrow. “Don’t get used to it,” she teased, though her tone was more pyful than anything. “Mom had some business today, and Dad went off to meet some of his friends or whatever. So, I thought I’d do something nice for you.”

  Evan took a bite of the breakfast, savoring the simple yet satisfying meal—fresh eggs, crispy toast, and perfectly ripe fruit. He gnced up at Sienna, a pyful glint in his eyes. “Thanks. I appreciate it,” he said, then added with a teasing smile, “Look who’s acting all domesticated now. Are you trying to seduce me or something?”

  Sienna raised an eyebrow, the corner of her lips twitching into a sly smile. "Really?" Her voice was thick with amusement. "You're still hung up on that comment? It was just a joke."

  Evan shrugged, leaning back into the pillows, a grin tugging at his lips. “I know. I was just kidding.”

  Sienna gave him a half-amused, half-exasperated look. Her eyes swept over the room, taking in the scattered books and rumpled clothes with a flicker of disapproval. “Were you always this messy? I could’ve sworn you were a bit of a clean freak,” she said, the hint of a smirk tugging at her lips. “Maybe I’ll call Uncle Rupert to straighten it out for you.”

  Evan gnced around, his gaze nding on a stray shirt draped over the chair and a small pile of books teetering by the bedside table. It didn’t seem that messy to him, he liked organized chaos. But he knew the old Evan probably had higher standards. “I guess I’ve been a little preoccupied,” he said casually, leaning back as he took another bite of food. “Don’t ask Uncle Rupert, I’ll try to keep it in check.”

  Sienna, clearly not interested in discussing cleanliness further, turned her attention back to her phone. Her fingers danced over the screen as she scrolled through something, but she didn’t seem too absorbed. Every now and then, her eyes would flicker back to him, the corners of her lips twitching at his casualness.

  Evan couldn’t help but notice the pyful glint in her eyes, but he wasn’t quite sure if she was teasing him or actually thinking something through. Before he could ask, Sienna spoke again, her voice lighter than before.

  “So, st night...” she began, her voice dragging out the words as if to build suspense, “how was the kiss?”

  Evan choked on a piece of toast. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to regain his composure. “Uh... it was fine. I guess.”

  Sienna’s grin was mischievous as she interrupted him. “It was definitely more than fine. You practically ran out of the car.”

  “I did not!” Evan shot back, his voice defensive but tinged with embarrassment. “I just got out first, okay? It’s not the same thing!” He paused, realizing how weak that sounded, and muttered, “You know, you’re a bit cruel sometimes.”

  Sienna ughed, but there was a softness in her voice this time. “Cruel?” She tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. “I’m just having fun with you.”

  He rolled his eyes, but despite his embarrassment, he couldn’t help but smile. "Yeah, sure."

  After a few more moments of pyful teasing, Sienna finally looked at her watch and sighed. "We should head out soon."

  Evan nodded, setting the tray aside as he quickly finished the st of his food. “Right, right. Let me get dressed.”

  Sienna didn’t wait for him to finish before turning toward the door. “Don’t take too long. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

  With that, Sienna turned and left the room, her confident steps echoing in the hallway. Evan sat for a moment, a small smile creeping onto his face as he processed the morning. Somehow, this little incident left him feeling lighter, even happy.

  ***

  Near university gate,

  After leaving the car, Evan and Sienna exchanged a brief, familiar goodbye. Sienna gave him a quick, teasing smile before shifting the gear.

  “I have to meet Mom about something. I’ll be back after I’m done,” she says with a casual wave.

  Evan watches her drive off, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. Just as he's about to head toward the campus entrance, a voice calls out to him.

  "Hey, Evan!"

  Evan turned to see Finn hurrying toward him, his usual soft, timid demeanor in full effect. His big brown eyes sparkled with curiosity, and his delicate features were slightly flushed from the quick walk. As he approached, Finn shot Evan a shy smile, his voice lilting slightly as he spoke.

  "Who's the girl who just dropped you off? Your girlfriend?," Finn asked, his tone teasing but with a yer of genuine curiosity beneath it.

  Evan froze for a moment, then gave a casual shrug, not wanting to give too much away, especially since they hadn't officially revealed their engagement to anyone yet.

  "Oh, she’s my stepsister," Evan replied nonchantly, trying to sound casual as he shifted his bag on his shoulder. He didn't think much of it, but Finn’s eyebrows lifted at the response.

  "Really?" Finn asked, sounding intrigued but still not fully processing the implications. "Wow, you must be pretty rich, huh?"

