The six-month housemate

One

ONE

24 Charles Street, London.

Here I was, standing on the pavement in front of the house, with my two suitcases and my handbag. 'So this is where I'm going to be living for the next six months?' I thought, examining the building. The house was four storeys high plus had a basement, like the typical London houses you can see in movies. 'I guess the setting could've been worse...' I sighed and pressed on the doorbell.

---

The previous month, when I had received a letter of acceptance from the University of Kingston in London, I was so excited to at last leave France to go and study abroad that I had not quite noticed the end note; "the student, not being 18 years old, will not be able to live on the campus due to the fact she is still minor." When I'd finally realised what that meant, that I'd miss out on student life during the first six months of my first University year, I was desperate. My parents and sisters were driven crazy with my constant moaning.

"You could always take a gap year here in France and live at home if missing on students' life is what you're worried about." had threatened my father after 3 weeks.

"Are you crazy?! It's my dream to go to London!"

"Watch your language young girl! If it's what you want, then you'll find out something. Don't you have friends who live in London and who could host you for six months? Or you could find out who is going to study in London at school and maybe try and rent a flat with them. It will always be cheaper than campus."

"No need for that, honey. I've arranged everything for you Emma!" My mum said, coming into the room as well as in the conversation.

"What do you mean?"

"Well instead of moaning like someone I know, I actually contacted people, knowing that by the time you would stop moaning, the summer would be finished and that it would be hard to find a place to stay at."

"Umm... The summer has not even started Mum!" I replied, startled by what she'd just said. "You know it's how I am! I always moan for a bit before getting stuff done!"

"Well, I just thought it would be good for you to have a place to go to at the end of the summer so you could get used to your new city and at the same time, to your host family."

"Wait a second! What host family? Do you not remember your brother lives in London with his wife, and that they happen to be my favourite uncle and aunt?"

She waved her hand as though my comment was utterly insignificant. "They're on a world tour, and will not be home until at least next July. And do not even consider living on your own or with friends in their house for six months without adult supervision, and by adult, I mean a responsible adult who finished his or her studies, not an 18 year old." She said, tackling my argument before I even said it.

I huffed and stormed to my room.

I spent the next week trying to find someone with whom I could possibly live for six months. The answer was: nobody. Seriously guys, what's the deal with America? Everyone was going there, except the few who stayed in France. There were people going to the UK too, of course, however these folks were either going to Cambridge/Oxford, or just people I wouldn't actually consider living with. Scratch that last bit, people I could NEVER live with. So I just forgot about the whole problem, refusing myself to go to my mum and ask for the family's name and address.

Unfortunately, like everything you try to forget, the problem resurfaced the last day of class before the final exams. After going to a park with a bunch of friends to hang out, say goodbye and good luck, I headed home, knowing that after the exams, things would once again go according to my mum's plans since I hadn't found another alternative.

"I'm home!" I mumbled as I went through the door.

"Oh good!" My mum shouted from her bedroom. "Come here, I got an email from Vanessa!"

"Vanessa?"

"Oh, you know, Vanessa! Alex's mum!"

"Alex, as in Alex..." I said, taking off my shoes.

"Oh you know, Alex, your friend who moved to London a year before GCSE."

"Oh. Him."

Alex and I had been in the same class a year before he left. He was the closest person to match my vision of a bad boy; mysterious, mischievious, and very "I'm sexy and I know it". At the beginning, we were 'friends', then I discovered he was one of the most obnoxious persons I had ever met. I had gotten close to him as he was the only person that I knew who watched and played rugby, unlike my girl friends weren't in sports like that or the other guys who lived for football. We used to prognosticate before matches, and then debate, usually by email, the results of the week-end. That year, our teams were against each other in the final of one of the two tournaments we followed. My team won. He avoided me for the next week. I actually never got a chance to talk to him after that, since then his team was beaten by another team in the other tournament, and then the end of the year was there. The last time I heard from him afterwards was on the evening of the last day of school, when he sent me an email, saying he "knew I loved him, unfortunately it wasn't reciprocated", and that he "hoped I would find the one for me", coming from nowhere. I did have a crush on him at the beginning of the year, but that had vanished when we had started betting on who would win rugby matches, where he turned out to only be a friend. I never replied to the email, not knowing how to formulate the fact that he should calm his ego down without sounding too... mean, I guess? The next year, I wasn't in his class so I didn't have to talk to him, which kind of relieved me. Then I learnt from my mum he was moving to London, to her great disappointment; "He is so polite and handsome! I don't know why you don't like him that much... If you dated him, you could to London regularly!" I nearly told her she could date him if she wanted, but I guess that wouldn't have gone down well, so I just rolled my eyes.

"I don't know her that well... What is she saying?" I said, sighing silently.

"She's saying she is looking forwards to have you for six months. She's so kind, she's redoing her guest room specially for you!" she gushed.

"What?"

"Vanessa. She is redoing her guest room for you when you'll be staying at her house."

"I understood that, thank you, but she's the one I'll be staying at?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

"Er... No!"

"Oh, then I must've told your dad, then. Or one of your sisters. Anyway, she's expecting you to come, so there is no way I'll accept any other solutions you have."

And with that statement, my destiny for the next six months was sealed.

I would be living under the same roof as the jerk bad boy for the next six months.

Great.

Thank you so much if you read this far! :) Feel free to feedback!

The_rugbywoman