Gainesville Roses [Prinxiety/Logicality]

Chapter One

Virgil Danes woke up to his phone buzzing loudly on top of his dresser. He dragged himself out of bed, looked at the phone screen, and accepted the call with a sigh.

"Dammit, Logan." Virgil cussed groggily into his phone. "Let a guy get his sleep, will you?"

"It's 8:00 am, Virgil. It's not that early." Logan Sanders's voice came through the phone.

"I know you get up early regularly because you're a teacher, but that doesn't mean you have to call your best friend while he's sleeping peacefully and make him suffer with you." Virgil complained.

"Whatever. You're up now, yes?" Logan said.

"I'm debating hanging up and going back to sleep." Virgil said.

"You're so... extra." Logan said.

"Wow, I never thought I'd hear the day that the Logan Sanders used the word 'extra' in that context. Did Thomas teach you that term?" Virgil asked.

"He taught me a lot of contemporary slang terms. I made flash cards." Logan explained.

"Now that's 'extra'." Virgil said.

"Maybe so, but it works." Logan said.

Virgil put his phone on speaker and set it on his dresser, freeing his hands. He quickly got changed into his usual black and purple attire. It was yet another warm Florida summer, so he left behind his favorite edgy jacket.

"Alright, I'm dressed." Virgil said.

"Why do you still dress like an angsty emo teen? You're in your late 20's, Virgil." Logan questioned.

"You have no right to judge me." Virgil said. He picked up his phone, took it off speaker, and held it to his ear as he walked. He grabbed his keys with his free hand, and made his way to his car.

Logan heard the engine start. "Is that your car?"

Virgil nodded, and then realized that Logan couldn't see the nod over the phone. "Yeah, it's my car."

"Where're you going?" Logan asked.

"I need coffee. Especially if my best friend takes it upon himself to act as my human alarm clock." Virgil said.

"I think I have a flash card to describe you right now. Hold on." Logan said. Virgil could hear the shuffling of cards. "Here it is. Salty."

Virgil laughed. "When am I not salty, Logan?"

"You do tend to act that way, that's true." Logan said.

"Mhmm." Virgil replied half-heartedly.

Virgil heard the shuffling of papers on Logan's end.

"What're you doing?" Virgil asked.

"Class plans for the upcoming school year." Logan said. "It starts soon."

"It's a lot of work being a teacher, isn't it?" Virgil said sympathetically.

"You could say that. But believe me when I say I wouldn't give up my job for the world." Logan replied.

Virgil heard the squeak of a door, and a muffled voice that he recognized to belong to Patton Sanders, Logan's husband.

Logan returned his focus to the phone call a minute afterwards, once Patton had left.

"I'm going to have to hang up. Patton wants to vacuum, and that's going to make it too loud to hear." Logan said.

"Okay. I'll call you back." Virgil said. "Maybe I'll call you back at one in the morning as payback."

"If that's the satisfaction you require in order to sleep at night." Logan replied. "Talk to you later."

"Bye." Virgil hung up and placed his phone in his lap.

He pulled into the coffee shop parking lot and went in.

For a small coffee shop, there was a surprising amount of people. It wasn't crowded, necessarily, but it definitely wasn't empty. The line wasn't terribly long, though, so he was able to get his coffee quickly.

Now to find a place to sit so I can enjoy my coffee, scroll through Tumblr on my phone, and tune out the voice in my head that's scared that strangers can see my screen and are judging me for it.

Virgil found an unoccupied two person table, and made his way to it, not realizing that the man next to him has the same idea until it was too late. They were heading to the same area at the same time, and it ended in collision, with the man's coffee flying over Virgil, and getting some of the floor as well.

"I am so sorry." He apologized.

"It's... You know, it's cool." Virgil shrugged it off.

The two of them rushed over to the napkins dispenser and attempted to clean up the mess. They managed to clean up most of it, except for the coffee stains on Virgil's shirt.

"Here." The guy slipped off the red and white jacket he was wearing and handed it to Virgil. "I'm warm anyways, so you can have that to cover up the stains. I don't know why I brought a sweater in the first place honestly, seeing as it's hot as hell out there."

"Thanks." Virgil slipped the sweater over his purple shirt. "As for the weather, that's just Florida for you."

"That's one thing I'll have to get used to." He said.

"Did you just move here?" Virgil asked.

The guy nodded. "Just got here. I'm looking for a place to live in Florida, actually. I'm staying with my cousin until I can get a place of my own, but I don't think it'll take me long to find one." He offered his hand for a handshake. "I'm Roman, by the way."

"Virgil." He shook the guy's hand.

"Sorry about the coffee thing." Roman said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it." Virgil said. Then something occurred to him. "Wait... Did you say you were looking for a place to live?"

"Yeah, why?" Roman asked.

"My past roommate moved out not too long ago, and rent is expensive, so I'm looking for a new roommate to share the cost with." Virgil said.

"Fantastic! It works out perfectly then." Roman said.

"I can give you a tour of the apartment, and I'll have to ask you some questions to find out if you'll be a suitable roommate." Virgil said. "You know, seeing as how I just met you. For all I know, you could be a serial killer."

"Fair enough." Roman said. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone. "I'll give you my number, how's that? So then we can talk about this further."

Virgil nodded in agreement, and the two of them exchanged numbers.

"Awesome." Roman said. "Thanks!"

"No problem." Virgil said. "Well... See you."

"See you."

Virgil gave Roman back his sweater, then grabbed his coffee and headed out.