Roommates Ch. 01

"I hate this," I sighed, stretching my arms onto the table and laying my head down.

"I know, but we can either get rid of her now or have the rest of this year suck ass," Logan gave me a reassuring smile and patted my head like a puppy.

Logan, Sabrina and I had signed a lease to be roommates at the start of our junior year. Before then, none of us knew each other and although I would've preferred rooming with girls only, specifically some of my friends, my bad case of procrastination didn't land me with many home options. Despite not loving the idea of living with two strangers at first, it turned out to be the best decision of my college career. Well, almost.

Logan became my best friend almost instantly. He and I were complete opposites, not the kind of people who would have connected under any other circumstance, but we had such a weird chemistry and understood each other in a way that just worked.

Sabrina on the other hand never meshed with us. She was super reserved which wasn't a problem on its own, but she was also one of the filthiest people I'd ever met. I always thought rumors of horror roommates were exaggerated, but then I met Sabrina. She would constantly leave dirty dishes in the sink and on counters, leave clothes everywhere and her room had a smell of spoiled milk and foot fungus that made me gag just thinking about it. And that's where the reserved piece became an issue. Anytime we tried to tell her about it, she'd just shut down, make it apparent she was upset without communicating with us and then just not fix the issues.

The door finally opened and in walked Sabrina. Logan and I watched her from our shared dining room table. Without so much of a glance in our direction she dropped her backpack by the kitchen island and headed straight to her room.

I looked at Logan, unsure of what to do. We had planned out our conversation to begin the moment she came in, but it was already messed up.

"Fuck this," Logan growled, getting up abruptly and stomping over to her room. I stood up then, not sure what to do, but followed him quietly hoping that meant he'd handle the whole thing.

He knocked on her door loudly, waited a second and then knocked again, "Sabrina, can you come out here."

Finally after a minute she appeared, a quizzical look on her face.

"This shit ain't working. We keep telling you to do something about your mess and you just won't listen. Lex and I want you to move out. You've got a month." He finalized and left for his own room. I stood there and watched him leave, shutting his room door behind him. The conversation was not supposed to be that quick.

I finally looked over at Sabrina, who was clearly taken off guard as tears started welling up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, girl. But I think you'll be much happier with roommates who you actually get along with." I tried, awkwardly. Confrontations were not my strong suit. She slammed her door with quite some force which made me want to kick it down and take back my apology.

"Good riddance," I said to no one and headed to my own room. After I shut the door and sat in my bed, I felt kind of pathetic. Why did I have to suffer in my room like I was in trouble?

Then there was a light knock at my door and Logan entered, "Cookies?" He asked, practically reading my mind.

We lived in a college town so most of our destinations were accessible by foot. The best cookie shop in the world was only three blocks away and we'd spent many drunken evenings there, grabbing cookies with friends and bringing them back to our apartment.

"You think she'll actually go?" I asked him as we made our way down the road. It was nearing the end of October, but it was a mild evening. I felt comfortable in my sweater with the light breeze bringing more yellow leaves to the ground.

"Oh, she will. She doesn't have a choice," He smiled his big carefree smile, "When are you going to compliment me for absolutely killing that conversation?" He teased, but I could tell he was proud of himself.

Logan came from a wealthy background and was essentially a frat boy stereotype. He was tall with porcelain white skin and fiery red hair. He had a lean, muscular frame from ice hockey and a few tattoos. He went to all the football games and would regularly paint his face our school colors at tailgates. He'd nearly gotten arrested a few times for trying to destroy street signs or peeing in a bush. He would randomly go play golf or go fishing on weeknights as if it was as natural as going to dinner.

Despite partying daily, he was the kind of student that didn't have to study to get straight A's, even as an aspiring mechanical engineer. I think he was also like the vice president of a few clubs, student government included. Even though he was the perfect stereotype of a college frat boy, the one thing he wasn't, was a frat boy. And why wasn't he in a fraternity? In Logan's exact words, "I don't want to live with a bunch of dudes."

We walked into the cookie shop and the cashier's face lit up to see Logan. I swore, for not being a football player, Logan was like a mini celebrity on campus. All the boys had a crush on him.

