Privacy in Dorm Room 210

Privacy in Dorm Room 210: A Co-dependent Arrangement

Rows and rows of bookshelves. Beside the tables and computers lined up against the walls, the books were the main star here. They even had a row upstairs where rooms were facilitated. Muffled laughter in one corner, protected in a glass shell. Soundproof, too, he thought. Handy.

But there seemed to be an unspoken tension that lingered in the air; everyone here had a purpose, which was exactly the kind of thing that resonated with Justin.

None of the computers were free at the moment, but that didn't concern him right now. Finding space at a table nearby, shared with only a few amount of students, Justin settled himself, taking his blue folder and pencil case out from his bag. Along with his purchased programming textbooks, he took the time scanning through the context, familiarizing himself with the work ahead. Once one was free, he'd log into his emails and secure the timetable. He had days ahead before his first class started, but the quicker he could have things organised, the better he felt.

Hours burned away.

Computers, Justin hated to admit, was a battle, and he had, for the lack of a better word, no luck in securing one. Which meant he was at lost for what to do, which meant he was wasting time.

Groaning to himself, he packed away his things, hellbent on getting food, when he spotted someone packing up themselves at a computer.

That was his chance!

Not hoping to catch any kind of attention as he hustled to get moving, he kept his eyes focused on that one computer. He steadied himself on his way over. He could imagine the smooth mouth under his palm, could imagine his fingers brushing over the keyboard, his back against the cushioned chairs.

He was steps away, when someone else came over.

"Oh sweet! Could not have been more perfect."

Jet black hair neatly into a small ponytail, the guy in question began logging in his details without so much as a care.

"Um, excuse me."

The guy turned his head, brown eyes protected behind a pair of glasses. "Yeah, mate?"

"I was actually going to use this computer."

"Oh."

He forced a smile. "Yeah."

The guy blinked at the screen then back at Justin. "Sorry, I didn't realise."

"No, it's fine." Apparently, Justin had a record with hurting people's feelings these last few days. He didn't want to add another person to the list. "Mistakes can happen."

The guy blew air from his mouth, making his neighbour scrunch up her face in annoyance. Justin scratched at his neck.

"It's probably my fault anyway." The guy stared at the screen as the desktop loaded, probably waiting until everything was a standstill before he logged off. "I thought I punched my time-slot at eleven-fifteen, but I must've misread it."

Justin had no clue what he was referring to. "Wait. Time-slot?"

He looked back at Justin confusingly. "Yeah. What else do you think I'm talking about?"

"We needed a time-slot?"

He needed to book in to use a computer. This entire time he thought it was just a matter of luck.

The guy's mouse hovered over start. "So, if you weren't waiting for your time to use the computer, what were you doing?"

His shoulders slumped. "No, I was waiting to use it."