Accidental Roommates (Inspired by Red, White & Royal Blue)

First Meeting (Alex's POV)

Alex's POV

  I saw someone suddenly stopped in front of my room in this dorm. I hurriedly walked toward him when I already saw him about to open the door.

  “Hey,” I called him. “Who are you?” I asked him, I didn’t bother to hide from him the irritation in my voice.

  “Oh. Hi!” He smiles, he look and sound so friendly. “I am Henry.“ He introduced himself then offered his right hand to me.

  But I also didn’t bother to shook his hand. “I’m sorry, but I’m not asking for your name. What I really wanna know is.. why are you here in front of my room?” I asked him, I know I sound so rude, but whatever.

  And he suddenly look like he’s confused. “But it’s.. i-it’s my room.” He said.

  “What are you talking about?” And I’m starting to get confused too. “But that room is mine.” I insisted.

  “Wait.” He said, then he grabbed his phone. “I received this email and it says here that my dorm room number is 118.” He even showed me the email that he mentioned and I can’t believe at what I saw.

  So I grabbed my phone too from my pocket. “I have the same email and it also says here that my room number is 118.” I also showed it to him as proof.

He read the email on my phone and he looked like becoming more confused.

  “Hello, Newbies! I’m the dorm leader here and I want to —” The dorm leader suddenly stopped from talking, he stared to both of us wondering then asked, “What’s going on here? I can.. feel the tension in the air.” He added while laughing awkwardly.

  I shook my head. “Nothing, really. I just..” Clears throat first. “I just thought that each of the rooms here is for one person only.” I paused a bit. “But why it seems like.. we’re gonna stay in the same room?” I pointed Henry.

  “That’s true.” Henry said as second motion to me. “We have the same room number.”

  “Oh. There must’ve been just a little bit of confusion that’s happened.” Was what he just said, like it’s not a big deal. “It really happens here once in a while.” He added while laughing that made me annoyed even more.

  Did he expect that I’ll calm down with that?

I’m really getting more angry, while Henry is just chill and even laughing with the dorm leader.

  “But I’ll report this to the school admin right away and just wait for a representative to talk to both of you about this matter.” He added. “I’ll leave the two of you for now.” Then he immediately left.

  I sighed loudly. “He’s such a big help!” I sarcastically said, then I sat on the floor and leaned my back against the wall.

I’m so tired and hoped that I could rest once I am here, but this suddenly happened.

While Henry, he remained standing, using his phone.

While the other foreign students here, like us, keep giving us a wondering look as they’re passing by us.

                                                       •••

  We stayed like that for about half an hour more, until almost all of the rooms were occupied already and until I’m starving to death already.

  I stood up. “This is bullshit!” I angrily said.

I saw Henry’s sudden reaction, he’s shocked.

  But I don’t give a damn, I just quickly grabbed my suitcase and my bag. “I’m leaving this fucking place. You can already have that room all for yourself.” I told Henry.

I was all ready to leave, but even before I could take a step, suddenly I saw a middle-aged woman hurriedly walking toward us.

  “I am very sorry for the inconvenience.” She said first with a very apologetic look on her face.

She then said so many things, explaining what really happened and admitted that it’s really their fault for not checking carefully the number of foreign students they accepted and as well the number of available rooms in their dorm.

Being so tired and hungry, I wasn’t able to pick up everything that she said. Or much better to say, I don’t care anymore of her explanations. All I want right now is food to eat because I’m really starving and a place to rest. I want a place that’s all mine so that I can move freely.

  “It’s alright.” I just told her. “You can give him the room.” I pointed Henry again. “I’ll just move out and find a place where I can —”

  “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that I can’t allow you to leave.” She quickly interrupted me, she’s also shaking her head while she’s saying that. “It’s in the protocol of the University that our foreign students must stay in our dorms.” She added firmly. “All of you here is our responsibility. If something bad happened to anyone of you, even outside of the University, still.. we’ll be in question. So to avoid that, we are not allowing our foreign students to live outside.”

  I felt like my blood suddenly rushing all up into my head. “But —”

  “But what about the room?” Henry interrupted me, he calmly asked her. “Do you still have a vacant room left for.. either of us?”

  “That’s.. the only problem. All of the rooms is occupied already.” Her answer to Henry. “Can the two of you.. just share the same room for now?” She asked.

  “For how long?” Since it seems like I have no other choice left, so I asked.

  “Just until the end of this semester. There are some students who will leave already and will go back to their respective countries after this semester.” Her answer to me. “And that’s about.. four to five months from now.”

So that means..

  I’m gonna spend half of my stay here — in this country — with Henry?

                                                       •••