And They Were Roommates

The Lobby

As soon as Samuel asked that question, I obviously said yes. He held my hand, and we started running. I felt like a kid running through the rain with him. We tried to avoid getting rained as much as we could, but it wasn't helping. It felt like more and more rain was coming down every second. We finally made it to the front of the pier, and then it hit me. We still have to walk to the car, which felt like miles away. Thankfully Samuel volunteered to carry me. 

We got to the car and quickly jumped in. "So, where are we going now?" Samuel started up the car and turned the heater on full blast. "Well, it's too late at night to go back to our dorms, especially when we're soaking wet. Don't worry, I know just the place." And with that being said, he started driving. The car ride was mostly quiet, with only the radio on a low volume. It was too cold to talk. 

We pulled up to a really fancy hotel. Well, most of the hotels in the area looked fancy, but this one seemed the most lavish to me. It had to have at least 30 floors. Once Samuel parked the car, we made our way inside. This was the fanciest hotel I have ever been to. Most of the time, my family would stay at cheap motels. This was definitely an upgrade.

Samuel did all the talking when we were at the front desk. Surprisingly, he didn't know anyone that worked here. He finally got the key card, room 835. The lady that helped us said it was a small room with a king-sized bed. The last time I remember sleeping in a bed close to that size was when I would have to share a bed with my siblings on vacation. Since there was a grand total of eight people in my family, I always had to share.

He told me to wait in the lobby while he grabbed a bag of spare clothes he kept in his car. When he left, I felt extremely awkward. I was standing in the middle of a hotel with my clothes dripping. I didn't think much of it when I was in here with Samuel, but now that I was alone, it was all I could think about.

I was left alone with my thoughts. Not only was I uncomfortable with being in soaking wet clothes, but it just hit me that we would have to share a bed. I mean, we've fooled around before but never slept in the same bed. We always stayed in our own beds at the end of the night. Of course, I had thought about what it would feel like to fall asleep in his arms, but now that it was going to happen, I was internally freaking out.

Samuel always sleeps in his boxers, and I usually do the same. The thought of his bare skin touching mine throughout the night was scary yet exciting. His skin was always so soft, but I think the thing that scared me was how my body would react to so much contact. I don't want to say I'm sensitive to his touch, but maybe that's the truth. Sometimes he can just run his hand up my shirt, and I get hard. 

My thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice, yet it wasn't Samuels. "You look like a lost, wet dog. What are you doing here?" When I saw who was talking, it finally clicked in my head, it was Samuel's ex-teammate, Carter. What could he possibly be doing here? Was he following us this whole time? There's no way.

"Hey, Carter. Sorry, what I said at the field. I was sort of jealous and just said the first thing that came to mind." That wasn't true, but I didn't want there to be even more tension than there was already. I also didn't want him to have a wrong impression of me if we were going to keep having encounters.

"You're fine, kid. I don't think I caught your name back there. If Samuel happened to say it, I totally forgot." I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. He came off easy to talk to, but when Samuel was around, that was a different story. He extended his hand out for a shake and gave a warm smile.

At first, I hesitated. I still didn't know what to think about Carter, but at the same time, I didn't want to judge him just because he has a past with Samuel. I took his hand and shook it. "I'm Hunter. Nice to formally meet you." 

He gave me a big smile that was sort of comforting. Maybe we weren't going to have problems like I thought, after all. Samuel said he changed, and perhaps even Carter did too. Whatever past they had, Samuel didn't like it but seeing how Carter came up to me and tried to have a normal conversation after I called him a drama queen made me wonder if Samuel was overreacting.

"I hate to ask again, but what are you doing here? I thought you went to UCSC. Then again, you're at a hotel, so that would mean you're here to stay the night. Man, you came all the way from Santa Cruz just to come to the city. Anyways, what I'm trying to ask is what you're doing in the city." And I thought Samuel rambled a lot. Maybe that's where he gets it from.

"Samuel wanted to take me here, and it is way too late to drive back to UCSC." After that, we started having a full-blown conversation. Carter was mostly talking, but I was okay with that. He told me all sorts of stuff about himself. I learned that he was a psychology major at San Francisco State University, but he was going to transfer soon. The reason why he was here is that he knew a guy from school who worked here. I guess he was picking him up from his shift or something.

We talked for what felt like forever until I heard Samuel call out for me. I look over at him for a bit then look back at Carter. "Thanks for distracting me while I waited for him. I really enjoyed our conversation." I hear Samuel call me again, and I can't help but let out a sigh. "I've got to go. It was nice getting to know you." I shoot Carter a small smile before leaving him.

"What were you doing talking to Carter?" I'm put off by the tone in Samuel's voice. Earlier, he said he wasn't a problem, but since I talked to him, it is. What sense does that make? "Listen, Carter is bad news. You saw him trying to start stuff. Ever since..." He looks down and avoids eye contact. "He's always had a target on my back after some stuff between us happened. I know I said he wasn't a problem, but that was when I knew I wouldn't see him."

Part of me was upset with Samuel. I had a perfectly fine interaction with Carter, but I can understand where he was coming from. There was a past that was too deep for me to understand. Sure, I could ask Samuel what the big deal was, but it seemed like he wasn't ready for that.

"I'm not going to apologize for talking to him, but I'm also not going to do something that makes you uncomfortable. I care about Sam, and I'm sorry if seeing me with him brought back unpleasant memories." Surprisingly, he took that really well by the wide smile on his face. For a moment, I thought I was too harsh, but clearly, I wasn't.

"Thanks for telling me how you actually feel and not just doing something because I say so. As soon as I stopped talking, I could tell I was a bit rude. Thanks for putting me back in check." Samuel really is unlike anyone I've ever met before. I wouldn't have thought anyone would react the way he did. "Now let's go upstairs to our room and change out of these wet clothes."

__Authors Note__

Sorry this one took a bit longer to update. Writers block is a real thing. Anyways, I just wanted to say that upates might not be as often because I'm starting college soon. I'm not sure how busy I'll be but I will try to update at least once a week. Don't worry though, there will be another update by the end of the week.

Thanks to everyone who votes and reads this. I never thought people would enjoy this story but I'm really glad you do. I probably would have never thought of continuing this if it wasn't for your funny comments and how many people have read it. Thanks for inspiring me to write again.

-Jaxon