Oh My God, They Were Roommates

5 | Come And Get Your Love

That café experience was practice, though, for when Ray actually saw Sora in class that day. It was easier for him to ignore Sora after the café incident, and he succeeded in keeping his eyes to himself until class ended and he was lulled into Leo's affectionate attention as the guy said, "I'd love to see your apartment."

    Huey pitched in instantly. "Yeah, it must be nice having a whole-ass apartment."

    Ray smiled, sheepishly, and couldn't quite say anything on the matter without fearing he'd let Sora's name slip. Instead, he did something far worse.

    "So do you have a roommate?" Leo asked.

    Ray's immediate response, knowing that Sora would shit a brick if he gave away the roommate situation, went as follows: "No. I just... have a one bedroom apartment."

    Leo threw his arms up with a triumphant laugh. "That's perfect! We could hang out at your place!"

    Shit.

    "As much as I'd love to show you guys my apartment... it's just... a real mess right now," Ray said, the guilt seeping into every word that escaped his mouth. And here he thought he'd have the Socializing Hot Spot of all of the dorms and apartments alike.

    That was no longer the case, so long as he wanted to stay on Sora's Good Side (not that the guy had many good sides—aside from looks, that is).

    Leo slumped with a groan and muttered, "Fine, I guess that makes sense."

    "Well, if you guys ever wanna stop by my dorm, I'm in the athlete hall," Huey said, shouldering his backpack as the three of them lingered in the lecture hall.

    Ray tipped his head to the side, scratching at his hair. "Athlete hall?"

    "Oh, yeah! Hatsu Hall—student athletes get priority in that dorm," Leo explained. He clapped his hands together, smiling wide. "Best facility on campus! They've got huge rooms and heat in the winter."

    Huey put his thumbs up and Ray squinted at them both. "So... not all of the dorms get heat in the winter?"

    "Oh, we do—it's just... drafty," Leo explained. He pointed to Huey and added, "His dorm's pretty rad. Single dorm for a single man."

    "And ready to mingle, as the kids say," Huey said with a shimmy of his shoulders. Leo gave him a smack on the arm and as the two of them bickered, Ray caught sight of Sora passing their group on his way out of the lecture hall.

    Ray stared after him. Sora was wearing a scarf that day, and the plaid, tasseled ends ruffled behind him as one of the guys in their class held the door for him. Sora didn't acknowledge the guy, but the guy surely acknowledged him—after the fact, when one of his friends leant in to whisper something about Sora when he was gone.

    "Sora's pretty popular, huh?" Ray commented. He glanced back at Huey and Leo, who ceased their banter the instant Sora's name was mentioned.

    Leo put both hands out, gasping. "Did I miss it? Oh, fuck, I missed it."

    Ray's heart stopped. "Missed what?"

    Huey thumped him on the chest and said, "Sora's ass, bro. We keep our eyes and ears peeled for that shit."

    Ray's heart dropped. Right, duh, of course it wasn't anything important. He threw his head back and groaned in annoyance as Leo crumpled in defeat. "My streak—!" Leo cried, dramatic and falling to his knees. He dropped his fists onto the back of the seat ahead of them, eyes down until the exact moment he threw his head back and sobbed, "Why—?!"