THE HOUSEMATE | ✓

4

Tay's pov-

The student union bar was mostly full of first years since it was freshers’ week. Sing and Gawin had dragged all the housemates from number 1 and 3 out to induct our newbies into student life or some shit. Mix was playing doubles pool with Win and two of the guys from the football team. Sing, Gawin, and Gawin's best mate, Joss, were crowded around the fruit machines, watching their friend JJ’s failed attempt to win money.

That left me standing at the bar on babysitter duty with Khaotung and my least favourite person, New.

We were waiting for drinks, and since
I was in the middle, it was easy enough to angle my body so I had my back to New.

Casting around for something to say to Khaotung before New could jump in, I threw out the first question that came into my head. “Khaotung. What made you choose CU?” 

The next thing I knew, New had moved around me, and half of his body was pressed against my side.

What the actual fuck? His attention was on Khaotung, but I knew he had to be aware of what he was doing.

The line of heat down my body felt… I couldn’t even say, but he needed to get the fuck away from me, right now.

I twisted to the side so he stumbled, which brought a smile to my face.

“Stay out of my personal space,” I hissed before turning back to Khaotung.

There was a long pause while Khaotung stared between New and me, his brows pulled together. The silence was finally broken by the bartender bringing our drinks over, and he seemed to shake himself out of the stupor he’d fallen into. “It was an easy decision in the end. I’m from Alstone, down on the south coast, and most of the students I went to school with ended up at Alstone College. But I want to design cars eventually, and being here in London gives me the most opportunities.” A smile curved over his lips. “Plus, my boyfriend lives in London now too, and I want to be close to him. He’s training to be a football coach. He gets his accommodation provided as part of the training course, but it’s only a single room, otherwise I’d probably be living with him already.”

New shifted on his feet, knocking my shoulder and making beer splash out of my pint glass and onto my T-shirt.

Fucker.

“You and me both—the opportunities part, that is. I’d like the boyfriend part too, though.” He shot Khaotung a genuine grin that had me gritting my teeth for some reason.

“It’ll happen,” Khaotung assured him.

Before I could make what probably would have been an ill-advised comment, he suddenly seemed to remember that I was still there, and he turned to me. “What about you, Tay? Why CU?”

I shrugged. “Dunno, really. I thought it was as good a place as any. I grew up in south London, and I didn’t want to go too far.” I didn’t add that I’d been worried about my mum being left alone… which she was until a couple of months after I’d started uni, when she’d told me about her new relationship.

I’d moved into the Mansions last September along with Sing. We already knew each other from playing on the same local youth football team for the previous three years, which had made the transition to university easier. Then I’d met our neighbour,
Gawin, on the day of the try-outs for the CU football team, and we’d instantly hit it off. Gradually, my circle of friends had widened, and I’d settled into uni life with ease. I’d even stayed here over the summer instead of going home, mostly because although my mum was under an hour’s drive away, or half that if I got the train, she had her new boyfriend, and I wasn’t ready to see them together just yet.