"Hey Logan," He greeted him and they did their little boy handshake. I rolled my eyes, possibly a little jealous at the connection all guys seemed to have.

"What's up, bro?" Logan, the charmer, greeted back and entered into a smooth conversation with him.

I tapped him on the arm, "Grab a half dozen, I'm going to get us a seat outside." I told him and he waved me off.

I sat outside, looking at other college students who were walking here and there. People watching was one of my favorite pastimes. Although college girls were no stranger to minimal clothing in cold weather, it appeared the mild day brought out a stunning display of shorts and bra tops. I didn't think it was that warm, but I could respect their resolve.

It was crazy to think that we were halfway done with the semester. Time flew by so fast, but to think I'd only known one of my best friends for two months was also crazy.

I looked in the window to see Logan chatting with a couple of girls in the shop. I smiled. He was such a people person.

If he was the 'perfect student' stereotype, I had to be the 'most average student' stereotype. I struggled to keep a C average, partially thanks to my procrastination habit and partially because I valued parties more than studying. I wasn't a member of any clubs and I definitely didn't play sports. I didn't come from as wealthy of a background as most of the students at my college, but I wasn't struggling either. I didn't have to work, but I did keep a part time job for some extra cash and something to do.

I was the average height for a girl, maybe a little short at 5'3", and had a rich brown skin complexion and long coily hair. My friend group was small and close knit, but I could easily hang out with anyone in any setting. I did actually start attending football games, but that was just thanks to Logan. Before that, my idea of a good time was a smaller get together or simply alone with my array of movie streaming platforms.

Despite some of our obvious differences, we both loved drinking and partying, had a great sense of humor and supported each other. It was actually kind of perfect. We would still find time to not be down each other's throat, but when we wanted to party, we had double the parties to go to. I'd sing his damned Sweet Caroline with all the added, '"ba, ba, ba's" at his parties, and he'd hoist me onto his shoulder to belt out Kendrick Lamar lyrics at mine.

He even helped me hookup with a few of his friends and I helped him hookup with some of mine. We were the perfect platonic ride or die friends.

"You want to go to a party tonight?" Logan finally came around with my cookies. I opened the box and grabbed my favorite, a cheesecake cookie with raspberry ganache.

"I have an exam tomorrow," I told him. He smiled his sly smile, knowing if I didn't say no, I could easily be convinced.

"Just study in the morning." He suggested.

"Have I ever told you, you are the kind of person everyone hates?" I said as he looked at the box for what cookie he wanted first.

"I'll even skip my 9am and help you study."

I kicked him lightly under the table, "How noble of you. Skipping a class you weren't going to go to anyway, for me."

"We have to celebrate getting rid of Sabrina! Our lives are about to be so much better."

"We can celebrate over the weekend," I offered.

He contemplated this for a moment, "True, but what fun is that?" Logan's frank logic was comical, if nothing else.

I laughed and grabbed another cookie, "Not this time, hun."

He threw the rest of his cookie into his mouth and dramatically leaned back in his chair, placing his hands over his heart with a pained expression, "You're breaking my heart." He said with his mouth full. I just laughed some more.

The next day was interesting. After taking my exam and feeling particularly unsure of how well it went, I arrived at the apartment to grab lunch and hopefully lighten my mood before the rest of my classes. I walked in quietly, knowing Sabrina was usually in the living room watching TV on Thursday afternoons. I was shocked to find no trace of her and even more when I saw her bag had been moved from the floor.

I quickly went to my room to drop off my bag and then nearly sprinted across the living room to Logan's. I knocked softly before pushing his door open. He was still asleep, no doubt from his partying the night before, sprawled out across the floor. I wouldn't feel bad for him if he woke up in pain.

"Logan!" I whisper-yelled and kicked him softly.

"Mmm?" He grunted, not moving a muscle.

"Get up," I got down and rolled him over, trying to ignore the heavy smell of weed and alcohol on his clothes. "Where is Sabrina?" I asked him.

"Lexi?" He parted his eyelids slightly, squinting like the light might burn his retinas right off. "What time is it?"

"Noon-ish. Have you heard Sabrina at all this morning?" I tried again.

