Room For One More Ch 01 1

The first thing Natalie did was clear out the guest room closet. Not that it was overflowing--just a few suitcases, an old space heater, and a pile of boots she hadn't worn since before the divorce. But the act of folding, lifting, and tucking things away made it real. Her fingers paused on a soft knit throw, brushing it, unable to deny memories that came with it from her old home. A previous life.

The coming reality felt more real with every empty hanger. She didn't regret saying yes. Lisa had sounded so grateful, so relieved. "The dorms are just making the cost of college so much more expensive," she'd said. "He just needs somewhere stable to live and study." And Natalie could use the help. Sure, she didn't

need

a two bedroom, but it was originally supposed to be a home office-guestroom combo, but the office never really got used. Neither did it get used as a guest room. The only person that'd come to stay was Lisa, and those visits were few and far between. The new city, the rent, and the soft panic of watching her savings thin out while she waited for a promotion that may never come, meant the modest monthly payment they'd agreed on wasn't nothing.

But still. A 20-year-old. A boy. A man?

She leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, staring at the freshly made bed. The sheets were new. So were the towels. She'd even swapped out the nightstand lamp for something a little more masculine--not that she thought he'd care. But something about sharing space again made her suddenly, irrationally aware of the details. The angles. The proximity.

She hadn't lived with a young man since she was in her twenties--newly married, hopeful, trying to build something solid. That had been a long time ago. She was 32 now, divorced, and focused on work. Trying to rebuild in a new city, in a new apartment, with a new routine she was only just getting used to. Yoga before work, late nights at the office to show her commitment, finished up with wine and reruns until her brain slowed down.

She moved through the apartment like she was expecting a guest, even though it would be

his

home, too--at least for a little while. She scrubbed the stove, rearranged the contents of the fridge, bought an extra towel set. Not for him, exactly. Just... because.

But now? She wasn't sure what to expect.

She remembered the last time she saw him, barely seventeen, all awkward shoulders and posture, and shaggy hair. Lisa said he'd grown up, that he'd filled out. "You'll be impressed," she'd said with a wink, half-joking, not knowing how strange that would land. Natalie had laughed it off, but it lingered. She wasn't expecting

him

. She was expecting company, noise, a warm body in the hall. Someone to fill the silence she only recently realized was becoming overwhelming and a constant throughout the house. At first it was welcome, in contrast her to the fights her marriage had turned into. But lately, it seemed ever-present and lonely.

She walked to the kitchen, opened the fridge, then shut it again without taking anything. She already felt the shift, and he hadn't even arrived yet. It would be nice to have someone around again. She told herself that. Repeated it. Just... she wouldn't have expected that someone to be a 20-year-old man.

Heading back to the guest room, more out of an anxious energy than anything else, she sat on the edge of the bed and let out a breath.

"I can handle this," she said aloud. "It's just someone to share the space."

But even as she said it, her eyes drifted to the hallway--where the closed door to her bedroom suddenly felt just a little too close to his.

This wasn't just a week or two. Lisa had said

through college

. Suddenly that felt so undefined. Did that mean? Two years? Would he be expecting to stay here if went for his masters? Aiden would come and go, sure--classes, internships--but the reality was he'd be

living

here. In her quiet, post-divorce space that she had finally, finally made her own.

She was used to hearing only her own footsteps. To dancing barefoot through the kitchen with wine and music. To not worrying about someone else hearing her cry in the shower. That life was starting to feel normal.

And now she was about to share it with the 20-year-old

child

of her best friend. One who, if she was honest, she barely ever knew in the first place.

Still... it would be nice to have someone around again. Even if it wasn't someone she would've expected.

"I can handle this," she said aloud. "It's temporary." Suddenly she wasn't sure if she believed that--especially not after her conversation with Lisa on the phone last night.

--------------

"Seriously, Nat, you're a lifesaver."

Lisa's voice crackled slightly through the speakerphone as Natalie placed a pair of folded towels at the foot of the bed.

"I owe you big time for this," Lisa said.

"You say that like I'm not still trying to convince myself it's a good idea," Natalie replied, smoothing the fabric unnecessarily.

Lisa chuckled. "He's not high-maintenance, I swear. You might even forget he's there."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Natalie muttered. "Then I'll walk into the kitchen in my robe, or less, and scare the hell out of both of us."

