When I joined campus, my parents had very clear instructions that I had to live on the campus premises. I did that for three years. When I was in my fourth year, the priority was given to freshmen. I missed a space. I had to get a place outside the university.
The house-hunting process began. I needed a place that was cost-friendly, secure and had flowing water. To get a small apartment with a hundred dollars allocated by my parents was really hard. Nearly every place I got had one thing missing.
In the process of looking for a good place, I bumped into my campus crush- Tyler who told me that their dad had a house that he was renting it off but it would be sharable. The house had two bedrooms, a shareable kitchen, and a bathroom. The rent was eighty dollars. I did not hesitate.
I got another student who needed a place and we rented the house. The place was large. It had a garden and a large sitting area. It was fully furnished. My roommate Jennie really liked the house. So did I. Jennie was outgoing and fun. I was just a nerd.
After one semester, Jennie moved out to go and live with her boyfriend Mike. That was the last time I saw Jennie. Tyler had to get another tenant for the room. Tyler was the first person I talked to when I joined campus. A tall guy but less focused. I liked his physique.
A month later, my friend Tyler got me a male roommate. He did not look like a student. He was in his thirties. He seemed to have figured his shit out to rent a sharable apartment. This was odd because I had never shared a bathroom with a man who was not my brother.
The closest I had gotten to share a place with a man was when I visited my ex-boyfriend Jared and I found him making out with another woman. I quickly requested to use the bathroom, cried then ran out of the house and never went back. I did not even get a chance to kiss him.
It was a big deal. I remember calling Tyler like three hundred times that day to ask him if I can get a new roommate. He told me he could if I could get a tenant. Honestly, that was too much work. Lemme describe how my roomie arrived at “our home”
The doorbell rang. I was not expecting a guest. I had my shorts on and one of my baggy t-shirts writing code in python. I pulled a bathrobe from my closet and slowly dragged my feet to the door. When I opened the door, I was greeted by seven large suitcases and a masculine guy. From his tight t-shirt, you should see his chest, muscles clearly defined. Strong. Sculpted. Toned. Some art I guess.
“Hi, my name is Nick. Your new roommate”, my wandering mind is interrupted by a deep voice. “Essie. Welcome”, I responded still standing at the doorway. From where I stood, I could see a black jeep in the parking lot. “Can I come in now?” He asked. “Yeah, sorry”, I responded and paved the way. He smile and carried two suitcases into his room. I did not smile back. I was not excited by the idea of having a male roommate. I wasn’t going to be charitable enough to help him with the suitcases. I strolled back to the couch and grabbed my laptop. Wore my headphones and started playing my favorite reggae songs.
I’m a nerd. Very selective with who I have a conversation with. Nick on the other hand was energetic, lively, and loves to talk. These are things you conclude at first sight. As he carried his bags, I could steal glances. From above my lenses, I could see his strong masculine legs, arms, and chest. A strong butt too.
“Lemme guess. From Africa. Here on scholarship. Taking medicine”, I’m interrupted again. “Is it that obvious that I’m poor?” I asked laughing. “I don’t mean it like that”, he responded frowning. “Easy, I’m joking. Forgive my sense of humor,” I continued to laugh. I laugh a lot when nervous. It helps me conceal my nervousness. “So, is my guess right?” He persisted. “Well, almost. I’m not taking medicine. I’m taking computer engineering”, I answered. “Nerd. Interesting”, he said laughing naughtily. “What about you?” I decide to have a conversation. “Nothing much”, he responded dismissively. “ Please show me where the supermarket is. I need something to eat. What are you eating?” Nick asked. “I got pasta from last night but I can show you where the supermarket is” ”, I said. “Thank you”, Nick said humbly.
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Nick asked if I had any shopping baskets. I retrieved something I had gotten from home and a few shopping bags from the store. I proposed we walk but he insisted on using his jeep. He opened the passenger and I hopped in. He closed the door smiling. “Why are you smiling?” I asked. “Because you are really short”, he responded laughing. He opened the gate, came back to the jeep, and turned on the ignition. As he did, I looked at his delicate yet masculine hands. We exited the compound. He had to go back and close the gate.
We slowly drove to the “On The Way mall”. The place was relatively big. It has a large supermarket, a cinema hall, a Nike shop, a coffee shop, a bakery, three fast food places, and other things that I did not pay attention to. As we parked, I looked at his vehicle. My mind quickly drifted to where I came from. I was brought up on a farm somewhere in Africa and such four-wheel drives were extremely resourceful, especially during the rainy season. The roads were not well maintained. I pictured myself driving as the villagers and their kids looking at me like an idol. My thoughts are interrupted by a deep voice, “why are you smiling sheepishly?” “Am I?” I asked absent-mindedly. “Yeah. Anyway, here we are”, he said grinning.
I was wearing my slightly large tracksuit. Nick was wearing a tight t-shirt that clearly defined most of his upper body. His jeans shorts were tight too and I could see his masculine legs. The ladies in the mall could probably see them. We strolled into the market. He picked the largest cart. I did not know what was running through his mind but I assumed he had a lot of shopping to do. I, on the other hand, was just getting two items. Tampons and toilet paper.
Nick started in the breakfast section. He grabbed tons of cereal, syrup, and milk. He went to the canned food and picked the beans and fruits. I think that was the only healthy thing he picked. The rest was loads of junk. I could see lots of snacks and toiletries. From the supermarket, he passed by ‘pizza hut’. He ordered four large pizzas and three buckets of KFC chicken. When he was done with his purchases, we drove back home silently. There was very little to talk about.
When we got home, I left him to refrigerate his stuff. I have a huge preference for freshly cooked foods. I am a healthier feeder than him. I could tell from his groceries. I spent the rest of the day in my room. I had a machine learning paper the next morning. I had a lot of studying to do. This was my last semester and I needed to pass to graduate. All I did was study and implement my test code on my laptop. I was woken up by a 6 am alarm. I quickly jumped out of bed. Unfortunately, I forgot to grab my towel. I took a quick shower. As I left the shower, a prayed that my roomie was sleeping and luckily he was.
I left the spare key on the table and went to campus. Most of my day was uneventful. All I was worried about is how to tell my parents that I had a male roommate. To be honest, that was the last thing I wanted to do. My folks would cause some serious drama over it. In my culture, virginity is very important. There was no way my parent could live with the thought of me having sex before marriage. I decided to omit this information. After all, it was not like we were having a thing or anything for that matter.
