Love For The Holidays

One Ivy Finding a housemate was tricky business. I took a nervous sip from my hot cocoa, wishing I’d ordered something stronger to get me through this. The slender guy sitting on the other side of the table smiled in a seemingly reassuring way but it just upped the creep factor. “So, the bathroom is shared, right?” he asked. I nodded. “Yes, is that a problem?” He smiled again. “No, no, not at all.” His eagerness put me off immediately and I mentally scratched his name off my list of potential roommates. While there was a good chance he was just trying to be amenable, I didn’t like the vibes I was getting from him. If this was a job interview or something more serious, I’d fight harder to give him a fair chance, but considering I had to live with him… No thanks. I folded my hands together, hoping to signal that the conversation was over. “Thank you for meeting me. I’ve got some other candidates so I’ll be in touch.” “Umm… Okay?” He seemed confused that I wasn’t making a decision on the spot. “Is it because I don’t currently have a job? That’s not going to be a problem for much longer, I’m pretty much guaranteed to start work on Monday.” “No, that’s not a problem.” Relief cleared up his face. “So I got it?” “No, I will let you know once I’ve met with everyone,” I answered in as calm a tone as I could manage while glancing around for a server or someone that could help me in case this escalated. While the cosy bar wasn’t super busy, it wasn’t a super intimate place, which is why I’d chosen it for the first round of roommate meetings. Luckily, I spotted my best friend at the glass entrance and some of the tension ebbed away. “Sorry, the next person is here so… Thanks.” “Right. I’ll wait for your call,” he said, checking out my best friend as she made her way to the table. Oblivious to his stare, she unwound her long, green scarf and draped it over the back of the wooden chair. “Oof, it’s chilly out there. What are you drinking?” “Thank you for coming to this interview,” I answered, a little louder than necessary. Just in case he was still listening. Jenna seemed confused. “What? Ivy... Are you already drinking?” “Please sit down, it’s lovely to meet you.” I waited until the guy left the café before I broke character. “Sorry, I told the last guy that you were the next candidate to get rid of him.” My best friend grimaced as she flagged a waitress. “Ouch, that bad?” “No, he was perfectly polite. He just gave me weird vibes. If he was hitting on me on a night out, I'd be skipping him too.” “You can’t choose a housemate based on who you’re attracted to. That’s guaranteed to end in disaster.” She smiled at the approaching server, standing up to exchange cheek kisses. “Nini! Hey, girl, hey.” “What’s up, Jenna? How are you? Coming to the party later?” the waitress responded as she tossed her long hair over her shoulder. “You know I love a good party. Where’s the pre-drink?” “At mine. We’re starting at seven. There’ll be some beer but you should bring your own booze. “Nini pulled out a little notepad from her apron and held it out. “What can I get you?” Jenna gestured to my half-empty cup of cocoa. “What do you think? Want to get some drinks or something? “God knows I could use something stronger after all the interviews. Seven candidates and I didn’t like any of them. I’m never going to find a roommate at this point,” I lamented. “What are you in the mood for? Cocktails?” “Oh, so that’s what you were doing,” Nini commented. “I wondered if you were doing some kind of speed date type of situation on your own.” I almost choked on my drink. “No, no, no. No, it’s not like that.” “Hey, I’m not judging. Pretty girls should date as much as they want,” she responded, throwing in a wink for good measure. My best friend chuckled. “Nice try, Nin, but you’re out of luck. Ivy is straight.” “Is that so?” The waitress sighed dramatically. “What a shame. Oh well. Cocktails?” “I’m game if you’re game. I don’t have class tomorrow,” Jenna said. “The house cocktail is really good.” I nodded. “Let’s do it. Maybe if I drink enough, I’ll figure out a way I can make rent without having to get a housemate.” While the waitress went off to get our order, Jenna and I moved from the stiff table to one of the more comfortable booths in the corner of the bar. The faux-red leather and exposed lamps gave the whole place a bit of an old-school vibe that mashed well with the wooden ceiling. While we were settling in, a handful of women in the booth next to us recognised my best friend and greeted her like they hadn’t seen her in years. Sometimes watching the warmth of which their community interacted made me feel a little left out. Not by anything Jenna was doing, she always did everything she could to include