Accidental Roommate (NEW)

44 v2

Pacing in front of the bathroom, Cameron switched between looking at the floor and the door. He felt so helpless. Never had he felt as helpless as this. Sharon was crying, alone in the tub and he was just out in their room, pacing around for a lack of anything better to do. He wanted to be in there with her but she had thrown him out the moment tears began streaming down her cheeks.

Running his fingers through his hair, he tried to reason with himself. He tried to find some excuse for his exit. Something to explain why he wasn't there, inside the bathroom, beside her in her time of need.

He told himself that he wouldn't be much help since he still didn't know what had happened.

Then ask.

He would just be taking up space, space she needed right now.

Did she say she needed space? Or was that what he had assumed?

He would be a reminder that his afternoon had been so much better than hers.

Then try harder to help her.

The frustrated voice countered each and every justification he came up with. He knew, deep inside, he was more than willing to do all that as long as he was beside her. He just didn't want to leave her alone. This wasn't the time to let her indulge in her need to be isolated. She needed someone beside her. He needed to be by her side.

Making his decision, and feeling lighter from it, he was about to head back inside when the door opened. Disoriented by the sudden change, he stood in front of the door, looking down blankly at Sharon who was trying to get out. Then he blinked and realised that Sharon was standing right in front of him.

He didn't know what to feel. He was both thrilled to see her but saddened when he noticed the resolve in her eyes. Knowing her, it was clear she was going to sweep this under the rug even though she still hadn't gotten over it. And he knew it must've been bad. She had looked like all the life had been sucked from her upon coming in. He didn't want this for her. But when he needed them, words failed him. He had to step aside after a while.

Turning to follow her movement, his chest tightened as she changed and then quietly packed her bag. All the while, she was ignoring the bag she had come back with. Even though he hadn't gotten a chance to go through the content, it was clear that it was important to her. She had held it so tightly that the straps were etched into her palms when she entered the tub.

Knowing this, It was painful to watch her pretend it wasn't even there. The thing was, she knew it was there. She gave it a wide berth, never coming close. And when it was unavoidable, she stepped over it. But never once did her eyes land on it.

"Sharon, we have to talk,"he said, unable to withstand her continued silence. But she was determined to ignore everything, not just the bag. She didn't even turn, much less react, when he spoke. Her eyes were fixed on what she was doing. He didn't even know what she was doing. There wasn't a lot of things to pack and now that everything was in the bag, she was just walking around.

Still, she refused to look at him. He was close to exploding. It was tough to fight the urge to get her attention by force. He just wanted to grab her arm and make her look at him. But he managed to hold back. Instead, he sat on her bag, taking away her only outlet. She was not happy.

"Cameron, get your fat ass off my bag,"she growled, glaring down at him. Or not since she was short enough that they were now at eye-level.

"Are you going to listen to me?"

"Why? What do want to talk about?" Finally it looked like the dam was breaking. His relief was at odds in front of the impending danger. "Is it about my bright idea to come here? Or is it my stupid idea to get my stuff? Or, I know, how about my sick attachment to my family who has let me down time and time again? Take your pick because there are so many to choose from,"she cried, tears filling her eyes.