All the little thins about you and me

The New Flatmate

The next morning, I wake up with a horrific headache all thanks to my dear mother. After giving me the dreadful news about my new abominable flatmate, mom called again in the afternoon telling me to prepare his room and also to cook something for the poor guy because he comes from a long journey and needs a warm bed and warm food, like in the whole city there aren't any hotels and restaurants, of course, my mom didn't understand my very simple and plain statement, which was obviously "No".

Over fight was a freaking two-hour long discussion, a lot over the argument with lots of ups and downs, however, neither of us comes out as a winner, so we decided to a compromise; I would clear my study room for the horrifying creature called Daniel and she would NOT call me again to torture me.

As for the cooking part, for which she tried and failed to convince me, my answer is and was a big, fat, enormous NO.

After the awful phone call, I cleared my study room according to the agreement,

 I settled my stuff in my bedroom. All that shifting left me tired, I had some leftover pizza for lunch and then collapsed on my bed.

Now I'm on my bed massaging my scalp slowly for some pain relief. I need a strong cup of coffee, but I'm feeling too numb to move. Just yesterday I was planning for my vacation, my free days. I would cook delicious food for myself and eat it while watching every single Marvel movie ever made, a Marvel marathon. I would have spent my whole days doing absolutely nothing in my quiet peaceful home and no one would disturb me. It would have been amazing.

But now everything is gone because an intruder will stay at my place destroying my privacy. I'm so angry at mom right now, I mean she could have talked to Aunt Sara somehow, convinced her that Daniel would be better off in a hotel but no, she had ruined my vacation.

I threw the sheet away and went straight to the bathroom, I needed a hot shower to reflect on my situation.  Maybe I can still persuade her, maybe.

As the hot water washes away my sleep coat, I feel much better.

I change into comfortable pyjamas and a hoodie. The heater as usual is not working again, I really need to do something about it. In my small kitchen, I warm up some croissants in the oven and prepare coffee with milk, sugar and cream. My evening breakfast.

Sipping my hot coffee, my thoughts wander to Daniel. I've been so busy being angry at the matter of sharing the flat that I hadn't thought about him or what kind of person he would be. Think positive, I say to myself, if he is a decent person, after all, who minds his own business and doesn't bother me in any way, then, I think, I can bear him. But I was still bothered by the whole situation in general. It’s going to be difficult. I do remember a little about him though. Mom and Aunt Sara are like sisters, although not by blood but by love as they like to say. They are cheesy as hell, but I still love them. I’m not completely devoid of emotions.

I clean up the plates, give water to my plants who are dying, again, they are so dramatic, one day without water and they all fall down like damsels in distress. I sit on my couch stroking the soft grey fur of sapphire, who purrs in my lap. I take my laptop and open it, looking for any new email. There is one email from my Advanced Biology professor updating our next classes schedule. And there is an email from my friend Charlie, from my course. She is preparing for another one of her parties and now that the final exams of the first semester are over, she wants to celebrate, very typical of Charlie. I might have gone to her party, but as of now, my mood is too foul to think of something even remotely happy or cheerful. 

I call Rhea. She picks at the second ring, “Hi Anne, my love, how are you?” her voice is high and pitchy, I can hear people around her, she is probably at the theatre.

“I'm not okay,” I cry grumpily as I embrace Sapphire to let some of her positive energy sips into me.

“What happened?” she asks in a worried tone. I tell her about my whole conversation with mom yesterday.

“Oh my god,” she said. And I thought that finally, someone could understand me, she was my friend after all. My best friend. “Anne you are such a drama queen.” My smile instantly drops.

“I mean, maybe some hot guy is coming to live with you for a while, it’s not such a bad thing, after all. You should not make a big deal of it, just relax, he is a human, like you and me'.

“You never even saw him, how do you know he is hot or not, besides I don't care if he's hot or not, and you are actually taking my mom's side, I can't believe it...'.

“I said ‘maybe’, Anne, I know you are paranoid...'

“I'm not paranoid,” I replied, almost offended.

“Yes, you are, and I know you are obsessed with all that privacy s**t, but you really need to get over it. It isn't that bad to share your flat with someone.”

I hug Sapphire tightly. Give me your positive energy Sapphire. I think my poor cat has finished her energy.