me, but still. It felt like there was a world out there that I wasn’t a part of, that I could never understand. It was probably not fair to wish for those things when I enjoyed the privilege of being straight but every now and then, I envied my best friend for being able to connect so deeply with others like her. Even in very fleeting flings and affairs, the passion and intensity put my handful of relationships to shame. Guys just weren’t like this, or at least, the guys I dated weren’t like this. Nini brought the drinks over and as she made her way back to the bar, one of the women in the other booth whistled as they watched her walk away. “Is that okay?” I asked Jenna. “I thought we didn’t like being catcalled.” My best friend chuckled. “That’s her girlfriend.” “Oh, that makes more sense.” I watched the server turn around once she reached the bar and threw a kiss back to her girlfriend. Except the entire group of girls reacted like it was aimed at them and with lots of gigging, the kiss was received. I didn’t really understand what that was about but if I asked Jenna about every weird thing her friends did, we’d be here for days. I reached for the half-frozen cocktail and held it up for a toast. “Cheers.” “Cheers,” Jenna answered, clinking her glass against mine. “I hope you like it.” The sweet, cherry flavour burst in my mouth and I moaned. “That’s so good. I love that. Mmmm.” “Good, huh?” “Really good. So what party are you going to later?” “Oh, just an evening out with the lesbians. Pre-drinks at Nini’s, then dancing here at Rainbow Central.” “Here?” I gestured around the cosy bar. “But it’s a café, bar, pub situation.” “At night, they put the tables away and there’s a DJ booth over there. Have I never taken you along?” I shook my head. “No, I’ve only been here a couple of times, but it was during the day. We usually go to… The Royal?” “Ah, it’s not the same.” Jenna sipped from her cocktail, the metal straw clicking against her teeth. “If you want, you can come along tonight.” “I can’t, I’ve got work tomorrow.” I sighed. “I got to admit, I do miss the freedom of being a student.” “Then why don’t you just sign up again? The new school year has only just started. I bet you could enrol before the holidays come around. Or you could wait for the second semester?” Jenna suggested. “No, I don’t miss it that much. Dropping out was the best decision I ever made.” I trailed my fingers up the narrow glass, drawing lines in the condensation. While I enjoyed partying, I didn’t crave it nearly as much as when I was still a student. If anything, I preferred a casual drink like this over the craziness of a night out. While I enjoyed my cocktail, some of the conversation of Jenna’s friends in the other booth made it over to our table. “Are you serious?” The short-haired girl released a frustrated noise. “Thanks for nothing, Kim.” With a curious look on her face, Jenna turned around. “Everything okay, Frances?” Frances tossed her phone on the table. “Yeah, fine. I like living under bridges.” Another girl in their group chuckled dryly. “That’s a little dramatic.” “Kim promised that I could move into the spare room but apparently, she and Raquel couldn’t agree over who got to keep the flat so they’re both staying,” the short-haired girl explained. “Who wants to bet they’ll be back together before the month is over?” Nini’s girlfriend added. The group of women all hummed in agreement. It was a shame I didn’t know the people they were talking about but it sounded like drama. "Hey, Ivy is looking for a housemate,” Jenna quipped as she gestured to me, drawing the attention to our table. “It’s a great place, only ten minutes from here, and I can personally guarantee that she’s a fantastic roommate.” “I wish I could say the same about you but you’re the one that’s moving in with your girlfriend and leaving me in the lurch,” I responded, giving her a bit of a playful nudge so she knew I wasn’t actually upset. I was a little frustrated but not enough to deny my friend a shot at love. The girl with the short hair, Frances, perked up. “You are?” “She is. Hey, why don’t you do your housemate interview thingy?” Jenna suggested. “You’ve got all your questions and info with you, right?” She did make a good point. It felt a bit weird to interview a random stranger to live with me but that was exactly what I’d been doing beforehand. If anything, Frances was less of a stranger since she knew my best friend. I shrugged as I handed her the printed page of my listing. Besides a couple of pictures of the flat, it also had the price and some other boring details. “Sure, why not? If you’re interested?” The other girl hopped out of the booth, surprisingly tall. She studied the page for a moment or two and smiled. “I’m interested.”