Two days had passed and he hadn't seen Meredith at all. But somehow he couldn't stop thinking about her because something about her fascinated him. She was different. He had talked to her for just about five minutes and he knew that she was special. She was nothing like every girl he had ever dated. And she was chasing him in his thoughts.
He had seen Michael in chemistry- and anatomy class this morning but he again acted like they had never spoken. Normally he wouldn't care at all but since he literally asked him to watch out for his sister it somehow annoyed him. Although he didn't want anything in return since he was determined to get to know the mysterious girl from across the hallway.
Suddenly he heard a knock at the door. Since it was almost afternoon he was currently studying and doing his assignments. He stood up, jogging over to the door. When he opened it he was met with a girl. But not Meredith. Some part of him had hoped that it would be her.
"Oh- hey, you're not the one I was looking for. I'm sorry, I'm Laura." The girl with the straight, dark brown hair laughed, extending her hand towards him. "I'm Andrew" he replied friendly, shaking her hand. "Who were you looking for?" he asked curiously.
"It's nice to meet you Andrew. Uhm- Meredith Grey... Do you know where she lives? I was assigned to her room. I lived at the south campus first but it's being renovated so I had to move." She explained with a flirty smile.
"Oh- Meredith lives right across from my room actually" he said, pointing towards Meredith's door.
"Oh I'm so silly! Thank you Andrew" Laura replied, grinning at him. She was wearing tons of make-up, bright pink lipstick and mascara. Honestly he really preferred girls who didn't felt the need to cover their whole face in chemicals and were confident enough to show their real beauty. She was wearing high-waste jeans with holes at the knees and a very short top, showing her midsection as she was carrying four giant suitcases and a back pack.
She turned around and knocked at the door to Meredith's apartment. Andrew stood there, hoping to see her again. See her emerald green eyes and her wavy blonde hair. After a few seconds the door opened, revealing Meredith in again a pullover and leggings, her hair in a ponytail. She looked adorable. But the already familiar fear in her eyes was visible again.
"Hey I'm Laura Parker, your new roommate." Laura said excitingly, smiling at Meredith and reaching out her hand. Meredith hesitantly looked down before taking Laura's hand and shaking it before quickly letting go again.
"Hey" she then said. Her voice was quiet but it was obvious to him that she was trying to sound confident. "C-come in t-then" she said, trying to smile at Laura who frowned at Meredith's stuttering which he still found adorable. But right in this situation he saw how much she tried to act friendly and don't freak out which was rising the desire in him to just hug her and tell her that everything will be fine. As Laura then entered the apartment and Meredith spotted Andrew leaning against his doorframe she smiled at him and he could see that this time it wasn't a fake smile.
They were lost in their moment as suddenly they heard Laura's voice from behind Meredith, making her flinch slightly. "So, we're gonna make a move-in party?" she asked, moving her arm around Meredith, making her jerk away from her. Even from a little distance he could see the tears welling up in her eyes as she ran past Laura back into the flat before they heard a door close in the distance.
"What was that?" Laura asked confused. "Is something wrong with her?" she added with a disgusted expression. "Great, I'm living with a psycho. Whatever... wanna come to my party this evening?" she then asked, looking at Andrew with a bright smile.
But Andrew was shocked, he stood there, not able to move and not knowing what to do. Whether follow her or give her some space. Although there was one thing he knew for sure. No one got to call Meredith a psycho.
"Don't ever call her that again." He said sternly, walking past her and into the apartment. He looked around. The flat was built similar to his so he knew where to go. He walked past the kitchen and saw that the first door was open, revealing the four giant suitcases. He went on, closely followed by Laura and found the second door closed.
"Meredith?" he asked quietly, knocking against the door but not hearing anything from behind. "I'm sorry that I touched you" Laura sarcastically said behind him with a smirk on her face, waving her hands in the air to make it sound more dramatic. He turned around and looked at her, mouthing 'seriously' before she shrugged and disappeared into her room.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly after Laura had closed the door behind her. Silence. "I'm here if you want to talk about it" he then said but he could hear nothing from inside the room.
After a few minutes had passed and he still stood in front of the closed door, not able to walk away when he knew that something was going on with Meredith. Suddenly the door next to him opened and Laura came out.
"You're still here? Anyways. I called a few of my friends from the south campus and told them to come over tonight. The party will be amazing! Music, alcohol, dancing, beer pong-" she started counting on her fingers, her phone in her hand and her long nails brushing over it but Andrew interrupted her.
"Shouldn't you ask Meredith first?" he asked, pointing towards the closed door. "It's my apartment too" Laura said shrugging again. "Wanna come too? There will be some girls as well and they're all hot a-f."
He sighed, thinking about it. Laura was absolutely not his type and nor would be her friends. Also with every piece of information he had collected about Meredith in the last few days he guessed that she wouldn't have much fun at this party and he wouldn't either.
