I Am Not Uptight!

The House part 2

Josh stood in the middle of his new room. He had just spent the past few hours unpacking and making the place feel more like “home,” but then he realized that for the longest time, home to him was a one-bedroom apartment with the person he thought was going to be his life partner, and standing there—even with all his belongings and the wonderful interior design—he wasn’t sure what “home" should be anymore.

He sat on the bed and took out his phone which still had a wallpaper of a younger Perry in a suit with a plate of pasta in front of him. Josh could feel his chest tighten as he clearly remembered when the photo was taken. It was on their first anniversary—Perry had gotten a reservation at a particularly fancy restaurant and picked him up from class as a surprise. Josh had also cooked dinner for the two of them, so they ended up eating at the restaurant that night then eating the meal he prepared as a “midnight snack.” They were so full that evening that they ended up just cuddling then falling asleep in Josh's dorm room’s shabby couch, giving them both back pain the next day.

Josh deleted the picture and replaced it with one of those default wallpapers. That anniversary seemed silly and romantic then, but the memory had since been soiled—as did the rest of Josh's last six years.

He set his phone aside and placed his forehead in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees; then he just sat there, mourning the loss of a love he once thought would last forever, thinking over and over again about how he ended up in a house with five other strangers.

“What am I doing?” Josh groaned at himself. He knew he was doing everything out of spite, even though he was the one that would mainly be affected by his decisions. As childish as it sounded, he just wanted the satisfaction of rubbing it into Perry's face that he can surprise him too. He wanted to prove to him, his mother, and anyone who ever called him uptight and rigid that he can be spontaneous and make decisions on a whim—but most of all, he wanted to prove it to himself, too.

The sound of his phone's alarm brought him out of his thoughts. It was time to go to work, so Josh stood up and checked his reflection in the mirror—not a hair out of place, his prescription glasses weren’t crooked, his tie was straight, and his suit was clean and pressed. Only the bags under his eyes hinted the turbulent night he had had, but it wasn’t like he could do anything about them, so he stood up straight with his head held high, grabbed his briefcase and headed off to work like he would usually do.

***

9 to 5 went on like the usual. Work was work. Josh managed to compartmentalize like he always did, and he got through the day without letting his personal life affect his output. He did get a few concerned looks and questions about why he looked tired, but he just sheepishly smiled and answered something about insomnia then they were all settled.

He did, however, make the mistake of entering the bakery when he passed by it, and since the baker already knew him and proceeded to greet him before he realized he didn’t have anyone to buy pastries for anymore, he became too embarrassed to go out empty-handed. This led to him buying a small box of beignets that he most likely wouldn't even eat. After his purchase, he decided to pass by the market to buy some fruits, vegetables and meat to cook three days worth of dinners for himself, then he took the bus back to the house.

It was almost sundown when he reached his new place. In Josh’s mind, he was already planning the rest of his night—cook, eat dinner, take a long and peaceful bath, brush his teeth, then watch a movie on his laptop until he fell asleep—but it seemed like the night had something else planned for him.

While Josh was walking down the street, he could already feel that something was wrong three houses away from his new lodging. He could hear faint music getting louder and louder with every step he took, and when he finally reached the house, he found his fear realized when he became sure that the thumping, electronic dance music was coming from inside.

Josh abruptly stopped on the stone walkway leading up to the front door as he saw two unfamiliar people lip-locked right in front of it. He could also see a bunch of people inside the house from the windows, that for a second there he doubted if this really was the same place he had come from just that morning—but it was, and for some reason, there seemed to be a party going on.

“What the hell?” Josh muttered as he charged forward, squeezing past the unbothered couple making out. The moment he opened the door, the music only grew much louder and so did the noise of what seemed to be more than fifty people on the first floor. Beer bottles were on every surface without coasters, feet were up on the coffee table, and the smell of cheese and alcohol wafted through the air. It wasn’t Josh’s house but he couldn’t help but feel his stomach turn at the chaos in front of his eyes.

Still unsure of what was happening, he went straight up the stairs only to find the second floor cluttered with people as well. Josh could feel the panic rise up his chest as he squeezed past them to get to his room. He knew what happens in parties. He had been dragged to a few by Perry and his old college friends back in the day, and he knew the tendency of people to act like they were at their own houses and just barge into any vacant room they could find.

Josh pushed the door to his room so strongly that it rebounded after the thud, making the two drunk strangers making out in his bed stop to look at him.

“Hey, man! Some privacy?” the guy angrily sat up.

“This is my room,” Josh said with a hardened look on his face, clearly trying to suppress the anger attempting to make its way out.

“Oh, s**t. I told you someone new moved in,” the girl hissed at her partner as they climbed off the bed and collected their things. “Come on, let’s check the attic.”

“Sorry, man,” the guy sheepishly said as they went past him and climbed up the stairs.

Josh gritted his teeth as he looked at the sheets he would have to replace for the second time that day.

“This won't do,” he muttered under his breath as he turned around and took a few steps forward to loudly knock on the door across from his. “Daniel?” he called out, his banging on the door becoming more frantic. “Daniel!”

The door swung open and revealed a shirtless Daniel. Unlike the decent-looking man he was that morning, he looked like a hot mess with his wavy hair even more unruly and the stink of beer coming off him. It also didn’t help that behind him was a trash of a room with papers and books scattered across the room, a heap of clothes on a chair, sticky notes on the wall and closet, and even more beer bottles by the foot of the bed. “Oh, hi, Josh. You’re home!” he greeted as if nothing was the matter, leaning a forearm on the door frame ever so casually. Josh could hear the water running in his shower but Daniel was neither taking a bath nor wet. “And you were able to go to the market, too, and arrive at… 5:30!” Daniel said with fascination. “Work must be near here, huh?”

“Yeah, it's just at the Hendrick building,” Josh mindlessly muttered as he finally managed to tear his eyes away from the mess then remembered what he came there for. “But that's not the point. There’s people. Everywhere!”

“Yeah, you’re just in time. Jane and Gary are throwing a party for Jane's half birthday,” Daniel replied as if he had just said something that made perfect sense

“Half birthday? That’s not even a thing!” Josh couldn’t help but exclaim.

“For them, it is,” Daniel simply shrugged. “Go grab some beers in the kitchen. They’re free.”

“But the noise and the people—"

“Oh,” Daniel turned his head as he heard the water from his bathroom go off, “got to jet. Enjoy the party!” He flashed an excited smile at Josh then closed the door before Josh could even get another word out.