“Rhea you're not helping me in any way,” I say exhaustingly. A sound of muffled voices in the background. “Yes, I’m coming, just one minute,” she says to someone who is probably calling her.

“Chill Anne, everything doesn’t always have to go the way you want, try to adapt,” she says in a much calmer tone.

“You have this bad habit of worrying and panicking too much, just relax.”

I breathe deep in and out, “Yeah ok, fine.” I'm really depressed now, not literally of course, but sort of.

'That's my girl, what about we meet tomorrow, coffee at Joe's and then some shopping, what you say?'

I smile, Rhea always manages to make it up for me. But then I remember one thing. “Coffee at Joe's is okay, but shopping no!”, I say firmly.

“Why?”

“Last time we went shopping you made me spend 100 £!”

“For a good cause. Your wardrobe sucks.”

“That's not true!”, I say. It is a little bit of truth, to be honest, but surely, I will not admit that now.

“That's absolutely true”, she says more convinced than ever, I sigh exasperatedly, I can hear her smiling “Come on Anne, don't be too upset, we won't go shopping, okay?”

She says that like she's talking to a child. It’s ok, I can let her baby me. “Okay,” I mumble slumping back on my couch.

“Done then, see you tomorrow, bye.”

“Bye”, I hung up the phone. And I let go of Sapphire, I strangled her enough, in fact, she is eager to leave my lap.

I still needed to finish some of the work from yesterday which was to transform the study room into a bedroom, for Daniel, I think poisonously. 

I pull the mattress from under my bed with force, how hard was it? Gosh, it was too heavy, the mess of bedsheets and quilts in my room is looking back at me with disappointment, where the hell is that stupid pillow. I roam in my small room with an annoyed expression on my face, there it is, I spot the pillow and add it to the stuff that is going to be transferred in my study room. Which is not my study room anymore. Mom gave me detailed instructions on how to make the appropriate changes for the new guests, because that’s what he is, a guest for a few days, hopefully, that’s the only thought that makes this whole process minimally bearable. I cried a little yesterday, out of frustration, I’m not too dramatic, but I have my limitations then I got really angry at mom again, but she is far away right now, happily preparing for the next dog wedding, out of my reach, away from my wrath. Between me and mom, I think she used her veto power in this particular situation, she couldn’t say no to Aunt Sara, which seems understandable, because David… no Dylan, what is his name, again? I forgot it in my desperation. 

Well, he is her son, and so I sort of understand why she did what she did, but I also feel so betrayed. Utterly betrayed, this year was supposed to be mine, I still remember when Aunt Sara and mom gave me this news that I could transfer in this flat, all mine, all alone, just mine. And now all my hopes are shattered, gone, destroyed.  Well, if I think positively, only a few days back, it felt like a blessing, a flat all mine, without rent and without any roommate, I only had to pay the bills, which was a very minor inconvenience if I thought of all the money I could save. The flat belonged to mom and Aunt Sara, who have been best friends since forever, and attended Bradford university as well and they used to share this very same flat, which is precariously old but well kept when mom transferred to Bristol with dad and Aunt Sara in London with her then-husband, later it was given in rent to a sweet old couple. I say sweet, because I met them, and they left some of the furniture so that I could use it.  When I decided to do university here, mom and Aunt Sara gave me this wonderful place, and I could stay for as much time as I wanted. And I did, until now. I’m being dramatic again, it’s not like I’m homeless, it’s just… I feel frustrated.

When the last book is stacked in the bookshelves in my room, I take a step back to admire my work, good work, all my stuff has been settled well in my room. It’s a little tight now. All the stuff crammed together, but it’s not that bad, I tell myself, that It could have been worse. I lie down on my red pouffe, which previously was settled in the study room, but now his place is here. I just have to settle his room now, which was actually the heavy labour. I spent the later hour adjusting the bed with mattress and pillow and sheets, since it was the only change I did in the second room which was my study, not anymore. Despite my personal desire, I make an effort to clean up and set up because mom asked for a picture of the room. That woman. Her audacity to ask a picture, I think as I feel smoke coming out of my ears. I take a picture of the room and send it to her alongside a threatening message to not pester me anymore. And I think she takes the cue and just sends me a heart with kisses emojis. I shake my head in disbelief, with such manipulative skills, we settle on a silent agreement to not come on the current pressuring matter of him. Him who shall not be mentioned, I think letting out a muffled laugh. 

