The Night We Met by Ruero

Chapter 12: Quid Pro Quo

I trudged back into my apartment at 10 p.m., my muscles aching and my mind still buzzing from the trip. The moment I collapsed onto my bed, I was enveloped by the familiar comfort of my room. I sighed deeply, feeling the weight of the week lift off my shoulders. But that relief was short-lived.

A rancid smell hit me like a sledgehammer. "What the hell is that?" I groaned, wrinkling my nose in disgust. It was as if someone had brewed a noxious cocktail of decay and rotten cheese. I scrambled out of bed, my heart pounding as I searched for the source of the stench.

My room was a disaster zone. Clothes were strewn everywhere, and old pizza boxes created a makeshift fortress around my bed. I started tossing things aside with increasing desperation. "Where the fuck did you die, you little bastard rat?" I muttered, feeling like a hapless detective in a terrible murder mystery. The smell seemed to intensify with every passing minute, wrapping around me like a toxic blanket.

After two hours of fruitless searching, my patience had evaporated. I was ready to give up and call it a night when I heard a knock at the door. "Who the fuck is knocking at this ungodly hour?" I grumbled, peeking through the peephole. To my surprise, it was Angelica, standing there in her Hello Kitty nightdress it made my face red, she was looking both curious and slightly annoyed.

I pulled the door open a crack, trying to shield the chaos behind me. "Hey, Angelica. What's up?"

She looked past me, her eyes widening as she caught a whiff of the odor. "What's going on here, Ethan? It's midnight, and it's so noisy I can't sleep. Are you okay?"

I felt a twinge of guilt. "Oh, sorry about that. I'm, uh, trying to find a dead rat. It smells like a goddamn landfill in here. I'll keep it down, I promise."

Angelica's nose wrinkled in distaste. "That's awful! You can't sleep with that stench. It's already late. If you keep this up, you'll be a zombie in class tomorrow."

I tried to lighten the mood with a sheepish grin. "Yeah, sorry about that. I'm working on it."

She took a deep breath and then said, "You know, I have an extra room in my apartment. If you want, you can use it tonight. Don't ruin your sleep because of this."

I blinked, taken aback. "Wait, are you serious? You're offering me a room?"

Angelica chuckled softly, her eyes softening. "Yeah, it's just a room. My door's open if you need it. Don't stay up all night because of a rat. It's fine."

I looked at her, trying to process the offer. "Wow, that's really kind of you. But it feels a bit odd."

Angelica smiled reassuringly. "I get it. Just think of it as a friendly gesture. My door is open if you change your mind."

With that, she headed back to her room, her Hello Kitty nightdress swaying with each step. I closed the door, still in disbelief. "What a weird night," I muttered to myself.

I tried one more time to locate the rat, but the stench was overpowering, and my exhaustion was catching up with me. I eventually slumped outside my room, shivering in the cold. My eyes felt like lead, and my frustration turned into resignation. With a deep sigh, I knocked on Angelica's door.

A few minutes later, she opened it, looking like she'd been dragged out of a deep sleep. "Hey, Ethan. What's up now?"

"Sorry to bother you again," I said, rubbing my eyes. "But I still can't find that damn rat, and I'm freezing out here."

Angelica's expression softened with understanding. "Oh, Ethan, just take the other room. You can't sleep in a room that smells like death. It's totally fine."