Saudade

Three. It's a Date

"What on Earth are you doing?"

I peeled my eyes open and tilted my head slightly to peer at the upside down girl standing in front of me.

"Thinking," I replied simply.

"Do...you do all your thinking upside down?" The girl cocked her head.

"Mhmm. The blood rushing to my head does wonders for the functioning of my brain."

"Huh...great," she muttered, looking around the room. "I got landed with a weirdo."

I swung my feet down in front of me to flip out of the handstand I was performing and blew my hair out of my face, smiling.

"Hi," I held out my hand. "I'm Briella."

The girl studied my hand for a second as if debating if it was contaminated before shaking it tentatively. "Leilani."

"Leilani," I nodded, noting that slight twang to her accent. Maybe it was Chinese. "That's a pretty name. Does it mean anything?"

"A heavenly flower," she said absentmindedly as she dropped my hand and paced over to the empty bed. "It's Hawaiian. So, I suppose this is my bed."

"Is that okay?"

"Were you going to trade with me if it wasn't?" She asked, flipping a stand of her jet black hair over her shoulder.

"Well, I guess no-"

"I feel like we should go over a few ground rules before anything else is said," she said in a rather strict manner, walking over to the doorway where her bags were.

"Ground rules?"

"Mhmm," she picked up a duffle bag and tossed it on her bed. "Just so we're on the same page, and so we can avoid as much conflicts as possible."

"Oka-"

"Rule number one," she wheeled in one of her suitcases. "I do not like to live in a filthy environment, so I expect you to keep your side of the room as tidy as I keep mine."

I nodded. "Sure, yeah I-"

"I wasn't done speaking," she pinned me with a scornful look. "Rule number two, no smoking and or doing any type of illegal drugs in this room. Keep that outside, or at the very least someone else's room. Rule number three, guests are allowed in the room, but only within the daytime hours and not when I'm in here studying."

I could've told her I wouldn't be getting that many guests as I was considerably shitty at making friends, but the strictness in her voice made me slightly afraid to interrupt her.

"Rule number four, no having sex while I'm in the room. Like, at all. Even if you think I'm fast asleep, do not have sex while I'm here," she flipped open her suitcase and pulled out a top. "Rule number five, if you're having sex in here place a sock on the doorknob so I know not to enter. Rule number six, no blasting music. Earbuds were made for a reason, and last but certainly not least, rule number seven: don't touch my stuff, and I won't touch yours."

"Is that all?" I asked.

"For now," she peered at me, not picking up on the slight sarcasm. "Are we clear?"

"Yeah, sure," I nodded. "Those are pretty reasonable."

"Good," she dropped the pair of jeans she was holding and walked over to her wardrobe, pulling it open. "Ugh, this is all the closet room they give us?"

I sat down on the edge of my bed and chewed on my lower lip. I was slightly nervous to try and jump start a conversation with her, due to the severe manner she used to carry herself, but I figured if I didn't try now I wouldn't get the chance at all. The last thing I wanted was to live in an awkward co-existential state with the person I would be sharing a room with.