I Like Me Better when I'm With You (COMPLETED)

Take me to a place where we both don't have to face the things we face

Author's Notes:  Chapter title from Nothin' on My Mind by Astronomyy

Nico stared at the closed door. The yellowish plate numbers, spelling 21 standing out in contrast with the blue paint of the door.

When Nico texted this Jason Grace guy, he was a bit surprised to get a reply that yes, Jason was indeed, still looking for a roommate. And he got even more pleasantly surprised when Jason texted him the address, and it was actually quite close to campus. He even passed that coffee shop when he was walking from the library to the apartment. And no, he did not think about the blond barista with a sunshine smile when he passed The Oracle. Nope. Not at all.

Nico took a deep breath, and exhaled it out in a huff. He knocked the door. Nico slid his hands into his pockets, and waited.

It didn't take long before he heard the rustling sound of the key being unlocked, which was quickly followed by the door swung opened.

A tall, blond guy with a pair of glasses was now standing in front of him, still holding the doorknob. He was slightly smiling, but his blue eyes studying Nico a bit carefully.

"Uhm. Hi," Nico shifted a bit uneasily. "I texted you about the room?" He said hesitantly.

Blond eyebrows raised up as the smile in front of him got wider.

"Ah, Nico, right? I am Jason," Jason said, stretching his hand out to offer a handshake.

Nico nodded and shook his hand quickly.

"Come on in," Jason said as he opened the door wider and stepped aside.

Nico walked in and quickly look around. The living room was the first thing that comes to view. A big flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall, at the right side of the door. Across of the TV was a set of couch, and two armchairs, along with a dark-wooden coffee table. A few throw pillows were on the couch and the armchairs, their bright colors a nice touch over the dark fabric of the couch.

On the left of the door, there was a small coat storage closet. Then a medium half-cabinet separated the living room from the kitchen and dining area. Jason waved vaguely as Nico stood in front of the coat closet, gazing around.

"Well, the apartment is already furnished with some basic stuff. Those couches and armchair and the TV are among the included furniture."

Nico nodded and followed Jason to the kitchen area. A brown-haired girl was sitting on one of the stools by the dining table. She waved at Nico.

"Hey," she greeted and smiled.

Nico nodded, could not help but notice the kaleidoscopic eyes of the girl.

"That's Piper, my girlfriend," Jason said. Despite the cool, calm, confident vibe that he was radiating, his cheeks were blushing, like he himself was still in an awe that she was his girlfriend.

"The vacant room is there," Jason said, leading Nico to walk across the kitchen. He pushed the door open, and stood aside as Nico walked in.

Nico took three steps forward and stopped in the middle of the room. It was not too big, slightly smaller than Nico's bedroom right now. There was a bed, twin-sized, and a small desk was pushed against the wall, right by the window. The opened door of the closet showed that its reasonable size.

Nico walked to the window and peeked in between the blinds.

"It was not big, but it was reasonable," Jason said.

Nico hummed his agreement. He walked to the closet and checked it.

"Oh, and I... guess I have to warn you. Piper, she... well.. you know, she hangs out a lot here-"

Nico waved his hand dismissively. "I won't mind, really," Nico said, and inspected the small nightstand next to the bed. "As long as you're not to loud when you two are fucking," he said. This time he turned his head to look at Jason. Jason was blushing furiously and he was looking away from Nico.

Nico chuckled.

"No, I mean, uh," Jason paused and cleared his throat. "It was just, Piper had this...obsession-"

"What do you mean I'm obsessed?"

Piper's voice cut Jason's mid-sentence.

A second later, Piper showed up next to Jason, shoving his shoulder. "It's not an obsession, Jason. It's human nature!"

Jason made a small snorting sound and rolled his eyes. He looked back at Nico.

"I mean, Piper often just showed up with some stray animals that she just found-"

"Oh, are you complaining now?" Piper asked, her voice laced with amusement and there was a half-smile playing on her lips.

"No, it's not like that." Jason quickly shook his head. "The stray animals usually just stayed here for a night or two before Piper brings them to a shelter or somewhere else. But I think I have to let you know about this. There was a guy yesterday who came to see the apartment, but turned out he's actually allergic to cat so...yeah..." Jason ended with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh, no, I'm totally fine with that," Nico said, running a hand over his head. "I like dogs. And cats. Back at home I actually have a dog."

"Really?" Piper's eyes lit up. "What kind of dog? A gothic-looking dog like you?"

Nico chuckled while Jason nudged Piper with his elbow, hissing a warning.

"He's a black Labrador, we call him Cerberus."

"Nice!" Piper said, looking excited. "I love Labradors."

"Piper," Jason said, sounded dramatically exhausted. "You love all kind of dogs."

Piper grinned.

"The bathroom is over there," Jason gestured with his chin to another doorway opening. "It's like... 1.5 bath, and the washer and dryer are also here in the unit."

Nico nodded and walked to the direction that Jason showed him. The doors were ajar. Nico checked the full bathroom and the half bath. He spared a glance at the washing machines and dryer across the doors.

"How much is it per month?"

Jason told him the rent. It was not the cheapest around the area, even slightly more expensive than what Nico had to pay for his apartment now. But compared to the facilities and how it's so close to campus, it was actually quite a good price. And most importantly, it was still within Nico's range of budget.

"Okay," Nico nodded. "I'll text you once I decided."

"Cool," Jason said with a small smile, and walked Nico to the door.

"I hope to hear from you soon."

Nico gave him a half-smile. "You will."

Jason gave him another polite nod and closed the door. Nico stood still in front, quietly listening to the sound of the door being locked. Then he started counting until five before he fished his phone out from his pocket.

He quickly found Jason's number and started typing a message.

When can I move in?

After tapping the screen to send the message, he put his phone back into his pocket and started counting again. He just reached 14 when he heard the door being unlocked.

The next second, the door swung opened. Jason stared at him, looking half-confused, half-amused. Piper was hovering a step behind him, grinning.

Nico smirked. "So, when?" He asked leisurely.

Jason chuckled. "You can move in whenever you want to."

"Would this Saturday be okay?"

Jason, his new roommate, smiled at him. His blue eyes smiled along as he nodded. "Saturday is fine."

***

Notes: Comments and feedbacks are always welcomed!