I get back on my usual spot on the couch scrolling through my i********: feed

Just as I get up for another cup of coffee. My doorbell rings. Who was now? Disturbing me.

I walk to the front door, the bell rings again like the person outside was getting impatient. I hated impatient persons. They were annoying. I look through the peephole. It's a man but I can't see his face because he's standing too close to the door and clearly he's tall.

I consider for a second who it could be, a delivery boy? A college fellow? A psychotic killer?. No, I don't think so. Oh my god, it could be Daniel. It is Daniel, for sure. 

What if I don't open the door, I think for a second, pretend like I'm not in the house. The bell rings again, he is clearly waiting for someone to open the door. Oh god, should I pretend dead? Maybe I should wait for a little more time, till he decides to go away on his own, and the bell rings again this time longer. He is impatient. I take a deep encouraging breath. I can't delay it anymore. Just face it Anne. I open the door, having no idea of what to expect.

In fact, I have no idea what to do while I look at the person in front of me.

♥

The first thing I notice is that he is really tall, like two metres something, ok, that was an exaggeration, I know, but what I meant to say that’s he is really tall and lean, cause I have to raise my head to look at him, maybe it’s because I am so short, or maybe he is so tall, and he seems buffed even though if he is wrapped in a fluffy blue winter jacket, but maybe that’s just the effect of the jacket. Looking like a big blue balloon. He is also wearing a beanie and I can see some of his blonde locks

coming out and… and striking turquoise eyes, a mixture between blue and green. A unique colour that reminds you of the clear ocean in the summer. It was almost hypnotizing. It was pretty. He had pretty eyes. One positive thing about him. 

I was just there staring at him like a complete i***t. What the hell am I doing...

“Hm... Hey?” He says with a smile. Clearly awkward by my all-staring thing. But that smile though? A beautiful smile, indeed. No, I just like to give compliments.

“May I enter inside?”, and he enters, without waiting for my answer. I stay there, dumbstruck. I snap out of my ecstatic trance.

“It's freezing outside,” he says rubbing his hands together. Yeah, it's really cold.

I close the door realizing it was really freezing outside. I look at him as he puts down his backpack and a sports bag hanging over his shoulder.

Maybe some other person, not me for sure, in a more delightful situation would describe him handsome, but I was not that person. No, I was a socially awkward person with a sociopathic tendency, but I considered myself quite intelligent as my IQ level was above the average, and I was a little arrogant about that fact therefore I will not describe him as handsome.

“Hey”, he says facing me “I haven't introduced myself yet, how rude.” Yes, very rude.

“I'm Daniel Cooper, nice to meet you,” again that smile. I feel the heat surging on my cheeks. Why the hell I'm blushing. No Anne no, you do not blush. He offers me his hand. I take his big hand into mine, trying to ignore the weird feeling. I don’t like having strangers in my place. Yes, that’s why I’m flabbergasted.

“Hm, I... I'm Annabelle White.” My voice seems tiny and chiro, I clear my throat and with more composure I say “Pleased to meet you too”, Though I wasn't very pleased considering how he made me feel. Weird. He made me feel weird.

“Annabelle uh?”, he says as a cocky smile appears on his face. I don't like his derisive tone. If he is going to make that stupid joke on the possessed doll, I will instantly throw him out.

He takes off his beanie and jacket revealing his blonde hair, a little long I must say, and his dark blue sweater.

He directly goes to my couch and sits there warming up his hands rubbing them together. I follow him and stand in front of him crossing my arm in front of my chest glaring at him.

Saying that I wasn't pleased to see him accommodate comfortably on MY couch, would be a euphemism.

“Well Annabelle, you must have been expecting me,” he says looking up at him

“Since I told my mother, and my mother told your mother and your mother told you that I was coming”. I gape at him; he looks back at me with a foolish smile like he just said the funniest thing ever. I stare at him coldly, not with a single hint of a smile on my face.

“Yes, I was expecting you”, I tell him in a flat voice sitting on the sofa in front of him.

“So... You travelled well?” I ask him out of courtesy. I have some manners, unlike him.

