The House Share

Chapter Three - Rimmer

Hours later, I was woken by a tapping on my shoulder. I woke with a start, and remembered my surroundings.

I looked up to see Rimmer, stood with his arms folded and a confused - and if I didn't know any better I'd say agitated - expression on his face. He didn't say anything, so I sat up sheepishly. "Morning..." I greeted him, unable to make out what he's expression meant, especially after the warm welcome he'd given last night.
"Why are you sleeping on the smeggy old sofa?" He asked, not returning my greeting.

I glanced down at the old sofa and shrugged. "Must have dozed off..." I muttered.
He glanced round at the empty beer bottles from myself and Lister and nodded. "Uh-huh. Well, that's where I usually eat breakfast before Lister gets up, but I suppose you can stay there for now..." he grumbled, his arms still folded.

I shifted round, pulling my legs onto the sofa and getting them under me. "Thanks." I had the urge to tell him that not all the beer cans were mine, but I kept quiet.
"You're welcome." He responded, raising a brow, before walking into the kitchenette.

Confused by my first interaction of the day, I stretched, feeling my back click before I rubbed my eyes roughly. I definitely hadn't had enough sleep, but what else was new?
Rimmer walked back over, glancing around at the seats, before picking the camping chair - the furthest away from me - and sitting down with a plate of toast and a tea. "You'll ruin your back sleeping there." He warned me, not even looking at me.
"Not the first sofa I've slept on..." I answered with a smile.

Once again his expression was unreadable as he watched me, taking a bite of his toast. He looked about ready to ask me something, when lister came barrelling through the stairway door.
"Morning, good morning! I'm up, I'm up!" He sang, beaming cheekily at us, his work shirt wonky on his torso.
"You're losing that bet with Chen then?" I grinned, already feeling more comfortable with Lister here. The awkward atmosphere was dissipating.

"Nah, I got..." he glanced at his phone. "About ten minutes, plenty of time!" He grinned. "Besides, 'on time' for me is like... twenty minutes late."
I shook my head with a smile while Rimmer rolled his eyes. "Do you work?" He asked me , taking me off guard as Lister rushed into the kitchen.
I blinked at him a moment, but nodded awkwardly. "Um, yeah, I mean, well, sort of... it's... it's complicated." I trailed off awkwardly. I usually had more fake confidence than this, why was the way he was looking at me tripping me up? I couldn't tell if he hated me right off the bat, or if he just looked like that.

He offered a sceptical look, drinking some tea and looking at me over the rim of the mug. I spotted the R on the bottom and had to bite my lip not to giggle. "I work on a space ship." I quickly joked, to stop my previous statement from getting myself into trouble.
"Oh, haha." He huffed sarcastically, standing and taking his plate and cup into the kitchenette, nudging Lister out of the way as his legs sat in front of the shoddy old sink, where Lister was perched on the counter.

"Be nice, smeghead." Lister told him.
I shuffled awkwardly in my seat. "It's fine..." I offered a tiny smile, though I felt somewhat uncomfortable.
"What's your plans for today then, Exzy?" Lister asked, changing the subject as he headed over to me. I was thankful for his trying to make me more comfortable, and I appreciated the nickname.
"Probably gonna look around town, hand out some more CVs..." I shrugged. "Maybe try to organise my commissions into a timetable so I don't get confused.. or take on too much."

"Timetables?" Rimmer asked, walking back in with intrigue.
"Don't you have work to get to?" Lister shot back at him, grinning.
"Don't you?" Rimmer huffed. "I'm going. Have a shitty day at work." He headed for the door.

"You too, honey!" Lister mocked, earning a giggle from myself, which in turn earned a glare from Rimmer at the two of us before he headed out. He turned back to me. "I can show ya around later, I'll drag grumpy along as well, he's a smeghead but it's good to meet your roommates, right?" Lister offered.
I nodded with a smile. "That would be nice."
"Ah, the art of the deal is never offer something you wouldn't do." Lister winked, offering me his hand, which I shook with a smile. "Gotta dash!" He called out, rushing for the door. "Chen's gonna be giving me a twenty by the end of the week!"

I laughed, watching him go. And I was alone in the flat once again. I decided to get started on my tasks for the day, namely grabbing myself a drink of something and having a shower.
First though, I went outside for a smoke, unsure if I was allowed to smoke inside.
It was brisk weather, not raining but there was definitely a chill in the air swept in from the nearby sea.

I leant against the wall, watching the cars go by, splashing the last remnants of the puddles from the rain the previous night. Seagulls cawed from above as they swooped around, searching for unsuspected humans who weren't keeping a close enough eye on their food. It was still breezy, especially with the salty seaside air drifting around, but I felt as if I might enjoy getting used to this place, it may even turn into somewhere I love.
But I wouldn't let myself get my hopes up so soon. So, I turned myself away from the view of my new home, and in an old empty plant pot next to the bin, I tossed the fag-butt in as I headed back inside.