"Bro, my head is pounding." His voice was still raspy and deep. He definitely had no idea where Sabrina was.

"I don't have time for you," I said, turning to leave when he grabbed my ankle.

"Where am I?" He asked, his eyes still practically closed.

"You're on the floor. Let go of me, I want to see if Sabrina's in her room." I shook my ankle, but he had a death grip on it.

He groaned, "Will you help me up, Lexi?" He asked.

"You weigh half a ton." I retorted, but went to try anyway. I grabbed his arms and after scanning the area to get a sense of how to lift him, I noticed the sizable tent in his shorts. I dropped his arms immediately and they fell with a thud, causing him to groan again. "Ew, you're hard." I looked away, putting my hand over my eyes for dramatic effect.

"No whisky dick for me," He joked and gave a halfhearted laugh. "Fuck, my head is killing me. I need meds."

"I'll be right back," I finally told him and stepped away. I was too nosy not to check out Sabrina's room. Was she already packing?

"Bring back meds," He grumbled.

After a few knocks on Sabrina's door, I opened it a crack. The smell hit me as it always did and I held my breath before it could kill me. I'd only seen her room a few times when Logan and I were checking to see if she also slept in filth, but the mess was definitely bigger than ever before.

Upon closer inspection, I saw her closet was open and nothing was inside it. All of her junk was in a pile in the center of her room. Did that mean? Could that mean she was clearing out?

I closed her door quickly with a newfound hope. Logan was right. She was going to leave! I grabbed a glass of water and Excedrin before returning to Logan's room.

"Logan! I think she's packing up!" I told him excitedly. He was sitting up, still looking like he regretted his life choices. I handed him the water and pill and he swallowed it effortlessly and drank down all the water. His nose always became bright pink after he drank and his cheeks flushed slightly too. With his tousled hair completing the look, he really seemed like a mess.

He gave me a smile, flashing his big white teeth and laid his head back to rest on his bed.

"You're a mess." I giggled, "Want some lunch?"

"Please," He said with his eyes still closed, "Make it extra greasy. Douse it in oil."

By that Sunday, Sabrina was gone. I could hardly believe it, but she left without any words to us, and that felt particularly good. We managed to get out without much conflict. After she left, we got rid of whatever else of hers was remaining and Logan braved her room with a Michael Myers mask to crack open a window. We decided to let it air out a few days before we did a deep clean.

That night, we celebrated with some Chinese takeout and a good movie. Using the living room without a mess to step around felt so refreshing. I was browsing Amazon Prime while Logan showered.

The food arrived right before Logan got out. In our apartment, we shared a bathroom that was across from my room on one side of the house, the living room and kitchen were an open concept in the middle and Logan and Sabrina's room were on the other side. As I was preparing a plate, Logan crossed through in nothing but a towel.

"You found a movie?" He asked as he came over, grabbing an egg roll. I looked at his slightly damp chest for a moment and the colorful tattoo above his left nipple for a split second before catching his eyes.

Despite the moment being extremely brief, he noticed.

"I'm in between a few movies. I wanted to get your thoughts before I picked." I said, without missing a beat. It didn't seem to matter as he smirked softly, no doubt proud of himself for getting any attention.

"Yeah, let me throw on some clothes and we can decide." He threw the egg roll into his mouth, but I noticed the lingering moment he stood there before walking off.

It then dawned on me that I was now living alone with a guy. My face heated up slightly and I felt awkward. It wasn't that I was a prude, but living with a guy always felt too personal. Like, if ever I were to sleep with a guy, it was good to know he'd go back to his space and me to mine. He'd only ever see me naked on my best and there was usually no strings attached. Even if someone caught feelings, you could just disappear. And I wasn't the kind of girl to do full on relationships.

For that reason, I had a strict no sleeping with roommates rule and I knew that was important the moment I'd be living with a guy. Logan made that rule an easy one because even though a lot of girls found him attractive, he wasn't really my type. Once we became friends, the possibility of any kind of sexual relations were completely cancelled out in my brain.

However, it seemed Sabrina still acted as a buffer for me. There were two of us and only one of him. But now it was just him and I... That felt like long term couple shit, and I was not okay with that.

