THE UNWANTED ROOMMATE

1. The Unfortunate Mix-Up Meoja Verma stood outside the grand but eerily silent house, gripping his suitcase like a lifeline. The old Victorian-style mansion loomed before him, its darkened windows reflecting the stormy sky. The house wasn’t just old—it felt haunted. The trees surrounding it twisted like skeletal fingers, and the wind howled through the broken gate hinges. “This is a joke, right?” he mumbled, checking the crumpled paper in his hand. His landlord’s horrible handwriting confirmed that this was indeed the address he had been given. Meoja sighed, rolling his eyes. “Great. Just great.” After months of searching, he had finally found a place that fit his budget—a miracle, considering he was broke. But the real disaster was that he was supposed to be living alone. Instead, fate decided to ruin his peace. Because the moment he pushed open the creaking front door, someone else was already inside. 2. The First Clash A man stood in the dimly lit hallway, arms crossed, exuding pure arrogance. He was tall, handsome in a frustrating way, with neatly styled black hair and sharp eyes that screamed “I’m better than you.” His fitted black shirt and dark jeans only added to his effortless confidence. Meoja hated him immediately. “Who the hell are you?” Meoja demanded. The man raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. “I should be asking you that.” “I—” Meoja huffed, waving his paper. “I’m renting this place! Who are you, the ghost?” The man smirked. Smirked. “Priyesh Malhotra,” he said smoothly. “And I’m also renting this place.” Meoja’s stomach dropped. “No. No, no, no. There’s been a mistake.” Priyesh pulled out his own rental agreement and held it up. “Seems like we were both scammed.” Meoja grabbed the paper and compared it to his. Same house. Same lease date. Same stupid mistake. “I don’t do roommates,” Meoja snapped, glaring up at him. “Neither do I,” Priyesh said coolly. They stared at each other, tension crackling like the storm outside. Meoja’s first instinct was to call the landlord and demand a solution, but the storm outside had other plans. Because at that moment, the power went out. 3. Stuck Together in the Dark Lightning flashed, illuminating the entire hallway in a brief, eerie glow. The house groaned as if alive, and Meoja nearly jumped out of his skin. “Oh, hell no,” he muttered, gripping his suitcase. Priyesh sighed like this was the most inconvenient thing to happen to him all week. He pulled out his phone, the soft glow of the screen highlighting his ridiculously perfect face. “We should check the circuit breaker,” Priyesh suggested. Meoja scoffed. “Oh sure, let’s just wander into the creepy house in the dark. That sounds brilliant.” Priyesh ignored him and started walking. Meoja had no choice but to follow close behind—not because he was scared, obviously. He just didn’t trust this guy. As they walked through the house, the wood creaked under their weight. The air smelled like old books, rain, and something unplaceable—almost like smoke. The kitchen was worse. Dust floated in the air, and when Priyesh opened a cabinet, something small and fast scurried out. Meoja shrieked. Priyesh turned, his expression a mix of amusement and disbelief. “Was that a scream?” Meoja turned red. “That was a perfectly normal reaction to whatever the hell that was.” Priyesh’s lip twitched, almost like he was trying not to laugh. Meoja glared at him. “Oh, shut up.” The lights flickered for a second before going completely black again. Priyesh sighed. “Well, that’s not ominous.” Meoja crossed his arms. “So? Are we calling the landlord or just sacrificing me to the ghosts?” “Tempting,” Priyesh muttered, rubbing his temples. Meoja hated how attractive he looked when frustrated. 4. The Sleeping Arrangement Disaster After an hour of arguing and failing to reach the landlord, it became painfully clear that they were stuck together—at least for the night. “Fine,” Priyesh finally said, exasperated. “I’ll take the room on the left. You take the right.” Meoja narrowed his eyes. “Why do you get to decide?” Priyesh gave him an unimpressed look. “Because I got here first?” Meoja huffed but stomped off to his assigned room. The moment he opened the door, dust filled his lungs, and the old wooden bed creaked like it might collapse if he so much as breathed wrong. Fantastic. He flopped onto the bed with a sigh. The sheets smelled like lavender and something familiar. He frowned. Had someone lived here recently? Before he could think too much about it, the wind howled outside, rattling the windows. A shiver ran down his spine. The house was way too quiet for his liking. 5. Midnight Encounters & Unspoken Tension Sometime past midnight, Meoja awoke to a loud thud outside his door. His breath caught. Heart pounding, he reached for his phone. The screen read 2:14 AM. He slowly pushed the door open, stepping into the dimly lit hallway. His stomach dropped when he saw a shadowed figure standing near the window. Meoja opened his mouth to scream— “Don’t,” Priyesh said, exasperated. Meoja clutched his chest. “What the hell are you doing standing there like a damn horror movie extra?!” Priyesh, still staring out the window, didn’t answer immediately. His usual smug expression was gone, replaced by something quieter. “The storm,” Priyesh finally said. “It reminds me of something.” Meoja blinked, caught off guard by the softness in his voice. For a moment, the tension between them shifted—not hostile, not teasing. Just… still. And Meoja hated that it made his chest feel warm. “I—” Meoja hesitated. He wasn’t good at serious conversations. But before he could respond, another loud creak echoed from the hallway. Both of them turned sharply. The shadows at the end of the hall seemed to move. Meoja grabbed Priyesh’s sleeve. “Did you see that?” Priyesh, usually composed, looked equally unsettled. “Yeah.” They both stood frozen, staring into the darkness. Then, without thinking, Meoja’s grip on Priyesh tightened. And to his utter shock, Priyesh didn’t pull away. The storm outside raged on. The eerie house watched. And Meoja had a terrible feeling that this was only the beginning. ---