Lisa laughed. "You're going to get along better than you think."

Natalie paused. "I haven't lived with anyone in a while."

"Since the ex?"

"Yeah." She tugged at a loose thread on the comforter. "It's been kind of... nice. Quiet."

Lisa didn't say anything for a moment. "Well, it's not like Aiden's going to disrupt your whole world."

"Mm." Natalie made a noncommittal noise, then added, "I just didn't think the next person I'd live with would be your son."

"He's not a kid anymore," Lisa said, with a tone that was almost teasing. "You'll see."

"I'm not looking," Natalie shot back, more quickly than she meant to.

"Didn't say you were," Lisa replied, lightly. Then, after a moment: "He always thought you were kind of intimidating, you know."

Natalie raised an eyebrow. "I was twenty-five and working eighty-hour weeks when he met me. I think I barely looked up from my phone."

"He still remembers."

That made Natalie pause, but she kept her tone casual. "Well, I hope I don't scare him off this time."

"He's not that easily scared anymore."

There was something in Lisa's voice that Natalie couldn't quite pin down--pride, maybe, or something else.

"I'll keep him in line," Natalie said. "As long as you don't start calling me his second mom."

Lisa laughed again. "You? Please. Actually, now that you mention it, he'd probably listen to you more than he listens to me."

Another pause, just slightly too long.

"You sure this won't be weird?" Natalie asked.

There was a lightness in Lisa's reply. "Would it be the first time something was a little weird between us?"

Natalie didn't answer right away. She reached for her glass of wine and took a slow sip.

"I think we'll manage."

"I know you will," Lisa said, softer now. "You always do. You nervous?"

"A little."

"You excited?"

Natalie smirked. "Don't push it."

Lisa laughed. "Okay, okay. I'll stop. Just be nice to him, will you?"

"I will," Natalie said. "But I'm not making him muffins."

Lisa paused. "You're totally making muffins, aren't you?"

Natalie sighed. "They're banana nut. Don't judge me."

"Oh, I'm judging. But also--I'm touched."

Another small pause settled between them, quieter now.

Lisa paused. "Crazy, isn't it? When we met in that hot yoga class seven years ago, I never would've guessed my son would end up living with you."

Natalie let out a soft breath. "Yeah... that definitely wasn't on my bingo card."

Lisa's voice softened. "Honestly, I would've expected me to live with you before Aiden ever did."

Natalie blinked, caught off guard. She gave a small laugh, unsure how else to respond. "Well... you probably would've been better at folding the towels."

Lisa laughed with her--easily, but not without weight. "Maybe. But I definitely wouldn't stay out of your wine stash." A brief silence passed again--light, but not empty.

"Weird, huh?" Lisa said.

"Weirds one word for it." Another pause. Familiar. Not uncomfortable, but layered.

"Anyway," Lisa said, slipping back into her usual rhythm, "you'll be great."

"I'll manage," Natalie replied. "I usually do."

"I know," Lisa said, quieter now. "Night, Nat."

"Night, Lis."

--------------

The next morning, Natalie stood by the window with a cooling cup of coffee in her hand, watching as a silver sedan eased into the lot below. She hadn't slept much--not out of anxiety, exactly, but from a restless awareness that the quiet rhythm of her home was about to change.

She spotted Lisa as soon as the car parked. Her friend stepped out with a quick glance upward, giving a wave even though she couldn't possibly see Natalie through the tinted glass and reflection of the world outside. She knew Natalie well enough to know that she'd be watching for them though. A moment later, Aiden emerged from the passenger side, taller than she remembered and more filled out. He moved with the loose, casual energy of someone comfortable in his own skin, slinging a duffel bag over his shoulder and grabbing a suitcase from the back seat.

Natalie's stomach gave a small, involuntary twist.

That wasn't the awkward teen she remembered from holidays and backyard barbecues. That was... something else entirely. She wasn't sure what she'd expected--maybe someone younger-looking, more boyish--but the man stepping onto the curb looked completely at ease with himself in a way that made her suddenly feel off-balance.