  Finn quickly added, "Sorry, that was probably a bit rude."

  Evan gave him a quick gnce, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. He didn't mind the assumption—his new life came with its own set of questions from others, and he'd learned to deal with it.

  "Something like that," he said, his voice neutral but not defensive.

  As they walked, Finn gnced over his shoulder again, his eyes following the car that had just driven off.

  His gaze lingered a moment longer than usual, and then something clicked. He froze mid-step, his eyes widening as the realization hit him.

  "Wait..." Finn muttered, staring at the car now a little further down the road. His mind was catching up with the details. "Isn’t that Sienna’s car?"

  Evan tried to hide his smile as he turned to face Finn, who now looked genuinely surprised and a little flustered. Finn’s eyes darted back to Evan, his expression a mix of awe and embarrassment.

  “THE Sienna Lancaster?” Finn asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

  Evan nodded, still with that faint, casual smile on his lips. “Yup. That’s her.”

  Finn froze, his face going a bit pale as the revetion hit him. He cleared his throat, suddenly much more flustered than he had been a moment ago. "Oh—uh, I... I didn’t mean to be rude just now, or yesterday—I'm sorry if I said anything inappropriate!" His hands fidgeted at his sides, clearly embarrassed.

  Evan chuckled softly, shrugging it off with a casual wave of his hand. "Don’t worry about it. It’s cool," he said, trying to ease Finn's tension with a friendly smile.

  Finn blinked, still clearly embarrassed, but there was a warmth in his eyes. "You’re... really easy-going, huh?" he said, a faint smile forming as he met Evan’s gaze.

  Evan shrugged again, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "It’s not a big deal."

  The two of them continued walking, and Evan, sensing the lingering awkwardness, steered the conversation in a new direction to avoid the tension.

  “Hey, what’s going on over there?” Evan nodded toward a small group gathered near the student club recruitment tables, their flyers spread out on the grass.

  Finn followed his gaze, his expression softening into a small, shy smile. “Oh, that’s the Robotics Club. They’re trying to recruit new members.” He hesitated, brushing his hand through his hair nervously. “I’m already part of it, but it’s... uh... kinda nerdy. You probably wouldn’t be interested.”

  Evan raised an eyebrow, a grin tugging at his lips. “Nerdy? I think it sounds pretty cool. Robotics, right? I wouldn’t mind checking it out.”

  Finn blinked, caught off guard by the enthusiasm. “Really? You’d want to? I just thought...” He trailed off, his cheeks coloring faintly.

  “Yeah, why not?” Evan said, his tone easygoing but genuine. Deep down, he felt a warm determination. Enjoying college life was one of his dreams before he died, and now, in this life, he was going to make the most of it. Exploring new things like this seemed like a good pce to start.

  “Alright,” Finn said, his smile growing. “Let’s go talk to them.”

  Together, they approached the table where two senior girls from the Robotics Club were chatting with prospective members. The girls looked up, their eyes briefly widening as they spotted Finn, and they greeted him with a friendly nod, a casual familiarity in their smiles, though there was a noticeable flutter in their expressions.

  "Hey, Finn," one of them said, her voice slightly warmer than before. "Brought your friend along?"

  She then turned to Evan, her tone shifting to a warm, welcoming one. "Hi, we're from the Robotics Club. Are you interested in joining?"

  Evan nodded. “Yeah, I’d love to hear more about it. But, full disclosure, I’m majoring in business and management, not anything technical like computer science or engineering. So, uh, I probably wouldn’t be much help on the technical side.”

  The girls exchanged a quick, almost nervous gnce, trying to steady themselves. “Oh, that’s totally fine!” one of them said, a little too quickly. “You don’t have to be a tech wizard to join. It’s all about having fun and exploring new interests. Besides, we can always use people with a business perspective for outreach and project pnning. There’s plenty of ways to contribute.”

  Evan felt a spark of encouragement. “That actually sounds awesome. I’d love to hear more.”

  Evan spent a few minutes browsing through their projects and activities on dispy. After a quick look at their ongoing projects and seeing how his skills might contribute in other ways, he decided to join. It seemed like the kind of club that could offer something fun and worthwhile.

  Finn gnced at Evan with a mix of surprise and admiration, his earlier nervousness melting into a soft grin. “I think you’ll really like it. It’s more fun than it sounds.”

  Evan chuckled. “I’ll hold you to that.”

  As he signed up, Evan felt a quiet sense of excitement, looking forward to what the club might bring.

  LunarEcho