Music sounds better with you

This game is, like, actively awful

When he gets there, he finds the flat door already open, propped open with a bedside table turned onto its side of all things, and there's music blaring. He slinks inside slowly and makes his way towards the kitchen where there's already about fifteen people gathered, a few awkward looking freshers and two people – a tall bloke with quiffed hair and tattoos down both his arms, and a blonde girl with huge false eyelashes on – wearing bright orange t-shirts with the uni logo on it.

"Ah," says the bloke as he spots Charlie in the doorway. "A newbie! Come on in, what's your name?"

"Uh, hi." Charlie steps inside and waves awkwardly. "My name's Charlie."
"Hiya, Charlie," the girl coos, gesturing him over. "Are you the only one coming from your flat or are the rest on their way?"
"Um, well, at the moment it's only me in the flat," Charlie explains awkwardly. "I'm in flat 42 on the top floor, one of the four bedroom ones?"

"Sure, okay," the girl nods. She doesn't make any effort to introduce herself. "Well, come in, mingle, have a drink and we'll be ready to start the party soon, yeah?"

"Okay," Charlie says lamely, setting his bag down on one of the countertops and pulling out a can of cider. He pulls it open and awkwardly stands there, half hoping that someone will come to him, half hoping that nobody will come to him.

The freshers rep joins him after a few minutes after he's greeted some stragglers. "Oi oi," he says, slapping Charlie on the shoulder. It takes everything in him not to flinch. "How are you finding it so far? Can't be easy having an empty flat so I want to make sure you're alright and that."

"It's okay," Charlie replies weakly. "I'm not, like, without friends up here in Leeds. I was able to stay somewhere else last night so I wasn't totally alone."

The bloke waggles his eyebrows. "Ooh, did you go out on the lash? Where did you go?"
"I... what? No, I... I stayed with my, um, my partner."
"Your partner is here?" His eyebrows almost disappear into his hairline. "You came to uni coupled up, wow. That's an awfully brave thing to do."
"It is?" Charlie asks warily. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, don't take this as rude, but wouldn't you like to sow your oats and try meeting new people?"
Charlie isn't sure how else he could take it other than rude, to be quite honest.
"Not really," he says flatly. "I've been perfectly happy kissing the same person since I was 15."
"And that's the only person you've ever kissed?" The boy raises his eyebrows. "Ever slept with too, I guess?"
"Um," Charlie says nervously. He's not sure he's ever been asked so directly about his sex life by a complete stranger before. "Not the only person I've ever kissed, but my only partner, yeah."
"Wild," the boy drawls. "You doing the long-distance thing or something?"

Charlie shakes his head, trying not to get his back up. "No, like I just said, he's here too. He's in his second year."
The lad shakes his head like the whole concept is completely nuts to him. "I couldn't do it," he says, like Charlie is supposed to care about the opinion of a stranger he met five seconds ago. "Seems like more hassle than it's worth."

"Well, not for us," Charlie retorts, hoping he sounds more jovial than he feels.
The stranger claps him on the back. "Never mind," he says vaguely. "I'm sure I'll hear all about it in a few minutes when the game starts."
"Game?" Charlie questions, but the stranger has already disappeared to the other side of the kitchen. He sighs and trots over to the corner where he'd tucked his bag full of bottles, and he pulls out a fresh one and uncaps it. He lingers idly until the girl in the University of Leeds t-shirt claps her hands for silence.

"Okay, hi everyone!" she chirps. "Welcome to your first night at Leeds! We can't wait to show you all around the great city that you'll all love soon enough. But first," and she raises her glass, "We're getting pissed!"