By the time Logan was back I had settled into one side of the couch, eating some of my food. Logan grabbed a plate and sat on the other side, pulling a different blanket over himself.

"Should we start looking for a roommate to replace Sabrina tomorrow? Put an ad on Craigslist or something?" I asked. I told myself I didn't need to have the conversation so suddenly, but him sitting close to me on the only couch we had made those thoughts spring up. What if he caught feelings? I couldn't stand to see our friendship become awkward. I needed a human buffer.

"Uh," He thought, clearly not prepared to think about it, "I mean, shit we just went through a storm with her. I don't think we need the stress of finding someone good in the middle of the semester. I don't mind picking up her pay and then finding someone next sem?" He offered.

Stupid, smart people and their sound logic. But, half a semester really wasn't that bad.

"Yeah, that makes sense." I finally said. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"You're being weird, but I'm not going to question it. Put on a movie." And with that, he broke a lot of the tension. Logan was super chill. Even if he was like any normal guy and thought about it, he had plenty of girls to keep him satisfied. He wouldn't want to ruin our friendship either.

"You're weird," I countered and picked the movie I most wanted to see.

"Lex," Logan said softly, waking me up. "It's four in the morning, we have to get to bed." He whispered, a little too close to my face.

"Mm," I grumbled and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. The TV had a soft glow of nothing, the movie long since ended.

"Want me to carry you?" He offered.

I grumbled a sound of annoyance, "No, I got it."

A moment later I was jolted awake by a scooping feeling. I realized then that I fell back asleep and this time Logan took it upon himself to just bring me to bed.

I wrapped my arm around him, attempting to help him carry me, but too weak for it to be helpful. He still smelled like soap. It was such a nostalgic smell. I wasn't sure why.

"Alexis?" He asked, using my full name which sounded weird coming from him. I hummed back. "Are you smelling me?"

I removed the arm around him and felt a bit more awake. What the fuck was I doing?

"No." I told him and he dropped it. He laid me down in my bed and put the blankets over me. I felt a deep sleep slowly closing in on me.

He patted my head softly, "Fuck," he grumbled under his breath.

When I woke up the next morning, I shot up. It felt like the last moments of the night had been replaying in my dreams. Did I actually sniff him? Waking up on a Monday morning feeling embarrassed was not a great headspace.

I grabbed my clothes and towel and went straight for the shower. It didn't help put my mind at ease. I just kept thinking about the fact that I was probably inhaling his scent deeply and audibly. What the fuck was that about!?

"Ugh," I sighed. I went back to my room to hang my towel and take a couple of breaths. No one had to know my inner turmoil, I reminded myself before walking into the kitchen where Logan was, brewing coffee.

"Morning," He said to me. I looked him straight in the eye, trying to read him, but not getting anything this morning.

"Good morning," I smiled brightly, proud of my ability to fake a few things. "What happened last night?"

"We fell asleep on the couch," He responded. He was a bit more serious than he usually was and I couldn't get a good read. Maybe he was going to let it slide as a weird sleepy thing to do.

"Wow, I don't remember anything. I don't even know when I fell asleep during the movie." I laughed, "Can you pour me some?" I sat on the stool across the island as he poured coffee into his mug and then grabbed another.

"You did not want to wake up," He said as he was turned away, "I had to carry you to your bed." He looked back at me with a smile, pouring coffee into my mug and putting creamer in both.

"Oh jeez, really?" I lied through my teeth, "Sorry about that."

"Nah, don't worry. Anytime," He winked, flirting lightly. "I'm going to have a few classmates over this afternoon. We need to build this stupid robot. You don't have to bring me any food."

"That sounds fun! If I wasn't so bad at math, I think I'd make a great engineer. These early education courses are killing me." I said, "But okay. I was planning on hanging with my girl after anyways, so I'll see you later tonight?"

"I'll be here," He smiled.

I couldn't tell if something was now off, or if it was just me. Luckily, I didn't have time to think about it at all during work. Although Subway, like any other service job, wasn't anything special, I loved it. My coworkers felt like family and we always found time to gossip and goof around, and you couldn't really mess up making sandwiches.

I shared with them how I was finally rid of my roommate and they were all so happy for me.