ACCIDENTAL ROOMMATE

Packing

The next morning felt strange from the moment I woke up.

The room was quiet except for the soft sound of drawers opening and closing.

I blinked sleepily and sat up in bed.

Ethan was already awake.

Packing.

Half of his things were gone already. His desk looked emptier, and clothes were folded neatly beside his suitcase on the floor.

For a second, I just watched silently.

It was weird seeing the room slowly lose all the small signs that he had been living there for the past week.

The extra pair of sneakers near the door.

The charger always hanging off his desk.

The hoodie tossed over his chair.

All disappearing.

Ethan noticed movement from my side of the room and glanced over.

“Sorry,” he said quietly. “Did I wake you?”

I shook my head.

“No.”

My voice still sounded sleepy.

He nodded once and went back to packing.

I pulled my blanket tighter around myself for a moment, watching him quietly.

Neither of us said much.

It reminded me of the first morning we spent in this room together.

Except now the silence felt heavier somehow.

I finally climbed out of bed and brushed my hair back with my fingers.

“You’re leaving this early?” I asked.

“Housing wants me moved before noon.”

“Oh.”

There was that word again.

Oh.

I didn’t know why I kept saying it like I expected a different answer every time.

Ethan zipped one of the bags shut and lifted it onto the bed.

“You know,” he said, “I still think this whole thing sounds fake.”

I smiled faintly.

“Yeah.”

“Like if I told people I accidentally roomed with a random girl for a week, nobody would believe me.”

“You’re probably right.”

A small silence followed.

Then, before I could stop myself, I asked:

“Do you need help?”

Ethan looked up briefly, slightly surprised.

“Oh. No, I’m good.”

Simple answer.

Normal answer.

But for some reason, something small twisted painfully in my chest anyway.

Like I had expected him to say yes.

Or maybe I just wanted to feel useful for a second.

I nodded quickly.

“Right.”

I turned away before he could notice the expression on my face and busied myself fixing my bed instead.

It was stupid.

Really stupid.

He wasn’t rejecting me.

He just didn’t need help packing.

But somehow the quick “no” still left a strange sting behind.

Maybe because this whole situation was ending faster than I expected.

Across the room, Ethan kept packing while I tried to ignore the uncomfortable heaviness settling in my chest.

The room already looked emptier now.

Less balanced.

I sat down on my bed and checked my phone just to distract myself.

A notification from Ryan sat unopened again.

Another reel.

I barely even reacted anymore.

Instead of opening it, I locked my phone again immediately.

When I looked up, Ethan was carrying another box toward the door.

“You really had a lot more stuff than I realized,” I said.

He looked down at the box in his hands.

“Yeah. My mom packed like I was moving across the planet.”

I laughed softly.

“That sounds familiar.”

He smiled briefly before setting the box down near the hallway.

Then he paused and looked around the room for a second.

“I guess your new roommate will probably come sometime today.”

My stomach tightened slightly at the reminder.

“Yeah.”

“Hopefully she’s normal.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“You say that like you weren’t the problem.”

“Excuse me,” he said dramatically. “I was an excellent roommate.”

I laughed again despite myself.

The sound faded too quickly though.

Because every few minutes another piece of his stuff disappeared from the room.

And with every empty space left behind, the reality of him leaving started feeling more real.