Chapter 1 The Move_ In
Chapter 1 – The Move-In
The hallway smelled faintly of old carpet and burnt toast—the kind of smell that clung to cheap student housing. Alex balanced two boxes on one hip and used his foot to kick open the door to Apartment 3B.
“This is it,” he muttered, stepping into the living room. Beige walls, tiny couch, one flickering overhead light. Home sweet home.
He set the boxes down with a grunt. That’s when he noticed him.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by stacks of comic books and neatly labeled folders, was his new roommate. A guy with round glasses slipping down his nose, dark hair falling into his eyes, and a t-shirt that read ‘There’s No Place Like 127.0.0.1.’
“Uh… hey,” Alex said, brushing dust off his hands. “You must be Ethan?”
The guy looked up, blinking like he’d been caught mid-thought. “Oh. Yeah. You’re Alex.” He stood, awkwardly pushing his glasses up. “Your room’s down the hall. Second door. I, uh, cleared a shelf for you in the kitchen.”
Alex smirked. “Wow, you sound like a landlord.”
Ethan’s lips twitched into what might’ve been a smile, though he quickly looked away. “Just… trying to be organized.”
Alex wandered past him, glancing at the piles of comics. “So, what—you’re like a professional nerd?”
Ethan stiffened. “I’m studying computer science.”
“Exactly my point,” Alex said with a grin, heading toward his room. “Nerd.”
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That first week was… strange. Alex, with his messy hair, sarcastic jokes, and late-night ramen cravings, was the opposite of Ethan, who lived by color-coded schedules and noise-canceling headphones.
Still, living together forced them into little routines.
Ethan quietly made extra coffee in the mornings.
Alex, without asking, always brought back two slices of pizza from the late-night diner.
They started watching the same awful horror series every Thursday, Alex heckling the characters while Ethan pretended not to laugh.
One night, Alex stumbled back from the bathroom and froze. Ethan was asleep, sprawled sideways across his bed, mumbling.
At first, Alex thought it was nonsense—just sleep-talking. But then he heard it.
“…Ryan… don’t go…” Ethan’s voice cracked, soft, almost pleading.
Alex stood there in the doorway, heart thudding for reasons he didn’t understand. Who the hell was Ryan?
He slipped back into his room, but sleep didn’t come easy.
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Cliffhanger: Alex lay awake, staring at the ceiling, wondering why the sound of Ethan whispering another guy’s name made his chest feel tight.