"I'll think about it" he answered, looking sadly at the white, wooden door. "Great, I have to get the stuff for the party so I'll be gone for a few hours" Laura exclaimed before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his cheek, whispering: "Don't miss me too much" which just made him chuckle. She was nice, but at the same time she wasn't.
After she had run out of the flat he stood alone in the small hallway. Looking one last time at the handle he turned around and walked out, across the hallway and back into his living room. It felt wrong to leave her alone. He grabbed his laptop from the couch and walked back over into the quiet apartment. Looking around he noticed that Meredith hadn't put up much decoration making the room look not very personalized.
Except the couch where he found a pile of fluffy blankets. Sitting down he opened his computer and started working on his assignment, a five-page long essay about the impact of sleep-deprivation on the human body. It was a very interesting subject but it was amazing weather outside so he'd rather go on a walk or something instead of sitting here and writing essays.
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An hour had passed before he suddenly heard a door open around the corner, making him look up. Not three seconds later Meredith appeared, making her way over to the sink and picking up a glass from the counter and purring some water in it before taking a sip. He just watched her movements as she was still wearing the same outfit but her hair was slightly messier than before.
"Hey" he said, making her jump as she dropped the glass into the sink. The glass made a loud cling noise as it hit the bottom surface of the sink. She turned around, her breathing fast and unsteady as tears started to run down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry I didn't want to startle you." He said, instantly regretting sneaking up on her like this. Quickly he made his way over to where she was standing but the closer he came the further she moved away.
"Okay I won't come closer." He said, trying to reassure her that she was safe. "Wh-wh- a" but she couldn't talk which obviously frustrated her as she shut her eyes tightly and more tears fell down. "It's okay Meredith, just try to take a deep breath." He said freaking out on the inside as he didn't know how to help her.
"Can I come a little closer?" he asked carefully. After a few seconds she nodded hesitantly, not opening her eyes as she moved her arms protectively around her mid-section as if she was scared that he would hurt her. "I promise I won't hurt you Meredith" he said with a reassuring smile.
"I'm going to touch your arm now okay?" he asked and after she nodded slowly he extended his hand, laying it around her upper arm. She did flinch a little but since she was prepared of the contact it wasn't as bad as when Laura had laid an arm around her just an hour ago.
"Just take a deep breath. In and out. You're okay" he said, rubbing her arm in small circles. After a few minutes her breathing had gotten steadier again but she was still crying quietly. "I-I-I-I'm s-sorr-y" she said, her stuttering worse than he had ever heard it.
And then he just hugged her. He pulled her into him with his free arm, waving his other around her small form. At first she was tense and it felt like she didn't know what she was supposed to do but after a few seconds she relaxed a little and leaned closer into him, resting her head on his chest. Now that she was so close to him he could feel how small and fragile her form actually was. You know that feeling when you hug a toddler and don't want to hold them too tight, scared that you might hurt them? That's what it felt like to have Meredith in his arms.
They just stood there in the kitchen of the apartment, Andrew holding Meredith close to him as she seemed to finally calm down a little.
"Better?" he asked after they had parted again. "Thank you" she whispered, nodding slightly, scared to look him in the eyes since she was clearly embarrassed. "I'm s-sorry I'm just s-sometimes- not-" she begun, trying to find the right words to explain herself.
"You don't have to vindicate it's okay Mer." He said, smiling at her. "Mer?" she asked, lifting a brow but she was smiling too now. "Short for Meredith" he replied, shrugging. "I've n-never had a n-nickname b-before" she replied, her voice just above a whisper as they were both smiling at each other.
"Do you want to talk about what happened?" he then asked wanting nothing more than to make her feel a little better and maybe take some weight off of her shoulders. "I-it's c-complicated" she said slowly, deep in thoughts.
"You probably heard that Laura wants to throw a party this evening and I- well if you need a place to escape I'd love to watch a movie with you at my place. I could cook something for us. Only if you like of course." He suggested, internal begging her to accept but at the same time not wanting to push her into something she wasn't comfortable with.
"I-I'm sorry I have a lot t-to do s-since I just started I h-have to c-catch up..." she said hesitantly, not looking him in the eyes but at her hands.
"It's okay, don't worry. I guess- I'll see you around then?" he said, not wanting to leave but he saw that she obviously wanted to be alone and he wouldn't bother her if she needed space. "Okay. See you" she replied quietly with a slight but honest smile, looking back at his hazel brown eyes as she turned around and walked down the short hallway before disappearing into her room, closing the door behind her.
He smiled to himself looking at the spot where she just vanished before picking up his laptop and walking back into his apartment, the mysterious girl across the hallway still all he could think about.
TO BE CONTINUED...