Unwanted Roommate (HIATUS)

Chapter 4

The semester crawls on at a snail's pace. Spring grows warmer, talks of vacation start to spark up between peers, and rains become more frequent. (Y/N) takes advantage of the warm, currently clear skies to do some studying out near the campus pavilion. The gentle breeze shakes the leaves above her spot at the base of a large tree. Her studying really only consists of her skimming through one of the assigned readings.

With the school year welcoming its end all the work is easy stuff like this. Sure all the finals are casting their shadows across campus, but (Y/N) figures that constantly worrying about those wouldn't do any good. So she took this down time for herself, and soon the minutes within her book became hours. The breeze turns colder and she responds by only curling up closer to herself, she's almost done with this chapter to leave it now would bother her the entire walk back to her apartment.

The small drops of water appearing on her page snaps her out of her relaxed reverie and she looks up to see the culprit. Through the dark leaves an even darker cloud looms above, its presence almost laughing at (Y/N)'s misfortune. The sophomore scrambles to collect her things as the rain slowly crescendos and renders the tree's canopy useless. Her books and phone are shoved into her bag before she stands and presses to the trunk of the tree to keep as much cover as possible.

Running to her apartment wasn't ideal but she could probably do it without getting drenched. But the clouds continue their taunts and the rain comes down harder, leading her with fewer options of where to go as her tree cover quickly becomes more and more useless. Across the pavilion, which is quickly filling with water, is the student center. With no umbrella or jacket, (Y/N) knows she would have to sprint through wet grass to wait out the storm in a heated building. With her bag clutched tight to her chest, lowering the threat of her belongings getting wet, she starts out towards the building.

She keeps her head down to keep rain out of her eyes, but it still finds way into her socks and creates that uncomfortable squish between sock and shoe. It shouldn't be too far now. A quick glance up wouldn't hurt to see her progress. As she starts to lift her head there's a sensation of something heavy and warm being placed over her head and shoulders. The reprieve of rain makes her feel better, but the sudden weight causes her to lose her balance. Her feet tilt out beneath her and before she can crash into a watery annoyance something grabs her close.

Her bag becomes pressed between herself and a drenched chest. "Hey there dove, don't go falling for me now." The familiar voice rumbles against her cheek and she finds herself relaxing in the embrace. "Let's get you out of the rain now." (Y/N) is led the rest of the way and they pause beneath the balcony. She pushes back the jacket to see her guide and has to block her face again as Murdoc shakes out his hair like a dog.

His black shirt is soaked through, every part of him is soaked it seems, and (Y/N) finds herself blushing. Whether it's at the sight or the situation she isn't entirely sure. The jacket weighs against her back, his leather jacket. "What are you doing?" Is all she can think to ask while standing there with him, the rain roaring just a few feet away.

Murdoc gives a snort of amusement. "Figure a thank you would be more appropriate, but I'll take it." He looks at her after running his hand through the wet locks falling into his face. This makes her blush more. One hand holds her bag at her side as the other lightly grips his jacket, the look he gives her says she can put it on.

"You didn't have to walk me over here you know," she says while pulling on the warm leather then slipping her bag over her shoulder. He straightens up and looks over at the entrance.

"I only do what I want, so I know." He rubs the back of his neck in a gesture (Y/N) would describe as nervous. "Since we're here, you wanna grab a bite with me, dove?" She follows his gaze to look through the door and regards the small food court within. They look back to each other at the same time and she gives a small nod. He holds the door open for her and the pair head inside to dry off and retrieve some warm food.

Food in hand Murdoc leads her to a slightly secluded booth, off in the corner where less people could bother them. The court is relatively empty though, only a few other stragglers enjoying their own alone time. Murdoc digs into some nachos while (Y/N) just snacks on some fries, and she catches him glancing up at her from time to time. Not that he's really trying to hide it. She does the same, so it would be awkward if she called him out on it, and her eyes end up roving around instead.

When she looks back to him, his eyes lock onto hers. It's as if time freezes in those seconds of eye contact, a few unsaid words pass between them and she watches as Murdoc swallows. His Adam's apple bobbing with the action. She crosses her legs, one ankle over the other.

His eyes dart in the direction of some couches set up around a low volume mounted TV and he clears his throat. "Would you want ta eat on the couches?" He jabs his thumb towards them and (Y/N) only nods again, a smile tugging at her lips. She stands and starts to walk over there, so caught up in her thoughts that she doesn't notice him not immediately following. But the sensation of eyes on her makes her turn in time to see Murdoc suddenly looking to the ceiling and pushing himself out of the booth.

(Y/N) bites her lip and continues walking, the thought of him checking her out making her slightly excited. A month ago she would be disgusted at the idea, but things have definitely changed between them since then and she begins to come to terms with that. Nothing bad about that after all.

When they sit (Y/N) briefly regards the football game playing and crosses her legs with her food on her lap. Murdoc sits about a foot away at first, picking at his food and clearly thinking intently to himself. She tugs the jacket closer around her and glances at him from the corner of her eye. He's mostly fidgeting with his food now. (Y/N) gently moves closer and sets her food down on a side table before putting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you." She feels Murdoc's head rest atop hers and his arm slowly wraps around her waist. Ya, maybe getting a bit closer isn't such a bad idea.