Flatmates With Benefits

Mia rolled her suitcase down the fourth-floor hallway. She checked her phone again to make sure she had the right apartment number. Unit 4B. She had checked the confirmation email before leaving the diner, still in her work uniform because she didn't want to waste any time getting settled in before classes started on Monday. Her shift didn't end until the diner closed, the dinner rush finally dying down around eight, and she left as soon as she could. The suitcase was small enough that she had been able to carry it to her shift that morning and stash it in the staff room, sparing her a trip back home first. The rest of her things have been packed over the past week and were already arranged to be delivered the next morning. Finally getting to the apartment, she noticed the door was unlocked and pushed it open, eager to meet the person. Roomiesmatch, an app used for choosing a roommate, claimed her roommate was her ninety-four percent perfect match. When she entered the house, she heard shuffling of feet and traced it to what looked like the kitchen. A guy stood in the kitchen, pouring cereal into a bowl. Mia froze in the doorway, staring at him like her brain refused to process what her eyes were seeing. A man was in her kitchen eating cereal for dinner like it was the most normal thing in the world. He looked up when he heard her come in. “Can I help you?” “You can start by explaining why you're in my apartment," Mia asked, not moving from the kitchen doorway. “I signed a lease for Unit 4B." “So did I”. He set the cereal box down, stretching his hand for a handshake, acting like her presence was a minor inconvenience. “Adrian." Adrian expected a roommate — that was the whole point of signing up, and he couldn't have cared less if it was male or female. He just hadn't expected someone who looked like she was ready to kill him. He watched her ignore his outstretched hand, he was amused rather than offended. If this was what “ninety-four percent compatibility” looked like, he wondered what a bad match would be like. “I didn't ask”. She sassed as she pulled up the email on her phone, her thumb jabbing at the screen angrily. “This has to be a mistake. I specifically requested a female roommate. It's the first thing on the form”. “Huh, I requested male-or-no-preference. Guess that's not the same thing.” His nonchalance Irritated her so much. She looked up to glare at him and made the mistake of really looking at him for the first time. He had a face that was hard to ignore. His hair was thick. His sandy-blond hair was wet, showing he just took a shower, the strands darker with moisture and falling messily across his forehead. A few strands stuck up naturally while droplets clung to the ends near his temples. Thick brows framed his clear blue eyes. His lip was full and pink. He was tall, about six foot two, and athletic, which made her five-foot-four self feel small. His broad shoulders and muscular arms showed he went to the gym often. His straight nose, high cheekbones, and strong jaw made him look like he was brought out of a magazine cover. He was shirtless wearing only a pair of olive green sweatpants that hung low on his hips. She dragged her gaze down his six packs to his v line that disappeared into his sweatpants. His voice made her eyes snap up to his face. “Like what you see?” he asked, a mouth pulling up in a knowing smirk. His eyes glinted with the pride of a man who'd just watched a woman check him out. Heat crawled up her neck when she realized he caught her checking him out. “I—I was just trying to figure out how someone this unbothered ended up in my apartment." “Sure you were," he said with a smile that revealed a dimple on his left cheek. The smile showed that he didn't buy her lie. “I'm serious,” she stated, her voice coming out sharp. “This is exactly the kind of thing I filled out a form to avoid." “Well, I am not thrilled either, if that helps,” he said, crossing his arms with an infuriating calmness that made her want to throw something at his head. “But I don't see anyone else's name on that lease besides yours and mine” Mia ignored him, dialing the agency. “Roomiesmatch, this is Denise." Adrian went back to his cereal, or at least he pretended to. He could not take his eyes off her. She was small, standing about five-foot-four. She had long, wavy chestnut brown hair that fell loosely around her shoulders , her hazel brown eyes were framed by long lashes. Her small nose and naturally pink lips set in a pout made her look like a child. She wore a blue and white striped diner uniform that was a little bigger than her. He found her more interesting than he should have. “Hi, there's been a serious mistake with my placement,” Mia said, glaring at Adrian, who had gone back to his cereal like the call wasn't about him. “I'm in unit 4B and there's a man here. I specifically requested a female roommate. It's documented in my intake form”. “Let me check,” Denise replied, keys clicking on the other end. “I'm showing you're matched with Adrian Vale, ninety-four percent compatibility. That's actually one of our highest scores this semester—” “I don't care about the score. I care that your system ignored what I asked for” Mia snapped. “I understand the frustration. I can flag a reassignment request, but those typically take five to seven business days to process, especially with the semester just starting. Units are limited right now”. “Five to seven–” Mia pressed her fingers to her temple, feeling a headache coming on. “I paid for a specific arrangement." “I will keep that in mind, and mark it urgent. But the lease is already signed by both parties, so until a reassignment goes through, the current arrangement stands”. Denise's tone remained calm like she had dealt with the same issue a number of times. “Is there anything else I can help with today?” Mia hung up without answering. “So?” Adrian asked, not bothering to look up from his bowl. “Good news?” “Five to seven business days,” Mia replied, her tone flat. “Guess you're stuck with me, then” Adrian stated, the smirk forming at the side of his mouth in contrast with his flat tone. “For now,” he added, chuckling when she gave him the finger and turned around to leave the kitchen. Adrian watched her go, still smiling to himself. He could get used to this, he thought. Mia looked at her small suitcase, stashed in the hallway. She contemplated going to a lodge but she knew she could not afford that. She walked to the sitting room, looking at Adrian's shoe at the door and hissing. She thought about the deposit, the money she worked shifts to make, and she knew she had to find a way to cope with Adrian till Roomiesmatch found something to do with her placement. The only thing on her mind as she wheeled her suitcase into her room was how she was going to survive the next few days with a man who was that infuriating and unbothered and still built like that without losing her mind.