Forcedroommates Stories

Characters: Estella: Fiercely independent, cool as ice, emotionally unreadable, and somehow manages to say a lot by saying nothing. Keeps her room spotless but leaves half-drunk coffee cups everywhere. Kai: Calm, calculating, charming in a lazy sort of way. Plays the guitar at ungodly hours, steals Estella's hoodies "by mistake," and cooks like it's a love language he refuses to admit. Plot: Estella and Kai grew up seeing each other every now and then-family friends, shared vacations, the occasional awkward festival picture. But life pulled them in different directions. She dove into medicine. He chased something vague and rebellious. Years later, both now adults, Estella returns home for a break from uni, only to walk into her house and find him already there-on her couch, wearing her childhood blanket like a cape, claiming he's moving in for a few months. Turns out, their parents-best friends since college-decided it'd be "nice" if their grown-up children bonded like they used to. They even rented an apartment for them to share, citing it as "a good way to save on rent" and "an experience builder." Neither of them agreed to this. Neither of them wants to back down. Cue domestic chaos. Kai leaves wet towels everywhere. Estella labels her food and hides her snacks. He plays soft jazz while cooking just to annoy her. She blasts study lectures at full volume to drown him out. But when Estella pulls an all-nighter and passes out at the table, it's Kai who tucks her in and leaves tea beside her bed. When Kai gets sick, she silently makes soup and wordlessly glares if he doesn't finish it. They don't talk about the tension. But it builds. And one night, during a power cut, when the only light is the dim flicker of candles, and Kai's cooking in the dark, barefoot and shirtless, Estella asks, "Why do you even care if I eat?" He doesn't look up. "Because I'd rather annoy you than not see you at all."

A story about a balloon wanting to regain internal peace and a guy trying to break away from family traditions. The two end up in an apartment together and need to get along, even though the tension from a past argument is still hanging in the air.