ACCIDENTAL ROOMMATE

Hurt

Ethan and I walked upstairs together, though neither of us said much.

The hallway on our floor was busier than usual now. People were walking in and out of rooms, laughing, comparing schedules, or arguing about where to get lunch.

When we reached our door, Ethan pushed it open and stepped inside first.

I followed behind him and dropped my backpack onto my bed with a tired sigh.

“My brain is full,” I muttered.

Ethan sat down at his desk.

“Same. I’m pretty sure they told us like fifty rules I already forgot.”

I laughed quietly and reached for my phone.

A notification lit up the screen.

Ryan sent you a reel.

My heart jumped a little.

For a second I felt that small, hopeful excitement again. Maybe he had sent something funny. Maybe he was thinking about me.

I opened it quickly.

The video started playing.

It was a guy talking about relationships.

“Girls these days always expect money from men. If you’re in a relationship and your girl keeps asking you for money, she’s probably just using you.”

I frowned slightly.

That was… random.

I watched the rest of it, confused.

Then another notification popped up.

Ryan sent you a reel.

I opened the second one.

This one was worse.

It showed a guy packing his bags while dramatic music played. The caption read:

“When you find out your girl still has male friends.”

Then the guy in the video walked away like he was leaving the relationship.

I stared at the screen.

My stomach sank slowly.

Why… would he send me that?

I replayed the video once more just to make sure I understood it correctly.

Girls asking for money.

Girls having male friends.

My chest tightened.

I had never asked Ryan for money.

Not once.

Even when we were together, I always paid for my own things most of the time. If he bought me something, it was because he wanted to.

And the male friend part…

That hurt even more.

I did have one male friend.

Just one.

We had been friends since sophomore year. Nothing romantic, nothing weird. Just a friend.

But Ryan didn’t like it.

I still remembered that conversation clearly.

“I don’t want you hanging around other guys,” he had said.

At the time, I didn’t want to argue. I didn’t want to risk losing him.

So I blocked my friend.

Just like that.

I cut off someone who had never done anything wrong.

And now Ryan was sending me videos like that.

My throat felt tight again.

What was he trying to say?

Did he think I was like that?

Did he think I used him?

Or that I had other guys around?

The thought hurt more than I expected.

I stared at the two reels sitting in our chat.

For a moment I wondered if I should reply.

Maybe ask why he sent them.

But the words wouldn’t come.

Because no matter what explanation he gave, the videos still meant he had thought about those things.

About me.

I swallowed hard and locked my phone, placing it face down on the bed.

Across the room, Ethan noticed the sudden silence.

He looked up from his phone.

“You okay?” he asked casually.

I hesitated.

“Yeah,” I said quietly.

But my voice didn’t sound very convincing.

He didn’t push further though. He just nodded and went back to whatever he was doing.

I appreciated that.

Still, my chest felt heavy.

I leaned back on the bed and stared at the ceiling again.

Just last night I had been wondering if Ryan still liked me.

If maybe he missed me the way I missed him.

But those videos didn’t feel like something someone sends to a person they care about.

They felt like accusations.

And the worst part was…

None of it was even true.

I had given up a friendship for him.

I had never asked him for anything.

Yet somehow, watching those videos made me feel like I had done something wrong.

My eyes burned slightly again.

Not from missing him this time.

But from the quiet sting of being misunderstood.