She turned from the window and set her mug down, brushing her hands over her jeans as if that would settle her nerves. It was time to open the door, make polite conversation, and act like she hadn't spent the last twenty-four hours trying to convince herself this was a perfectly normal arrangement.

Before leaving the room, she took one last look around the guest room, smoothed the edge of the comforter, then moved to the kitchen to pour herself some water she didn't really want. The sun had shifted by the time she heard the buzz from the front door. She glanced at the clock--ten after four.

Showtime.

Natalie opened the door just as Lisa lifted her hand to knock.

"There she is," Lisa said with a grin, stepping in for a brief hug. "Told you we'd make it before dinner time."

Natalie returned the hug, then looked past her to Aiden. He lingered a step back, shoulders relaxed, duffel slung over one side.

Stepping aside to let them in, she said, "Well, come on in. Don't just stand there, come in."

He stepped through the doorway behind his mom with a polite nod and a quick glance around. The last time Natalie had seen him, he'd been all sharp elbows and shaggy hair, slouched in a hoodie two sizes too big. Now, his posture was straighter, movements calmer, like he'd settled into himself. Still quiet, but no longer unsure.

Natalie shut the door behind them and gestured toward the hallway. "Your room's the first on the right. Closet's cleared out and extra towels are on the bed."

"Thanks," Aiden said, offering a brief smile before heading down the hall with his duffel over one shoulder and his suitcase trailing behind him. His footsteps were light, almost cautious.

Lisa followed her into the kitchen like it was still familiar territory, opening a cabinet uninvited and grabbing two glasses. "You're not going to freak out and kick him out after a week, are you?"

Natalie raised an eyebrow. "Not unless he starts blasting music at 2 a.m. or leaves beard trimmings in the sink."

Lisa smirked. "He's not a slob. And he keeps to himself. Honestly, you'll probably forget he's here most of the time."

Natalie leaned against the counter, arms crossed loosely. "I doubt that. It already feels different."

"Good different or bad different?"

She didn't answer right away. "Just... not mine anymore. The space. The routine. It's going to take a minute."

Lisa nodded, surprisingly understanding. "I get it. You've been solo for what, a year now?"

"Just over."

"Well, he's not going to take over your world," Lisa said, grabbing her glass of water and giving Natalie a pointed look. "He just needs a place to sleep, study, and occasionally eat all your cereal."

Natalie huffed a soft laugh. "I don't even eat cereal."

"Then you're already that much safer from his never-ending hunger."

Before Natalie could respond, Aiden reemerged from the hallway. He'd dropped his bags off and was now taking in the apartment with more focus--his eyes scanning the layout, the framed prints on the walls, the neat stack of books on the console table.

"It looks really nice in here," he said.

Natalie gave a modest shrug. "It's still coming together."

"I like it," he added.

Natalie gave a small smile, brushing her hand down the side of her jeans. "Thanks. It's a work in progress."

Lisa looked between them, then clapped her hands together. "All right, troops. He's still got a few boxes in the trunk. Let's get it all in before the afternoon heat turns ugly."

Natalie grabbed her keys off the counter. "Lead the way."

They filed out together--Natalie locking the door behind her, Lisa chatting like always, and Aiden bringing up the rear, quietly scanning the hallway as they walked. The apartment was nicer than anything he was used to. Cleaner. More put together. Not like the dorms, where towels were always damp and your neighbors either slammed doors or played guitar badly at midnight.

This place had structure. It felt like someone actually

lived

here--and not in the half-hearted way college students pretended to. That made him feel... out of place. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to fit into that.

As they stepped outside, the midday heat rolled in fast. Lisa popped the trunk of her car and motioned toward the back.

"There's your last two," she said. "One of you grab the box, the other grab the bin."

"I got it," Aiden said quickly, reaching for both before Natalie could move.

"Don't throw your back out trying to impress me," she said.

"I'm not," he muttered, adjusting the grip on the awkward plastic bin. It wasn't heavy, just bulky.

Lisa opened the building door for them, and he followed Natalie in, trying not to focus too much on the scrape of her sandals on the tile or the fact that he was eyelevel with her ass, as they walked up the stairs.

