Dorm Room 210 [Original]

Dorm Room 210: An Open Mind

"You're kidding me, yeah? You're the one who made us decide to try. What you said was true; I think it dawned on Dad more than anyone in the room. And Mum had enough of us fighting. I'm pretty sure she loves you."

"Really?" My chest swells with happiness.

He presses a kiss on my knuckles. "Really."

We park in a four-hour-free parking zone off the corner in Elizabeth's Street and then we walk the rest of the way, holding hands.

The city, always busting with people and transport, has a place in my heart. People walk by us in their own world. Music plays in a small, outdoor dining place, and the smell of a roast soaks the air I walk in. The stars splay out in the sky, joining to the other end of the world, where all possibilities lie.

I keep my head up high. My thoughts always plague my mind when something good is happening. I can't allow it to overrule me. I am not my mum.

Noah squeezes my hand. "Hey," he says. "I love you."

My heart sinks again, but not in the way it did before. I feel it swooning as it falls, and it makes my cheeks grow warm. "I love you, too."

He pulls me to a stop in the middle on the side of the pathway and brings his free hand to my cheek, pulling me up to meet his mouth. The touch of his warm lips melt away my thoughts, keeping me glued to his embrace. When he pulls away he grins.

"I like seeing you like this," he says. "Like you're in the moment. Last night with Superman a great example."

I hide my eyes in my the palm of my hands. "I can't believe that's even a thing."

Noah laughs. "Hey, come on, it's pretty funny. Rachel has you on tape along with Jesse's terrible singing."

We find an Italian restaurant beside a bar tucked in a hidden alleyway.

Noah and I sit across each other, reminiscing about last night as pizza is brought to our table.

A sigh leaves my lips at the aroma of cheese and herbs filters the air. Grabbing a slice of Margarita, another from Hawaiian, and a generous amount of garlic bread, I've come to realise there's nothing more satisfying than fresh Italian pizza.

Noah laughs at me. "You certainly love your pizza."

"I'm pretty sure my blood is made from tomato sauce," I say, jokingly.

"What else?"

"What else, what?"

"I want to learn more about you, my darling." He takes a slice for himself.

"What would you like to know?"

He waits a while, probably thinking what to ask, taking a sip of coke in the short silence we share. "What was your first thought when you moved into the dorm?"

I think about my words carefully. "I remember going through the motions without knowing what was happening most of the time, but I was petrified with the new changes. I'm not...no, I wasn't good with being flexible on those sort of things. I just wanted to settle in and meet my female roommates and hopefully become their friend. So, when Tracy took me to room 210, I was hoping for the same thing. But I met you instead, and I think that petrified me most of all."

"Because I was a guy?" Noah reaches for my hand.

I look away, feeling ashamed of the truth. "You might think I'm crazy to feel that way."

"No. You had every right to feel what you felt that day." There's compassion in his brown eyes. "I mean, I thought we were going to be okay, but I saw how uncomfortable you were, believe me."