'Originally a script for GWA by Me'
"Hey! I'm home!" Emma called out cheerfully as she walked through the door. She kicked off her shoes and tossed them to the side before heading further inside.
The twenty-three-year-old had recently moved into a new place with her friend and now roommate, Michael. She was initially hesitant about the idea of rooming with a guy, even if it was her best friend. Not that she was worried that Michael would do anything, she trusted him more than anyone.
She and Michael had a very platonic relationship over the years. They met back in high school and became fast friends. Many of their friends incorrectly assumed that Emma would end up dating him but Michael wasn't her type. The two were friends, nothing more. Michael had never tried to come on to her and at this point, the very idea of it was absurd.
So when Michael suggested that they should get an apartment together, she was worried that sharing an apartment would open a new dynamic to their relationship that Emma was not interested in exploring. Being in such close proximity to each other, every day of the week would be a new experience for her. Plus she was aware of some of the more irritating habits of boys but Michael was able to ease her concerns and convince her to go for it.
"We should live together, that's just what friends do."
Emma wasn't sure why those words resonated with her so well but he did have a point.
They had now been living together for almost a year and thankfully all of her worries proved to be wrong. They had respectable boundaries for each other and their friendship had never been stronger. She never felt awkward or unwelcome in her own home and while Michael could sometimes be seen as a 'lazy roommate' when it came to cleaning up, he remained a good friend.
"How was your day?" Emma asked as she approached Michael, "Did you spend it all on the couch again?" Michael responded with a tired shrug, not even turning his head from the TV to acknowledge her. "You really need to get out once in a while, So lazy."
Emma shook her head but couldn't help but smile. This was a standard weekend for him, Michael was an introvert through and through. Emma couldn't relate to his chosen lifestyle but at this point, she was used to it and expected it of him. The man would go days, sometimes weeks without leaving the house. Shopping and working were the only exceptions.
"You know, a 'kind' roommate would of at least cleaned the house if he was gonna be home all day." She teased, eyeing the stack of plates that had been piled on the table next to him.
"Yeah but you always clean up after me," Michael joked back, "That's just what friends do."
Emma figured he had a point, if he cleaned up it wouldn't be done to her standard, it was better when she did it all.
"At least he kept his mess organised." Emma thought to herself, thankful that her lazy roommate was able to keep all the dishes together, he had the annoying habit of leaving cups and mugs all over the place, it took months for Emma to 'train him' to collect his dishes, mostly by chastising him until he did it.
Michael got up from his slouched position on the couch, turning towards Emma. He smiled as she approached but tensed as she grew closer, grabbing the remote to pause whatever movie he was in the middle of.
"The poor guy is already anticipating my barrage of words." She continued thinking, it was practically a tradition at this point, every time Emma had a big day out she would end the day by telling Michael all about it.
She felt bad for interrupting his personal time but not enough to stop. He might be an introvert, but Emma sure as hell wasn't and she was going to tell her best friend about her day whether he wanted to hear or not.
Thankfully Michael was also used to living with her, so he was mentally prepared to engage with her. Her 'story time' had become so common, that he was already to stand, well sit, at attention. In the past, Emma would 'ambush' him at any hour of the day just to tell her all about what she was up to. Eventually, it got to a point where Michael would avoid her. Now that they were living together they had a system. Emma would only 'ambush' him once per day and only when they were in the living room.
It became their designated 'story time.' An agreed-upon event that they took part in to compromise between their two personalities because 'that's just what friends do.'
This was why their friendship was so strong.
"How was your day?" He said, sitting up straight on the couch. He was genuinely happy to see her and had gotten very good at listening to her. Listening being the key factor as Emma would usually be the one talking the entire time.
"My day?" Emma thought out loud, before letting out a sigh, "Where do I begin?"
She broke off into another big smile, she had a story to tell Michael, today had been wild, full of ups and downs. She was dying to tell somebody about it.
"Hold on, let me get out these clothes and I'll tell you." She continued casually, taking off her jacket and placing it neatly on a chair. "So I caught up with my boyfriend for lunch. Nothing fancy, just at that cafe in the city."
She began to tell her story, as she spoke, Emma pulled up her shirt before discarding it onto the floor. She'd pick it up after she was done. Neither she nor Michael reacted to her casual stripping beyond Michael enjoying an eyeful of her cleavage held by her bra.
"The food was alright, a bit overpriced. I was expecting something more for the price they were asking for, y'know?"
Emma walked between Michael and the TV just in case he decided to try and watch his movie again. Not that he would dare, Michael was a good listener, always aware and focused on her, currently, he was more focused on her legs as she pulled off her jeans but that was still her.
"Then he suggested we-" Emma cut her sentence short as she spied a quick eye-roll from Michael. While he was usually an attentive listener, he did have the annoying habit of shutting down whenever she spoke about her boyfriend.
Emma had been in a relationship for the past three months and Michael did not like the guy. She hardly knew why as they had barely interacted. Someone else might have thought Michael to be jealous but Emma knew better. Michael wasn't like that.
"Don't roll your eyes at me." She chided, more playfully than annoyed. "I don't understand why you don't like him. You've met the guy only like, once."
Michael let out a dismissive sigh, waving his hands to get Emma to continue with her story.
"I happen to think you two would get along if you just talked."
"Nah, I'm good..." Michael responded, he really had no interest in meeting the man, Emma doubted that he even knew his name.
"Anyway..." She continued, a little more excited now as her bra fell to the floor. "Then he suggested we go for a walk."
"Turns out that this was his plan as we walked towards this, this..." Emma struggled to think of the right word, she eventually gave up as she removed the last item of her clothing. Standing bare before her roommate. There was nothing odd about it, being naked was just what friends did. "I don't know, this street festival thing."
"Uh? Can I sit in my usual spot?" She pointed towards Michael.
She had a habit of always sitting in the same place when they talked and Emma wasn't going to change tradition today.