“It was amazing, I missed my bus, I had run behind the train to get in and there was no taxi or bus for Bradford when I came here, so some hippies gave me a lift all the way to Bradford, they even told me that they stole the car, so basically I travelled with criminals. Hippie criminals,” he concluded with an enthusiastic smile. 

Was he kidding me? I’m pretty sure I have a surprised Pikachu expression on my face. He was being sarcastic, I thought as I pursue my lips in a tight line. How funny. 

I just nod at him without saying anything. He was weird. I shake my head imperceptibly, alright, it will be indeed difficult. I look at him, he looks at me and then I look at an uncertain spot on the wall, and I divert his eyes too. I shift weight from one foot to another, intertwining my fingers nervously.

“You must be tired; I cleared this room for you.” I indicated to him my ex-study room.

“Thanks,” he smiles, that same half sarcastic smile, he gets up to take his bags. But first I need to tell him some important things. I take a deep breath before approaching him. “Listen, I think it will be better for both of us if we settle a few things, first. Of course, there is the matter of privacy. I want my privacy. You will also want your privacy so it will be beneficial for both of us if we set upon a few rules.'

He looks at me, “Okay, sure,” he seems a little confused.

“Perfect,” I clap my hands together a little bit out of habit, doing that in my classes before starting a presentation with my colleagues.

“Well, first no loud music. I hate loud music.”

“Hm... I…”

“Second”, I cut him off, “No friends and no party at the flat,” I say with an apologetic smile. “For the sake of quiet and peace, you see I am a true believer in Shouhei. Quiet and peace. You know there are older people living here in the building too,” he opens his mouth again to say something but I don't let him finish, “Third: as long as you are staying here, you'll buy your own groceries and you'll cook your own food”, that was a really important point to clear after the conversation with my mother yesterday. Now he really looks confused.

“Well then of course keep the house clean and tidy and that's all, your room to be more precise”, I say moving my hands as I gesture at the cleaning thing. Don't feel awkward Anne, you have your points, I tell myself.

“Hm… ok, cool”, he says with an uncertain smile. “Ok,” I say and look away again. He looks confused, that much I figured, but I don’t think I said something incomprehensible, something impossible to understand. I shook my head. I should be the one being confused and upset, not him.  I get in the small kitchen, grab some bread cheese and salad and start making a sandwich. All this tension had made me hungry.

I look over at him, he is bringing his bags in my study room now his bedroom. I think about my rules imposed on him, I didn't plant them all, they just came up naturally, like something obvious to me, maybe I exaggerated a little bit. I mean it's his mom's house after all. I growl in frustration. I'm still deep down in my thoughts when he comes into the kitchen.

“Hey Annabelle, it's really freezing here, these heaters don't work,” he says tapping his hand on the heater planted to the wall.

“Yeah, they stopped working one week ago,” I say grabbing two plates. “You want one?” I ask him to offer him one sandwich. Yes, I know, that goes against my morals, but I'm not a cruel monster. He smiles at me and grabs the plate. Sitting on the small table inside the kitchen, he starts munching on the sandwich.

I looked at him eating, apparently, he was really hungry. I turn around and start putting the utensils back in their place.

In the end, I did what my mom told me to do, cook food for him, actually, I just prepared a sandwich. For me. But I offered him just out of courtesy because I didn't want to be rude more than I have already been. It's not that I'm a bad person, It is just the way I am. Anyways, of course, that didn't explain me offering him a sandwich. A f*****g sandwich. This is going to be difficult. I watch him over the rim of my eyeglasses and think of all the possible ways I can get rid of him. Well, first of all, the freezing state of the flat doesn't let me think hard enough, I'm freezing and so are my thoughts. I take my sandwich and eat it there, standing by the counter, low key glaring at him, if he notices it he doesn’t let it know.

What am I even gonna do with this over the top, always smiling guy, for no reason at all? Why would someone smile like that? he raises his eyes to me, I look at a distant point on the wall, trying to focus on another thing.  

“Hm ok, I will leave,” I blabber there at the moment. His eyes wide just a little bit, so I add, “to my room”, and not leaving the house as I made it sound, I wait a second trying to remember if I missed anything that I had to tell, no, all good. I can leave. “See you later then,” he says, I just give him a curt smile and rush to my room.