My University Roommate

Charlie

The first thing I noticed about him was his laugh—low, easy, like it had never been told no. It rolled out of the room before I even stepped inside, curling down the hall like smoke, and for a second I forgot how to breathe.

He was leaning against the desk when I walked in, head bent over his phone, dark hair falling into his eyes in a way that looked completely unintentional and unfairly good. A duffel bag sat on his bed—already unpacked, because of course he was the kind of guy who made himself at home before I even showed up.

“Hey,” he said without looking up, like it was nothing. Like the word didn’t just send a shiver down my spine

“Uh—hi.” I set my suitcase down too hard, and the wheels squeaked across the floor like they were mocking me. I shoved my hands in my hoodie pocket and told myself to stop staring.

He pushed off the desk and crossed the room in two steps, holding out a hand. “Isaac.”

His palm was warm and dry, calloused in a way that made me wonder what he did with those hands. I told myself to let go after a second, but my fingers lingered like they didn’t get the memo.

“Charlie,” I said, my voice cracking on the last syllable like I was thirteen again. Great start.

Isaac grinned like he’d caught it, but didn’t call me out. “Good to meet you, Charlie.” He nodded toward the other bed. “That one’s yours. Hope you don’t mind—I took the one by the window.”

“No, that’s fine,” I said quickly, even though I hadn’t even thought about it. Honestly, he could’ve taken the whole room and I would’ve slept on the floor if it meant staying this close to him.

I dragged my suitcase to the empty bed, trying not to look like every nerve in my body was hyper-aware of him. The room smelled faintly of laundry detergent and something sharper—his cologne, probably. Something clean and warm and expensive, the kind of scent that clung to the air like it owned it.

“So,” Isaac said, dropping onto his bed like it was a throne. He stretched out, hands laced behind his head, and the movement pulled his T-shirt tight across his chest. My brain short-circuited. “Where you from?”

I sat down on my mattress and pretended to fiddle with the zipper on my bag. “Uh, small town. Couple hours from here.”

“Nice. Bet it’s quiet, huh?”

“Too quiet,” I said before I could stop myself. “Needed… something else.”

He gave me a look like he understood exactly what I meant, and it hit me low in the stomach.

“You?” I asked, desperate to shift the attention.

“Couple states over,” he said easily. “Figured it was time for a change.” His grin tilted. “Guess we’re both trying to escape something, huh?”

The words hung there, heavier than they had any right to. I didn’t know what he meant, and I didn’t ask, because I wasn’t sure I could handle the answer.

We talked a little more—about majors, the weather, the kind of nothing conversation that’s supposed to break the ice. Except the whole time, I could feel something humming under my skin, this low electric current every time his eyes met mine and lingered a little too long.

Eventually, he stood and stretched, his shirt riding up just enough to show a strip of skin above his jeans, and I had to look away so fast I probably gave myself whiplash.

“I’m gonna grab a shower before it gets busy,” he said, grabbing a towel from his drawer. “You good?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good,” I lied, because nothing about me felt remotely good right now.

He flashed me a smile—God, that smile—and disappeared into the hall, leaving me alone with my pounding heartbeat and the faint sound of water running behind the bathroom door.

I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to remember how to breathe. This was supposed to be a fresh start. A chance to figure out who I was.

Instead, all I could think about was Isaac. My roommate. The guy I had to live with for the next nine months.

And the terrifying truth settling like a stone in my chest was this:

I already wanted him.

Issac

Charlie

The name stuck in my head long after I walked out with my towel slung over my shoulder. He didn’t look like what I expected—not that I knew what I was expecting. Just… different.

Most guys I’d met so far were loud, all big handshakes and bigger egos. Charlie wasn’t like that. Quiet, but not in a weird way. More like he was taking everything in before deciding what to give back.

And that voice—soft, but steady when he wasn’t cracking on his own name. For some reason, that part had made me grin like an idiot.

I shook my head under the shower spray, telling myself it was nothing. Just a new roommate, that’s all.

Still, there was something about the way he looked at me, like I’d said something worth remembering. It made me want to keep talking, keep pulling words out of him until he stopped looking so careful.

Whatever. It didn’t matter. We had the whole year to figure each other out.

And if my chest felt weirdly lighter at the thought of coming back to the room and seeing him there… I chalked it up to liking my odds. Good vibes, right? That was all.

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Authors Note:

Thank tou so much for reading this first chapter. I hop you enjoyed it. I will be updating this as pften as I can. <3.