“This is the guy, you know the one I was telling you about whose apartment just burned down? Well weren’t you telling me that you were thinking about finding a roommate? I’ve got you the perfect guy. His name is Chen, he’s nice, quiet, and won’t bother you at all. Chen, this is Ram. We’ve been best buddies since our freshman year and I can tell you with confidence that he’s a really good guy…”
It’s a week later and I’m back at the bagel shop listening as Josh rambles on. I rub the wrinkle above my eyebrow and sigh. You’ve got to be kidding me. Chen sits opposite of me, his gaze downcast, fingers twisting and almost tearing a hole in his cloth bag. Of all the times I’ve had to cover for Josh or help him in his pursuit of some girl, this has got to be the worst.
“So Ram, what do you think? Isn’t Chen better than some random noisy stranger?”
I give him a deadpan look, then my gaze turns to Chen. If I’m honest, he looks pitiful, with just a single baby blue backpack. His silver blonde strands are all mussed up, falling into his downcast gaze and almost reaching his slightly pink nose and pursed lips. I exasperatedly sigh.
“Is there no other option?”
“Well, you know how I live with two other guys and we don’t really have another bed. We could put him up on the couch but it’d be pretty cramped and it’s not really…you know…” he glances towards Chen’s slender and pale frame. I do know. Chen, with his quiet temperament and delicate features, would be like a swan in a pigsty if he lived in their noisy, cramped apartment. “Jason and Eric don’t have space either and everyone else in the literature club is a girl. And he can’t live with the girls, definitely not Mimi.” I internally groan, so this is what it’s about.
“It-it’s fine.” We look towards Chen. “I can find somewhere else to live. I’ll just-” His mouth opens and closes twice as he flounders for an excuse.
“You’ll what?” I look directly at him. “Sleep on the streets?”
“I-I.”
“Come live with me.”
“What? But-“
“Come on.” I sigh and grit my teeth before turning to Josh. “ I’ll see you in class. Chen and I will head over to the apartment now.
Josh beams. “I knew you were my best bud!” I roll my eyes and stride out, leaving Chen to catch up with me. As soon as he does, I start speaking.
“Josh is right, my apartment’s fairly large and it has two bedrooms so it’s convenient in that sense. The rent also isn’t bad so if we split, it’s about…”
“Wait!” He grabs the edge of my shirt, I turn to face him.
“Are you really okay with this?”
“Your apartment burned down right?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t really have anywhere else to go?”
“…Yeah.”
“Well then what other choice do we have?”
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“We?”
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“They may be based in New York but they have an office here, that’s where I’ll be working.”
“…oh.” His face is beet red, I quirk a smile.
“Well, let’s go home roommate.”
Five minutes into the drive it’s silent. My left foot rhythmically taps the floor of the car as I contemplate what compelled me, the most pedantic, cautious, and sensible individual, to make such an impulsive decision. Despite all my bluster about not being a cold robot, the fact remains that I probably wouldn’t be doing this for just anyone. So why him?
I’m literally letting a random guy live in my apartment, my space. It’s true I did say I wanted a roommate. However, that comment was spurred on by Josh’s exaggerated exploits of the adventures of his own dorm life. And I may or may not have had too much to drink that night when I said it.
True, the rent is pretty high for my apartment. However, once I start my new job that shouldn’t be a problem at all. So why am I doing this? I glance back at Chen through the rearview mirror, his gaze is downcast, focused on his fingers as they fiddle. The sunlight streaming in through the car window gives him a halo like feel. The whole image has a melancholic mood to it. Tch! What are you getting sentimental for Ram?
I roll my eyes, then turn my gaze back to the front. Forget it, it shouldn’t be for long. I’ll figure something out. But for now, let’s see if we can get rid of this awkwardness.
“Hey, Chen.”
“Yeah?”
“So…what exactly happened with your apartment?”
“Well…I think someone left their stove on and…well, they managed to put it out in time so there weren’t any deaths, just some injuries. But about 50 people had to relocate…”
“Including you?”
