I grabbed my pen, crossing out the seventh name of the list I had made on my notebook. Seven people had already come over, seven people had been through my hundred questions, seven people had tried to get the spot. But none of them were roommate material.
I had never considered myself a picky person. I was actually pretty laid back, a common trait among us art students. But none of these seven beings had achieved to convince me the slightest to share my apartment with them. From a smelly guy who had asked if I minded him watching porn in the living room to a girl who had already been planning on throwing wild parties every weekend in the apartment, questioning the lack of space for more than 30 people, all sorts of people had come through the door. And all of them had managed to scare me away. I wasn't willing to live with someone with disgusting habits or who wanted to turn the apartment into our campus' night club.
I desperately needed a roommate, as Brooke, my life-long best friend that had lived with me for the previous two years, had moved in with her younger sister Layla a couple days before. Layla had just graduated from high school and was coming to study fashion design, just like her sister, at the same university as us. Thus, their parents had decided they would get an apartment for both of them to live together.
Brooke had complained at the beginning, as we loved our flat and living with one another, but her parents would be paying for the whole rent of the new place. She would really use it, not having to pat for a living anymore, as she was running a little tight on money. Our part time jobs at the coffee store paid just enough to allow us to live on campus, so by moving in with her sister she could actually get to save up some cash. I wasn't struggling that much, as I also gave some art classes to kids here and there to contribute to my regular salary at the coffee shop. But Brooke wasn't, so she had ended up deciding she would move out of our beloved home as much as it had pained her. It wasn't that bad, as they would literally live on the floor above mine, but I would still miss her company. And I was definitely hating the process of getting a new roommate.
I glanced over to my notebook resting on the kitchen counter, realising there was just one last name on the list. I had added it last minute after my friend Matt mentioned one friend of his was looking for a place to live in. This guy couldn't be that bad if they were friends, but with Matt being on the school's football team I really feared he would be a total dickhead. It wouldn't surprise me, given my previous encounters with some of his teammates in a couple parties. But Matt had actually said this guy was really laid back, not even close to being part of the football team, and that I would totally like him. So, I had ended up scribbling his simple name, "Sam", along with his phone number at the end of the sheet.
I sighed before dialling said number, tapping with my pen on the counter impatiently as I waited for him to pick up. I was almost begging he did, having reached a state complete desperation. After a couple of seconds, I heard some shuffling on the other end, before a manly voice asked:
- Hello?
I realised that Matt probably hadn't given him my number, as his tone came out a little confused.
- Sam? – I asked, making sure I had dialled the correct number.
- Hm, yeah, who's this? – he asked back. His voice wasn't high pitched, but not the deepest either. It was slightly raspy but not too much, just the perfect amount that made me wonder if he had just woken up or if he simply talked like that. Which was pretty hot.
I shook my head to prevent any further thoughts that I clearly didn't need to have, before speaking.
- Hey, I'm Gwen, one of Matt's friends. He told you were looking for an apartment earlier this week, and I'm actually looking for a new roommate right now... I don't know if he's mentioned anything about it – I explained after clearing my throat, slightly nervous about screwing up. He was my last option.
