Roommates

The Whole Thing

"I'm going to call the landlord, this is bullshit," he said, walking out of the room. I followed him, down the hallway and to the living room, where he already had a phone in his hand.

His tone remained polite, though his expression was irritated as he talked into it. "Yeah, this is Connor, could you come over? No, nothing's wrong with the house it's actually-. No. Yes. Thanks. Bye." He ended the call and threw his phone on the couch before plopping down on it himself.

"She's on her way, she'll be there in five minutes." He said, looking at me. I went and sat in one of the chairs. Lifting his legs up onto the couch, he faced me, laying down with his head against the armrest.

His eyes shifted down so he could see me better. He almost seemed to be studying me. "So what's your name?" he asked.

"Alex," I answered, a little weirded out, and not quite liking the guy. "What's yours?"

He raised an eyebrow.. "Connor, but I said it over the phone and you were standing behind me. You don't pay attention much, do you?" He was really starting to irritate me.

I rolled my eyes. "Well excuse me for not eavesdropping on your phone call."

He sighed and closed his eyes, putting his hands on his stomach. I pulled my feet up onto the chair with me, drawing my knees to my chest, and looked around the room, letting my thoughts wander. I didn't really like Connor, and I hoped we could get this figured out quickly. The doorbell rang, and I jumped. I heard a snort to my right, which startled me even more. Connor was staring at me, a smirk on his face.

"Relax, it's just the damn doorbell." Goddamnit.

"I thought you were asleep!!"

He sat up off the couch and stood up. "Well I should probably let her in, huh?" he asked as he walked to the door. Opening it revealed a lady in her late forties, looking quite formal in dress pants and a pink top. She swiftly stepped into the house, pink heels making a dull thump on the carpet with every step, and made her way to the living room.

Her name was Ms. Brenton, I met with her about a week ago to sign some papers before moving in. She seemed like a nice enough lady, with a kind face and shoulder-length brown hair that admittedly had a few gray streaks in it. She was polite about talking through everything and pointed out important parts of the contract for me and explaining through the legal crap. Now she sat in the middle of the couch.

Connor, seeing that his spot had been taken, sat in the chair across from me. "Now, what seems to be the problem, boys?" she asked pleasantly.

We stared at her. "What do you mean 'what's the problem'?" I asked.

"Exactly that. What seems to be the problem? Connor said nothing was wrong with the house."

"See, I don't remember anything about getting a roommate," Connor said.

I nodded my head.

Ms. Brenton blinked. "Didn't you two read the contract before signing the lease? I explained to both of you the major details, don't tell me you weren't paying attention!"

Connor glanced in my direction as I glanced in his. We looked at each other. Shifting uncomfortably I said, "Well, to be honest I, uh, no not really...." I said shamefully. Ms. Brenton shook her head, looking slightly disappointed. Connor just looked down. "But I think I would have remembered had you said anything about getting a roommate!"

If I really was being completely honest, I didn't read the contract. I took Ms. Brenton's word for it, but I wasn't really listening to her. I wanted to get through the paperwork as soon as I could, this wonderful flat for a low rent, I felt like I had to move fast before the opportunity was snatched away from me.