Roommates

Well, You're New

Slipknot was blaring through my headphones in my 'I want to kill my roommate playlist' as I scribbled my notes in barely legible handwriting into my notebook.

A tap on my shoulder brought me out of my rage writing.

A tall boy with golden blonde hair and a gleaming smile mouthed some words to me. I pulled my headphones out of my ears to listen to him.

"Sorry, but do you mind turning your music down a little?" He asked in a hushed voice, his teeth glinting in the dull yellow light of the library.

"Oh yeah, sorry." I mumbled, pressing the down button on my iPhone and realising how quiet it actually was in the library. My ears were ringing a little from the silence.

"Are you okay? That was pretty intense music you were listening to." He said, a humorous smile playing on his lips. I took in his tanned skin and strong jaw. He was quite attractive when you took him in. I bit my lip.

"Uh, yeah. I'm just having some trouble with my roommate." I mumbled, looking at my notes and back up at him.

"So you thought you'd come here to study to get away from it?" He asked, his gorgeous smile still sitting comfortably on his face.

"Well, yeah. I know it's weird," I joked, holding my hands up in front of me, "but it's one of my 'things'." I said, quoting the air around me.

He just laughed before spreading his workbook and textbook out in front of him, opening his laptop to the side. His log on the screen said Lucas Harvey, so I made a mental note to remember.

"Do you want to vent?" He asked, logging in to his screen. Even though he wasn't looking at me, I still felt like he was giving me his full attention.

"No, it's okay. It's nothing, he... they're just frustrating to live with." He nodded and continued to open his notes.

We chatted while doing our work. He was a sports major, and he'd managed to get a scholarship to come to come to this uni. I didn't check the time at all while we were joking around in the quiet library.

"I bet she's thinking about cat memes. Look at her; she's not even focused." He chuckled as we leaned in close to one another to joke about one of the girls in the far corner of the library. We watched her as she didn't turn the page for about twenty minutes.

"Is she on her phone?" I asked, stifling my laughter.

"She must be. Otherwise, she's got pictures of eyes on those glasses to make it look like she's awake." He whispered, causing me to snort.

"I could use a pair of those." My phone vibrated, and I picked it up.

"Oh God," I said, compiling my books into my bag. "It's five o'clock! I didn't even realise how late it was." I had a message from Mason asking what I wanted for dinner. No doubt he was just gonna get takeout again.He followed suit, standing with me.

"It was great talking to you." I smiled, and he returned it, opening his mouth but biting my lip as if he were going to say something.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to grab a bite to eat. The burger place on the corner is pretty good." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck and peering at me shyly from under his lashes.

"Uh," I looked at my phone, rereading the message from Mason. "Yeah. Ueah, I would love to." I nodded, and he smiled his pearly white smile gesturing for me to walk in front of him.

He was right. The burgers were amazing, and so were the fries. We'd managed to continue talking without even a break in conversation for the rest of the evening, and I was surprised to find that neither of us got bored.

We went for a walk at about seven, taking the long way to the car park to continue our conversation. Since I'd moved here, I honestly don't think I'd laughed so much.

"This was great! You should have seen the way the lemonade came out of your nose!" He laughed, and I blushed.

"Shut up. It was a good joke. You should be proud of yourself."

"Oh, I am." He said smugly, and I laughed, fishing my keys out of my bag and clicking the unlock button, causing my lights to flash.

"Hey, could I grab your number? You never know, I might need another study partner one day." I smiled at him. He nodded, and we exchanged numbers before giving a short hug goodbye.

"Thanks for entertaining evening Ashley." He called as he strolled to his car, winking at me as he climbed in.
The drive home was peaceful, and I completely forgot that I would be walking into an apartment with a more than likely pissed Mason.

"Where were you? I've been worried!" He yelled as soon as I opened the door, his hands flying into his hair in frustration, lifting his black T-shirt a little to show off the V of his abdomen.

"I'm allowed to go out, Mason." I said flatly, walking past him and going to the kitchen to get a bottle of water. I don't know why, but I just had a habit of always having at least two full bottles of water in the fridge.

"Yeah well, when I text you the least you can do is respond." He said, his voice sharp as he followed me through.
 
"Why does it matter? It's not like there's anything going on between us to make you care." I said matching his sharp tone, crossing my arms and ignoring the cool of the bottle on my skin.

He tightened his eyes at me.

"Is that what you're angry about?" He asked, scoffing and leaning against the counter opposite me, a smirk on his face.

"I'm not the one who's angry. I said truthfully. He was the one who was making a fuss out of nothing.

"Where were you?" He demanded again, hid voice monotone and his face suddenly cold and emotionless.

"I went out."

"With whom?"

"Someone." I said bluntly, straightening up a little.

"A guy?" He asked, his face still straight and unreadable.

"Who are you, my father?" I asked, walking past him to my room.

"I just wanted to know where you were, Ashley. What am I meant to Mel and your dad if you went missing?" I turned in my door way and just looked at him blankly.

"I guess you could tell them the truth." I said, reaching for the door handle.

He stared questioningly, his head tilting to the side a little.

"That you don't care." I closed my door in his face and wiped the metaphorical dust from my hands.