and it was perfect

Chapter 2

The first thing I realized was that his eyes weren't as dark as they seemed at the party. They were of a deep blue color and framed by full lashes. They were beautiful, or at least they would be if there wasn't that angry glimmer inside them. His nose was straight, and his full lips were pressed together. He was even more attractive up close. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and his jeans were hastily buttoned up. Followed by a broad chest, lean abs, and the most perfect v-shaped muscle. My knees turned weak. "Hey!" he looked at me like I was an annoying five-year-old, and I finally realized what I had just done. Fuck. Instead of replying, I was just staring at him and checking him out. Well done, Jenna. I cleared my throat and stuttered: "I ... I'm sorry. I live here now; I was just going to the bathroom. I didn't want to ... interrupt." He simply let out a deep annoyed breath, rolled his eyes, and left without a word, throwing his door in the lock.

I winced and quickly went inside the bathroom. After locking it, I slid to the floor, my head pressed against the door. Fuck. What a great first impression, staring at my roommate like a lunatic. I let out a quiet moan. What were the odds, anyway, of this guy being Aiden, the last roommate I hadn't met before? The situation had already been awkward enough, but now I had to see him everyday. Great. I sat there for a few more minutes, trying to calm myself down. I couldn't help but think about his half-naked body and desperately tried to stop myself. Finally, I pulled out my phone to distract myself. Two missed calls from Nate and a message from Zoe asking if I got home okay. I quickly replied to her and stepped under the shower. The hot water slowly relaxed my muscles, and I quickly scrubbed off the long day. Back in my room, I did my very best to fall asleep soon, but my mind was restless. I couldn't help but crying for a while, as expected. It took me hours to finally drift off into a light sleep.

My alarm violently dragged me back to reality. I moaned and hit the snooze button. Then I opened my eyes. It took me a minute to realize where I was. This wasn't Seattle; this wasn't home. I was in ... Oklahoma. The light bulb on the blank white ceiling above me looked kind of sad. It somewhat felt like a bizarre metaphor. Nervousness slowly started to sneak its way in. This was my first official day at Southern State. My first class started at 9 pm, so I still had two hours left. I slowly got up, stretched my sore body for a minute, and put on one of the two gym pants I had left. Then I added a sports bra, my Aipods, and a zip-up hoodie. On the way down, I tied my mess of hair into a ponytail. Zack seemed to be the only one awake yet. He was sitting on the couch playing a game with a bowl of cereal next to him. He took off his headphones when he saw me.
"You're up early." he realised, scanning my outfit. I knew he quickly checked me out, but I wasn't mad. Not after the fiasco that happened last night in the hallway; I wasn't any better. "Yeah, I'm going for a run. You wanna join me?" I immediately bit my tongue. I didn't like running in company; I hated small talk when I had to focus on my breath. And I didn't have to be too nice. He just laughed and shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, I usually would, but I'm way too hungover. Just couldn't sleep anymore." Thank God.

After saying goodbye I connected my Air Pods to my phone and left the house. I didn't want to overdo it today. A three-mile run seemed perfect to wake me up and get the remaining alcohol out of my system. I did my very best not to think about last night anymore and focus on the day ahead. I was so glad I met Alice last night; maybe I could sit with her in class. Flashbacks of opening way too many classrooms and not having anyone to sit next to started running behind my eyes, and I quickly blinked them away. Not this time. I followed the route I had saved on my phone, and half an hour later, my new house was back in sight. My hair was sweaty, and I couldn't wait to properly shower. Hopefully, the others didn't block the bathroom for too long; I completely forgot I had to share it with so many people now.

I unlocked the door and opened my hoodie to get rid of the heat. I wanted to go straight to the bathroom, but on my way up, I saw my other roommates all awake, now sitting around the dining table. "Oh hey, good morning!" I said, still out of breath. They all mumbled something; none of them seemed to be morning people. "Girl, you're crazy." Zoe moaned when she realized what I just did. "I'm so hungover. How can you even stand straight." I shrugged. "I didn't drink much." And decided to make myself a coffee before showering. I walked into the kitchen and immediately froze.