This whole thing still felt strange. He'd spent the last two years crammed into shared spaces with guys who barely knew how to run a microwave, and now here he was--off campus, living with his mom's friend, a woman he barely even knew anything about. He didn't even know how old she actually was. Thirty... something? She didn't look it, but she acted like it. He was used to living with people he didn't know. That comes with dorm life. But he didn't know how to live with a woman--not a girl, but a woman--that wasn't his mom. This was new. All of it. And he wasn't sure yet how he was supposed to act.

It was already a different world, and he hadn't even unpacked yet.

When they got back to the apartment, he dropped his things by the wall in his room, then returned to find Natalie and his mom in the kitchen, already opening drawers and debating whether the mugs were too high up.

"It'll be fun staying the night, right?" Lisa asked, turning toward Natalie. "Just like old times! One last night of freedom for you before the kid takes over."

Natalie gave her a dry look. "You're staying in my bed. He's the one with the door. How is that

my

last night of freedom?"

Lisa waved her off. "Details."

Aiden hesitated just past the doorway, unsure whether to linger or leave them to whatever they were doing. They clearly had a rhythm--shared stories, inside jokes--and he wasn't part of that. Not yet. Probably not ever.

He cleared his throat lightly. "I'm gonna, uh... finish unpacking."

"Need help?" Lisa asked, half-turning.

"I'm good," he said, already backing down the hall.

He shut the door behind him, sat on the edge of the bed, and stared at the bin he'd just carried up. The room was nice. Too nice. Clean, quiet, and... adult. This wasn't going to feel like college. Not even close.

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands loosely clasped. The bin sat unopened in front of him. He knew exactly what was in it--chargers, notebooks, a couple of extension cords, and a hoodie he hadn't worn since winter break--but suddenly, unpacking felt like something he needed to work up to.

Everything in the room felt intentional. The bed was already made, the towels folded, and there was even a small dish of spare toiletries on the dresser, like he was checking into some kind of Airbnb. It wasn't bad--far from it--but it felt foreign. Quiet in a way he wasn't used to. No background noise. No random yelling through paper-thin dorm walls. No roommate clomping around in flip-flops at midnight. Just... calm. And that made him realize how much he'd relied on noise to distract himself from actually thinking.

He stood, opened the bin, and started pulling things out one by one, placing them in drawers that were too empty and too clean. It didn't take long. He didn't have much. By the time he was zipping up the empty duffel bag, he could hear faint laughter coming from the kitchen--his mom's voice, then Natalie's. He couldn't make out the words, but the flow of it seemed like it was familiar between them. Comfortable. Like it was just a continuation of some past life they had together before he showed up. He wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse.

Aiden sat back down on the edge of the bed, resting his forearms on his thighs. This wasn't going to be like dorm life. It wasn't going to be like anything he'd done before. Natalie wasn't just some stranger off a roommate board--she was his mom's friend. Sharp, professional, polite. And he was crashing in her home for the foreseeable future.

He exhaled through his nose, then stood again, mostly just to move. The idea of staying in here all evening felt weird, but barging into the kitchen mid-laughter felt weirder. After a moment, he opened the door and wandered toward the living room. At the very least, he figured he should pretend not to be hiding.

Natalie leaned against the kitchen island, half-listening as Lisa recounted the woman who came in mortified, asking for help removing a decorative wine stopper she'd mistaken for something sturdier during a moment of... experimentation. It was classic Lisa--half absurd, half hilarious--and Natalie found herself smiling, even though her attention drifted every few seconds.

She heard the soft click of the bedroom door down the hall. The sound barely registered, but it tugged her focus just the same. It was a sound she didn't cause. A sound from someone who was now going to be inhabiting her space. Aiden's room was across the hall from hers--close enough to matter, but not right on top of each other. It had seemed like a logical setup when she offered it. Now it just felt... noticeably close.

A moment later, he reappeared, pausing at the edge of the kitchen like he wasn't sure whether to come in or wait to be invited.

"Survived the unpacking?" Natalie asked, keeping her tone casual.

"Mostly," he said. "Still figuring out where to put stuff."

"You'll figure it out. The drawers aren't that deep--can't leave you with too many options."

He gave a quick smile and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He wasn't hovering, exactly--but there was a quiet hesitation in how he held himself, like he was still finding his place in the room.

"Can't help it," he said after a beat. "I'm in school for architecture. Making things fit is kind of... hardwired."