ACCIDENTAL ROOMMATE

Meeting new people

I tried to ignore the feeling sitting in my chest.

But once a thought gets into your head, it’s hard to get it out.

I stared at the wall for a while, the music still playing quietly through my headphones. The room smelled faintly like the chips Ethan had opened, and I could hear the crinkle of the bag every now and then as he ate.

Normal sounds.

Normal afternoon.

But my mind kept going back to those reels.

The girls Ryan had liked.

The funny videos he never sent to me.

The random ones he did send.

It made everything feel… different.

For the past two months, I kept telling myself the breakup was because we were both going to college. That the distance would make things difficult. That maybe we just needed time.

But now I wasn’t so sure.

I slowly picked up my phone again.

For a second I almost opened our chat again.

Instead, I went back to the reels page.

Another video started playing automatically.

A girl doing a makeup tutorial.

Under the video again:

Liked by Ryan.

I sighed quietly and locked my phone again.

Maybe I was overthinking it.

Maybe this was normal.

Still… the thought wouldn’t leave.

Across the room, Ethan finished his snack and tossed the empty bag into the trash.

He glanced over at me briefly.

“You’ve been listening to music for a while,” he said.

I pulled one earbud out.

“Yeah.”

“Good playlist?” he asked casually.

“It’s okay,” I said.

He nodded, then leaned back in his chair.

For a moment neither of us said anything.

Then he picked up his phone again.

A second later he smiled at something on the screen.

That small, easy smile again.

The one I had noticed the night before.

He typed something quickly, then set his phone down beside him.

I watched him for a second before looking away.

Whoever he was texting… they seemed to make him happy.

My chest tightened again.

Without thinking, I unlocked my phone one more time.

Ryan had sent another reel.

I stared at the notification for a moment before opening it.

This one was another random relationship video. A guy explaining how couples should “respect each other’s boundaries.”

I watched half of it before closing it.

No message.

Just the reel.

I sighed quietly.

Across the room, Ethan noticed the sound.

“You alright?” he asked again.

I hesitated.

“Yeah,” I said.

But my voice sounded tired even to me.

He didn’t push.

Instead he stood up and stretched.

“I’m thinking of going for a walk around campus,” he said. “Apparently there’s a lake behind the library.”

I nodded slightly.

“Sounds nice.”

“You can come if you want,” he added.

The offer surprised me.

For a second I actually considered it.

Getting out of the room might help clear my head.

But the thought of walking around with someone I barely knew still felt strange.

“Maybe later,” I said.

He nodded.

“No pressure.”

He grabbed his hoodie from the chair and headed toward the door.

Before leaving, he paused.

“You know,” he said casually, “college is supposed to be about meeting new people.”

I looked at him.

“That’s what they keep telling us.”

He smiled slightly.

“Just saying.”

Then he opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

The room fell quiet again.

I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling.

Meeting new people.

The idea sounded simple.

But part of me still felt stuck.

Stuck thinking about someone who wasn’t even here.

My phone buzzed again.

I didn’t check it right away this time.

Instead I closed my eyes and took a slow breath.

Maybe college really was supposed to be a fresh start.

I just hadn’t figured out how to start yet.