“Yeah.”
“Were you there at the time?” He looks up.
“No, I was out.”
“Oh, then your stuff?” I ask, eying his one backpack.
“All gone.” He says with a bitter smile. “Well…except my laptop and textbooks. I had them with me.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah.” He sighs.
Five minutes later we arrive at the complex and head inside. I give him a basic tour of the rooms.
“So…this is my apartment.”
“Wow, it’s huge.” He says. I scratch the back of my head.
“I wouldn’t say huge but it is on the bigger side.” I point to the two rooms at the back.
“That’s my bedroom, and this is where you’ll be staying.” Chen slips inside and sets his backpack down. A few moments later, he plods out of the room.
“So for meals, I usually just eat out. if I have time, I’ll cook a little.”
“You can cook?”
“Just some Indian food. How are you with spice?”
“You’ll cook for me?”
“Well, I mean we are roommates. Anyway, what’s your spice tolerance?”
“Oh! I don’t really know…?”
“Do you not eat a lot of spicy food?” His eyes shift to the side and his face turns faintly pink.
“I usually just grab a banana or something.” I stare at him.
“Do you even eat?”
“I do! I eat salads.”
“With what?”
“Just a salad, with lettuce”. I eye his thin, slender frame.
“You’re never going to put on any muscle like that man.” He awkwardly shifts away. I sigh.
“Okay.”
“Huh?”
“I’m going to cook tonight, to celebrate you moving in.” His eyes alight.
“Really?”
“Yup, now let me just check that I have everything…” I open one of the top shelves and pull out a spice rack. “I’m short on cumin and mustard seeds. I’ll make a quick stop by the grocery store to buy them. Do you want to come with me? You can buy any toiletries, clothes, and other things you’re missing on the way.”
“Yeah, sure.”
I grab my phone, keys, and we head out to the car. Ten minutes later we arrive at Worldwide Markets.
“I’ve never been here before,” Chen says. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye as I pull into a parking spot.
“They have a really diverse array of items. They especially have ingredients and produce commonly used in a variety of Asian cuisines.”
We enter the store and I make for the spices. I also grab a couple chilis, taking care to select smooth ones. Throughout it all, Chen follows behind me like a baby chick.
“It’s really cool that you know how to cook all of this. Did someone teach you?”
“Oh, well not exactly.” I pause for a moment, glancing at Chen’s curious gaze. “When I was younger, my parents were frequently working so I spent a lot of time with my Grandmother, she used to take care of me. Most of my fondest memories of my childhood involve Grandma’s cooking. In the past few years she’s been-” my mind wanders again to the nasal cannulas and blinding hospital white – “sick, so I thought I’d learn to make some dishes for her.” I snap out of my reverie to meet Chen’s eyes. I blink in surprise. There’s a warmth in his focused gaze, “you must love her a lot.”
“Yeah, yeah I do.”
We spend around an hour shopping, coming home with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chilis, toiletries and clothes for Chen, and a few additional items. I involuntarily chuckle as I watch Chen eying the strawberries in the car.
“You must really love strawberries, huh?”
“Well they’re delicious! How can you not love them?” Then he pouts. “But I always buy them, forget they’re there, then they grow fungus.” This surprises another chuckle out of me.
“How can you just forget about them? You have to see them when you look in the fridge right?”
“Well…” he fidgets then replies with an embarrassed chuckle. “Sometimes when I’m writing…I tend to forget about the world around me.”
I pull the car into the lot, then turn to face him. “But you have to eat at meal times right?”
“Well…I have chips…” Oh boy.
“For a whole day?”
“I….” I shake my head with a resigned sigh.
“Tch, tch, tch, you sound like a kid. Come on, let me show you what a proper dinner is like.”
“Hey!”
Laughing, I grab the bags and head inside.
Thanks for the chapter!!
I’m loving the interactions! Chen just sounds so cute!