I released a harsh breath. Right, I’d been warned. A roommate had always been in the cards.
“It stinks in here,” he stated, not taking his eyes off me. “Why are all these filthy clothes lying all over the furniture?” He shook my sports bra. “And this?”
I reached forward and snatched it from him. “It’s personal.” I took a calming breath and put myself in his shoes. I had left my stuff literally everywhere. “And I didn’t know I was getting a roommate. Sorry. I’ll get my clothing right now.” Smelling the air, I frowned. “I haven’t figured out how to open any windows or turn anything on yet. It has gotten stale in here. That won’t be a usual thing.” I frowned. “Do we really need to start off this way?”
The man sighed dramatically. “It’s been a long day. I’ve never had to share a room before. This was unexpected, considering my Adler Michelson name.” He looked me up and down, assessing the pile of what I now knew was expensive clothing filling my arms. I pulled them out of our communal space.
“To be honest, I haven’t had a roommate either.” I set down my pile of clothing on top of my desk and tested the wood beams holding my bed up as a possible new hanging location. “But in orientation, we were told the goal here is to break down barriers and see everyone as equals. So, I would assume this is part of it.”
My new roommate laughed. “Ha. Right. I’m sure that’s exactly what’s going on here.”
I shrugged; honestly, not sure either.
“I’m Erick, Erick Adler Michelson.” He held out his hand.
I didn’t take it. “My hands are still dirty from my work-study.” I held them up. “But I’m Quinn Question.”
Erick furrowed his eyebrows. “I’m not familiar with the Question family name.”
“There aren’t many of us.” It wasn’t really a lie. “But we do what we can.”
He accepted my answer before pointing at my pile of clothing. “What are you doing, leaving dirty items around?”
Heat filled my cheeks. “I don’t know how to do laundry.”
He sighed. “Small but pampered family, apparently.”
He hummed, snapping his fingers in a rhythmic pattern. My dirty pile flew into the air between us. Wind swirled, making the piles churn, before a pop sounded. A ball of dirt whizzed out of it and sailed toward a window, which opened moments before the dirt hit it. A man cursed in the distance, making Erick grin.
I tried very hard to look unimpressed, but I’m sure my jaw was already on the floor. He raised an eyebrow, and the window across from the first also opened, filling the room with fresh, if chilly, air. The heat cone burst to life with his coral magic, counteracting the cold in seconds.
My new roommate flexed his chest, his hand on his hips, dominating the space he’d mastered in seconds.
“How long have you been here?” he asked too casually.
I wrinkled my nose. “Four days.”
“I guess I won’t have too much competition then if you’re the average.” He draped himself over the couch. “Do we have any food?”
I gave him a flat look.
“Oh, let me guess, you haven’t figured that out either.” He shook his head. “You're skinny enough for me to believe it. If you want to be such good friends, then let’s start with finding you a way to pay me back for cleaning your clothing and the inconvenience of me having to see it when I first arrived.” He smiled sweetly. “I’ll have a think on what your scrawny, broke-ass can do for me. I am an Adler Michelson, after all. My friendship’s worth a little extra work, no?”
I had no idea what being an ‘Adler Michelson’ meant, and I didn’t care. I turned my back on him without answering. Of all the things, my heart went out to Rowan, dealing with his own Erick in the shape of Lady Moore. My roommate laughed, utterly unaware of my thoughts. The smallest of smiles cracked my lips.
I rubbed my eyes and found Matt's blurry shape behind the bar.
“Moose,” I said eloquently. “And coffee.”
“A bit early for your work-study?” Matt said, his burnt-caramel hair tied at the nape of his neck coming into focus. “And you don’t have any money for coffee.”
I thumped the bar. “My new roommate snores, and my TB is my alarm clock, so once I saw the light, I stayed up.” I put my hands together. “Put it on my tab?”
He grinned. “Not until you’ve paid the one you’ve got.”
I wanted to argue, but I didn’t have any ground to stand on.
Matt handed me a dish towel and motioned toward the back, but I pushed it back toward him and let it drop on the bar. “I saw my TB last night. I don’t need to work yet. Nothing’s changed.” I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. “Horax said you would give me a note for Moose.”
