Roommates

Part 1

You chewed on your nail, desperately trying not to scroll through your phone. Tyler was meeting you for lunch to discuss the upcoming school year and he happened to be late, as per usual.

You had fallen into a bit of a predicament, realizing that it wasn't really an option to live in residence for your second year but it also wasn't ideal to move home. Though more of your classes would be completed online, your parents hadn't seemed too appealing in recent months.

Most student housing in the downtown core was already rented out or unbelievably overpriced, and you were desperate to find someone to live with that wouldn't be totally unbearable or unapologetically creepy. You planned on asking Tyler to be that person for you, but he made it clear that he was moving in with his boyfriend. Options were rapidly narrowing.

The sound of movement across from you snapped you out of your daydream, causing you to blink a few times before looking up at your best friend.

"This seat taken?" he raised an eyebrow, already sliding into the chair.

"Actually, yeah," you smirked, sitting up a little straighter.

"By whom?" he drew the words out, questioning you in an old-fashioned tone.

"The ghost of my formerly happy self," you shot back, your eyes scanning the room for your server.

"Oh, please," he waved you off, opening his menu to scan its items, "What absolute travesty has taken over your entire life at this point in time?" he questioned. He knew you too well.

"If you must know," you began, eyeing him over your menu as you inspected the contents of the pasta dish you planned on ordering. "I'm homeless."

"What?" he shot back, forehead crinkling with confusion. "If you need a place to stay-" he began.

"Shh, stop right there, good sir," you smiled, "I need help finding a roommate. You have a lot of friends, right?"

"Like, a sex roommate? It's true, I do have a lot of hot friends," he teased, convinced you were back to your sexually frustrated self.

"No, I'm serious," you whacked him with the paper menu, "I couldn't find a student house and I refuse to move home. I need to find something and I need to find it fast," you spoke. "I can only handle so much of my mother."

"I concur," he nodded, closing his menu and folding his hands on top of it. "Now that I think of it, there actually is someone I have in mind. What exactly are you looking for? Do you care who it is, really?" he asked.

The waitress walked up, stealing both of your attention as she took your order for drinks.

"I think we're ready," you added, telling her what you wanted and handing her your menu before she retreated to the kitchen.

"I was asking because I know a guy," Tyler spoke, looking into your eyes with sincerity. "I honestly think it would work. He's never home, but when he is, he absolutely hates being by himself. He's looking for someone to just live alongside so he doesn't get all up in his thoughts, you know?"

"Oh?" you smiled, holding onto the glimmer of hope that maybe you'd be able to find a place.

"It's decent commuting distance for you and he's gone a lot. You know, on business," he muttered, eyeing your server as she emerged with your drinks.

"Is he like, old?" you asked, unsure of what being away 'on business' meant at this age.

"Oh, no. He's our age. Just uh, he travels. But it's a really nice place, and I'm sure he wouldn't charge you through the nose. You'd be helping him out," Tyler reassured.