For the first time since I started sharing that room with Dosu, it was quiet. And honestly, it felt like a gift. Most days, it was either noisy or messy, but today was different. So I lay on my bed and let my mind rest for a few minutes.
I was still in my practice clothes, stretched out on top of the covers, one arm over my eyes. My hands hurt. We had three long hours of taping practice, working on real athletes, and Professor Reeves had only stopped us when he felt we'd done enough.
I flexed my fingers, and one cracked, like it still remembered the strain. Not just my fingers, my whole body felt worn out.
I should have gotten up. Taken a shower. Eaten something before he came back. But I didn't. I just lay there, tired.
Then the door opened.
I didn't move. I already knew it was him just from the way he came in. Dosu never entered quietly like a normal roommate should, his footsteps were too heavy I wondered if he came from the family of Hulk, he dropped his things without care, and lets out this long breath like he was finally done for the day, and everytime, he'd kick off his sneakers across the floor.
I didn't say anything. He didn't either. That was how it had been for a while.
For about a minute, the only sounds were him moving around, his clothes shifting, keys hitting the desk, his phone buzzing twice before he ignored it. Normal sounds, but somehow annoying, just because they were his.
Then it went quiet again, which felt strange. Usually, by then, one of us would have said something to annoy the other, maybe a comment about the mess, or moving something, or stepping into that small space we both pretended divided the room. But that day, nothing. And I let it be. I was too tired for it.
He just sat there, and I heard the bed creak as he leaned back.
I moved my arm away from my eyes.
He was lying there, one hand behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Still in his practice kit, the university logo on his shirt, socks pushed down to his ankles. His blond hair was slightly damp, practice must have run late.
He didn't look at me.
And somehow, that bothered me more than if he had.
I sat up, swung my legs off the bed, and grabbed my laptop. I opened my notes, but I kept reading the same line over and over without understanding it.
"You are doing that thing," Dosu said.
I didn't look up. I was just enjoying the silence. Oh, God. "What thing?"
"That thing where you stare at your screen like that."
"I was studying. What did you expect?"
He let out a short laugh. "You weren't studying. You hadn't typed anything."
I shut the laptop and turned slowly in my chair to face him. He still didn't move, still staring at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing in the room. So how did he even noticed what I was doing?
My eyes drifted for a second, the line of his throat, the steady rise and fall of his chest and then I quickly looked away before I thought too much about it. Why was I even been looking at that?
"Did you need something?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or were you just commenting on everything I did for fun?"
"Just saying what I see."
"Then keep it to yourself, bro."
He finally turned his head and looked at me. His expression way hard to read, not empty, just… hard to read, like he decided not to show much.
"Rough day?" he asked.
I frowned at him. "Why?"
He shrugged one shoulder. "You've got that look."
"Again, I don't have a look."
"You do," he said. "Your jaw's tight, and you're breathing like someone annoyed you."
"Someone did," I replied. "You exist."
The corner of his mouth lifted a little. Not quite a smirk, which somehow made it worse. "That's not new. Something else happened."
I hated the fact that he was right. I hated that after three months of sharing a room and barely getting along, he could still read me. I never gave him that. I didn't agree to it.
"My partner for the assessment bailed," I said with a groan. Halfway through, I realized I was actually telling him. Maybe it was just easier than dodging the question. "It's thirty percent of the grade. Now I either have to beg to do it alone or find someone by Friday."
Dosu went mute for a moment. "That's rough," he said, clicking his mouth. I wait for more but it doesn't come.
See? Nothing useful. I feel stupid for even saying anything. "I don't need your sympathy."
"That wasn't sympathy," he said, sitting up now. "Just an observation. Not everything is about annoying you. Relax."
Something about the way he says it made me tense. "What are you now? The nice roommate?"
He lifted his hands slightly. "I'm just talking to you. There's a difference."
"Since when do we talk?"
He glanced around the room like he's looking for proof, then lets out a small laugh. "Since right now, I guess."
The room suddenly felt smaller. I was too aware of the space between us, the six or seven feet from my chair to his bed. Close enough to notice the tired look in his eyes.
I stood up before I could think about it.
"I'm going to shower," I said. Halfway through, I realized I didn't need to tell him that.
He watched me grab my towel. Something shifted in his expression. "Elisha."
I paused. He almost never saymy name. It was usually just a "hey" or nothing at all.
"So you know my name."
His eyebrows shoot up. "You think I didn't? Your name is Elisha."
I just nod. "Okay. What?"
He looks at me for a second. His jaw tightens slightly, like he was about to say something but changed his mind.
"Nothing," he said. "Forget it."
I stood there a moment longer than I should. That was… weird. Really weird.
Then I walked into the bathroom.