Hide N Seek

8. New Flatmate

Jan swore to himself that he would never be touching alcohol ever again as he felt his head was about to split into two. The hangover was killing him. He groaned as he supported his aching head.

"Fuck! How much did I drink last night? " He questioned himself, sitting on the bed.

He didn't remember anything. The last thing he remembered was asking his friends to join in the bar where he took who knows how many shots of vodka.

Jan glanced at the digital clock on the wall. It was almost noon. Thankfully the curtains were still on or else he would have had a hard time dealing with the sunlight as soon as he woke up. He reluctantly pulled off the duvet.

He slipped his legs into the pair of slippers which was neatly kept at the foot of his bed. His eyes fell on the small piece of paper on the nightstand. Seeing the handwriting, he knew that it was from his roommate.

I swear, next time you come home wasted like this, I'm gonna dump you in the trash can.

Jan chuckled reading the first sentence of the note. He was pretty sure that he had created a mess last night and his best friend was really pissed about it. He went ahead and read the rest of the note.

If you have so much money in your account that you are dying to spend, then transfer it to me. You know my bank account number.

Jan sighed. He had indeed overused his savings last night. It was supposed to be used as a deposit after he could find a new place to live after graduation. He had spent all of it celebrating his heartbreak. He was back to square one now, with no money, and no boyfriend. Just a broke university student in a big city. 

Since you didn't look like you were in a condition to cover your morning shift today, I am filling in for you.

Also, I have made your favourite breakfast for you. Eat it and take the painkillers.

Don't forget to drink a lot of water. Text me when you are up. 

S

Jan noticed the strip of pills on the nightstand and smiled. At least his friend still cares for him. He looked down on his clothes. He was wearing a comfortable side-open tank top and shorts. He knew that Seff must have changed his clothes for him last night.

He pulled out his phone and quickly composed a text to Seff, thanking him.

A few seconds later, he received a middle finger emoji as a reply. A smile bloomed on his lips seeing it.

Setting his phone aside, he headed to the kitchen. He badly wanted some water.

He scratched his butt and opened the refrigerator. As always, Seff had kept it stocked. He looked at the row of cold drinks. He wanted one but his financial condition banned him from increasing his expenses.

He opted for the plain drinking water that Seff had collected for free from the university water filter. He took a big sip of it and turned around, closing the refrigerator door.

His eyes were greeted with a firm, lean muscular torso.

He spluttered out the water from his mouth in shock and started coughing heavily. Since  Shawn was away and Seff was at work, he was expecting to find the house empty. He hadn't expected that someone else would be there.

"That's a nice way to greet your new housemate." The half-naked man said with a chuckle, wiping away the droplets of water that were splashed over his face.

Jan's eyes widened. It had totally slipped his mind that their new housemates would be moving in the previous day. Shawn had texted him on the matter. He had been so busy crying over his breakup with his boyfriend and the savings in his bank account that he didn't remember it at all.

"I am so sorry. I didn't see you there." He immediately grabbed some tissues from the kitchen, apologizing profusely to his new housemate. He didn't want to start their friendship on a bad note. After all, they would be seeing each other a lot as they would be living under the same roof from now on.

He was about to wipe the droplets off the guy's body when he noticed that the other guy was watching him with a smile. Blood rushed into his face as he realised what he was going to do. He awkwardly handed the tissues to the guy not looking directly at his face.

Grey on the other hand was all smiles. He was amused seeing how the little cute kitten-like human was getting flustered. He found the sight extremely adorable. 

He had already noticed Jan when he walked out of his room. He had silently followed the smaller guy to the kitchen to strike up a conversation.

"By the way, I'm Grey, Grey Sitthikarn. Final year student in engineering faculty. Me and my cousin moved over here last night." Grey introduced himself, wiping his chest with the tissues. 

He was dressed in only a pair of breathable shorts as he had been working out for a while. He disliked wearing clothes while sweating.

"I- I'm Jan Jayapol. Final year student in home science." Jan refused to look up. He felt immensely awkward. He was not used to seeing someone walk around the house almost naked.

"It's nice to meet you, Jan. I tried to talk to you last night, but Seff didn't let me." Grey pouted.

Jan tightly shut his eyes in embarrassment as the memories of his wasted self flashed before his eyes. He was grateful to Seff for not letting Grey speak to him while he was drunk or else he would have made a fool out of himself in front of the new tenants.

He smiled awkwardly, chugging down the contents of the bottle. As he walked to the dining table, he saw his reflection on the window pane. He wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury himself.

His hair looked like a crow's nest, the drool that had dried up on his face was still there, not to mention the eye boogers. He hadn't even brushed his teeth to boost. His breath smelled like alcohol.

'Wow, what a first impression you made, Jan.' He spoke to himself in his mind. He held on to the dining table for support as he sat down.

Grey sat opposite him, smiling like a kid who was high on sugar. "I heard that you broke up last night."

Jan looked up in shock. They were yet to get familiar with each other and Grey was already asking such a personal question.

"If you are looking for a rebound, I am totally available," Grey added.

"What?" Jan's being shocked was an understatement.

"I mean, I can help you get over your ex." Grey spread his hands comfortably over the backrest of the adjacent chair.