Roomates (REWRITTEN)

Chapter 5

For once, I didn't wake up to the blaring sound of an alarm clock. I rolled over, pulling my covers over my face. The intense smell of rosewood and spice filled my nose, quickly making me realize that these were not my covers. I shot up, my heart pounding hard in my chest.

I was wrapped in Xavier's sheets, but I was alone and still clothed in my outfit from last night. I rubbed my face, slipping my feet over the edge and walking over to my side of the room. The scrabbled game on the floor reminded me of what happened and I assumed that I had just fallen asleep while we were playing. But where did he sleep? I would've known if we slept in the same bed.

The door clicked open and he walked in.

"Good morning," I said, stretching my arms above my head.

"About time you woke up," he replied, setting down a bottle of orange juice on his desk. Although he replied in a joking manner, there was something off about his voice. I shrugged it off to it being the morning. I paused for a moment, watching him as he poured a cup of juice. "Want some?" He asked without looking up from what he was doing.

"No thanks," I replied, turning and facing my bed. Another period of silence passes by. I start to fiddle with my sheets. "Did we sleep in the same bed last night?" I looked over my shoulder at him. He shook his head, the cup of orange juice at his lips.

"I slept on your bed."

"Oh," I said turning back and actually looking at my bed. I probably could've guessed that by the way my blankets were scattered about. The sound of a falling glass made me look back over. Orange juice was spilled on the floor in front of Xavier's bed, the cup shattered beside it.

Xavier cursed under his breath, going for the glass to quickly and slicing his finger.

"Fuck," he said, much louder this time.

"Hey," I said, turning and walking toward him, grabbing paper towels on the way. "I got it." He looked at me briefly before turning and tending to his cut. I carefully picked up the glass and orange juice, my mind focused on the fact that Xavier was not himself whatsoever. He was clumsy, but not this clumsy.

"Thanks," he muttered as I threw away that last bit of the glass, a pink bandaid wrapped around his finger.

"Do you want to tell me what's up?" I said, sitting on the edge of my bed and looking over at him. I watched his face as he debated whether or not he wanted to tell me.

"My parents," he eventually said, sitting across from me on his bed. He had never really mentioned his parents before but it was obvious they were the cause of his mood.

"What about them?"

"They host this stupid benefit party every year and it's next Saturday and they expect me to go."

"What's so wrong with that?" I asked, trying to get more information. He shifted his weight, messing with the bandaid on his finger.

"They expect me to bring a date." I raised an eyebrow.

"They're those kind of parents?" I said, laughing a bit to myself, but when I didn't see him even crack a smile, I quickly stopped. "Okay, well, I'm sure there are plenty of girls here who would love to go to your benefit party thing. Just ask."

"It's not that easy?" I frowned.

"Why not?" He looked up at me.

"For one, I have to find someone I can tolerate."

"Bring Jasmine." While I thought this was a good idea, Xavier did not.

"I have to be able to tolerate them," he repeated. I smiled at the thought of Jasmine reacting to Xavier asking her. "Exactly," Xavier said, pointing at me.