Moving In With The Enemy

Chapter 2 ~ "Nice To Meet You"

I follow Caleb along twists and turns through the city. I couldn't remember how to get to his place, I'd only been there once and it wasn't for very long.

I can't handle how nervous I am, my palms keep sweating like crazy. All I keep thinking is how much I can't be weird, it doesn't seem like a huge ask but it definitely is for me. I've been awkward as long as I've been alive, I only out-grew it in the last year or two and even now I still say stupid things.

"It's up here." Caleb says, pointing to a white house on the corner. A college house, the quintessential living accommodation for students across the nation. And in true college house fashion it was spilt up into three smaller apartments and I remembered that Caleb lived in the basement suite.

"I forgot the basement part." I mumble and he chuckles. 

"It's roomy, it's got really high ceilings and everything." He assures me and I follow him around to the side door.

I step into the space and I blink, looking around. He was right, the ceilings were pretty high for a basement. Immediately to my right was the living space, it had a huge leather sectional and a flat-screen. To the left was a pony-wall lined with shoes, on the other side of it was the front closet and dinning table, behind the dinning space was the kitchen and straight ahead was a hallway of doors.

"So? It's not bad, eh?" He asks and I nod with a shrug. The floor could do with a sweep and mop and the walls were kind of scuffed but I didn't really mind. 

"It's cool." I shrug and he smiles. 

"I gotta run to the washroom, you wait here and I'll show you the rest in a bit." He insists, putting his hands out and I nod, watching him walk down the hall. 

I look around a bit, not moving from my spot, but looking at all of the shit all over the place. The traffic cones in the corner and the beer boxes up on the walls. It was a college house, that's what you did in college. What would it be like sharing a space with men? I didn't really know, I did share the bathroom at home though with all three family members and I knew how to tidy up after myself. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Hey." I hear one guy say, coming out from down the hall and into the kitchen. "I know you.....don't I?" He asks and I blow out a tense breath, I couldn't place him.

"I-um.....I'm not sure, we might have met once before." I shrug. He had blonde hair, blue eyes......he could be any guy I'd ever met. "I'm Annie."

"Right! Annie, I remember you." He smiles, snapping his fingers and going through the cabinets. "We met first year, we all played cards in the residence lounge."

"Oh right." I smile back. I'd forgotten about the people we played with, but I was starting to remember.

"You look different, it's hard to recognize you." He tells me and I furrow my eyebrows.

"Different in a good way or a bad way?" I ask and he chuckles, setting down a box of frosted flakes on the counter.

"Good." He assures me, ripping the top of the box open and I feel my smile broaden. "I'm Dustin."

"Right." I sigh, remembering it better now. "Sorry that was like two-and-a-half years ago."

"No sweat." He shrugs, opening the bag within the box and shaking some directly into his mouth. "So, you and Caleb still good friends?" He asks, mouth full of food and I laugh.

"Kind of, we haven't kept in touch as much."

"So what's up? You two hanging out today?" He asks, chewing the mouthful and gulping it down.

"Um.....kind of?" I shrug. "I'm-um...I'm actually here to look at your open room." I admit, worrying his reaction wouldn't be too good.

"Really?" He asks excitedly and I nod. "That's awesome, we've been looking for a new roommate for weeks!"