Chapter 1: The First Night: A Whispered Reassurance
The fluorescent light buzzed overhead, casting a sickly yellow-green pall over the cramped dorm room. Boxes were stacked haphazardly against the cinderblock walls, as neither I nor Liam had finished unpacking yet. The air was stale and smelled of dust, and the sharp tang of new plastic from unpacked belongings. This room probably hadn't been used since last semester.
Charlie perched on the very edge of her narrow twin bed, the metal frame groaning softly. Her fingers twisted the hem of her oversized sweatshirt. Across the scant three feet separating the beds, Liam was sprawled on his stomach on his own bed, intensely focused on a laptop balanced precariously on a pillow. The rhythmic click-clack of keys and the tinny sounds of battle leaking from his headphones filled the small space.
Both had arrived and their new dorm room earlier this afternoon much to my surprise as I had not expected to be matched up with a boy. Turns out there was some mix up and I had been placed in the boys dormantory. After several frantic phone calls with the College's registrar office it turns out I screwed up filling out some forms and since I used my nickname Charlie rather than me actual name Charlotte nobody noticed the error. All the dorms were full so there was nothing they could do.
Liam and I decided to try and do our best to make it work. He seemed like a nice guy and a bit of nerd which I thought would be easier to live with than some jock who described himself as alpha.
He glanced up, pushing his dark hair off his forehead. "Hey. Are you ok?" He offered a small, easy smile, his eyes returning briefly to his screen where tiny figures clashed.
"I'm good. Thanks." Charlie’s voice came out tighter than intended. She busied herself meticulously arranging three notebooks on the corner of her empty desk. Alphabetical order. She was getting tired and hadn't figured out how she was going to get changed for bed.
"Cool, cool." Liam mashed a key with finality. "And relax, seriously. We will be ok." He ripped open a bag of cheese puffs, scattering a few bright orange crumbs onto his dark blue comforter. He offered the bag towards Charlie. "Snack?"
Charlie shook her head quickly. "No, thank you." The thought of eating felt impossible. Her heart was doing a frantic drum solo against her ribs. Sharing a room with a guy was one thing. Having to share the bathroom and showers was a whole different problem.
She stood abruptly, needing movement. Or maybe just needing to not be sitting directly in his line of sight. She opened the suitcase lying at the foot of her bed. Clothes, folded with precision. She lifted out a toiletry bag and headed towards the tiny sink crammed into the corner between the dressers. The cold porcelain felt grounding under her palms.
Liam watched her reflection in the mirror above the sink as she carefully placed her toothbrush and toothpaste down. "So," he said, pausing his game, the sudden silence in the headphones making his voice seem louder. "What's your poison? Arts? Sciences? Business? I don't think you told me your major" He grinned, popping another cheese puff.
"Pre-med," Charlie answered, focusing intently on lining the toothbrush parallel to the edge of the sink.
"Whoa. Serious business." Liam wiped orange dust off his fingers onto his jeans. "I’m comp-sci, mostly." He gestured vaguely at his laptop. "You game?"
"Not really." She stared at the toothpaste as if it were a foreign object.
"Okay. Well, you know, you don't have to be so nervous," he said softly, his voice cutting through the low drone of the fluorescent light and the distant music. "We'll figure it out." He settled back onto his bed, pulling his headphones on. The soft click-clack of keys resumed.
I glanced at my bed, then back at Liam, absorbed in his digital world. The size of the small room pressed in – the proximity of their beds, the shared air, the sheer impossibility of real privacy. Fear was there, a familiar thrum beneath my ribs.
Taking a shaky breath, I finally picked up the toothbrush and put some paste on the end. I risked another look at Liam as I brought the brush to my mouth. His brow was furrowed in concentration at the screen - he seemed… safe. For now.
I rinsed, wiped my mouth, and turned off the overhead light, plunging the room into gloom lit only by the flickering glow of Liam’s laptop screen and the soft light from the bedside lamp. Moving quietly, I crossed the short distance and gingerly climbed into her narrow bed. The springs creaked a protest. She pulled the thin, institutional blanket up to her chin, the fabric scratchy against her skin.
Lying rigidly on her side, facing the wall, she could still sense him. The rhythmic tapping of keys. The occasional soft sigh. The faint glow reflecting off the cinderblocks. The scent of cheese puffs and laundry detergent.
Her heart hammered against the mattress, a frantic counterpoint to the steady rhythm of Liam’s typing. Fear and thrill tangled together, inseparable. Sharing close quarters. Sharing the silence. Sharing the unknown. The fluorescent light might be off, but the buzzing had just moved inside her chest. Tomorrow stretched ahead, vast and uncharted. She closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of his presence just feet away. Click. Clack. Click. Clack. What now?