CANVAS OF US ? Marius de Saeger

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Amora sat cross-legged on the floor of her dorm room, a care package from her friends in the U.S. resting in front of her. The box was taped up with the kind of overzealous enthusiasm that screamed her best friend's handiwork. Beside her, Lou was perched on her desk chair, spinning in lazy circles, while Marius leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed and a small smile tugging at his lips.

"What are you waiting for?" Lou asked, tilting his head dramatically. "Open it already! You've been staring at it for ten minutes."

"I'm savoring the moment," Amora shot back with a smirk, though her heart was thudding with anticipation.

Marius chuckled, stepping further into the room. "I think Lou might combust if you don't start soon."

"All right, all right," she said, grabbing her scissors. She carefully cut through the tape, peeling back the flaps of the box.

As soon as the lid was open, a burst of her life back home seemed to spill out. The first thing she pulled out was a handwritten letter, written in her best friend's familiar scrawl. The pages were crinkled, and there was a doodle of a heart in the corner.

Amora scanned the first few lines before folding it back up. "I'll read this later," she said softly, setting it aside.

Next was a vibrant scarf, hand-knitted in colors that made her laugh. "Of course she had to add neon," Amora said, holding it up for the boys to see. "It's her favorite color. She thinks I'm too 'neutral.'"

Lou squinted at it. "That's... bold."

Marius took it from her, examining the stitching. "It's thoughtful, though. And warm." He grinned, tossing it over her shoulders. "Perfect for winter here."

Amora rolled her eyes but didn't take it off. She reached into the box again and pulled out a bag of snacks, letting out a delighted gasp.

"No way! I didn't think I'd see these here!" She turned to Lou and Marius, holding up a pack of her favorite candy. "This is, like, peak nostalgia. You have to try them."

Lou grabbed the bag immediately. "Don't have to tell me twice."

As he tore it open, Marius leaned in closer to inspect the other items. There was a small framed photo of Amora and her friends at the beach, all of them laughing with windblown hair and sun-kissed cheeks.

"Your friends seem fun," Marius commented, passing the frame to her.

"They're the best," Amora said, her voice soft. "I miss them a lot."

The weight of her words hung in the air for a moment before Lou, always one to fill a silence, popped a candy into his mouth and grimaced dramatically. "What is this?!"

Amora burst into laughter. "It's an acquired taste."

"Yeah, well, I'm not acquiring it," Lou said, making a show of handing the bag to Marius.

Marius tried one, his reaction more measured. "It's... interesting," he said diplomatically, earning a playful shove from Amora.

-

As the evening went on, the three of them sprawled out across the floor, surrounded by the contents of the care package. Amora passed around the rest of the snacks, and Lou insisted on trying everything, even if he hated most of it.

When the box was empty, Marius nudged her shoulder. "Feeling better?"

Amora nodded, a smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah. It's like getting a little piece of home, you know? It's nice."

Lou, now lying flat on the floor with his feet propped up on her desk, chimed in. "Well, if you ever get homesick, just remember you've got us. I mean, we're not neon scarf levels of thoughtful, but we're decent substitutes."

Amora laughed, her heart warming at the sentiment. "Thanks, Lou."

Marius added quietly, "You've got a family here too."

Her gaze softened as she looked at him. "I know. And I'm grateful."

-

Later, the trio ended up in the common room, a movie playing softly on the TV. Lou had claimed the couch, sprawled out and half-asleep within minutes.

Amora and Marius sat on the floor in front of him, sharing a blanket. She leaned back against him, her head resting against his chest as he absentmindedly adjusted the fabric around her shoulders to keep her warm.

"You know," Marius murmured as the credits rolled, "it's pretty nice, this whole midnight movie thing. We should make it a tradition."

Amora smiled, her eyes heavy with sleep. "I'd like that."

And as the snow fell quietly outside, she felt, for the first time in a long time, that she was exactly where she was meant to be.