Headphones in and sun out, Alex was oblivious to anything around him as he blissfully made the routine walk from the basketball courts to his apartment complex. Several nice suburbs lay east of the main road that cut through town, and just on the other side of the strip mall opposing the neighborhoods, stood a small apartment complex. It was quite nice, and to Alex's benefit, it was close to campus. He knew the owner of the building and made out like a bandit, only having to pay half price for a two bedroom apartment that was far more luxurious than he could have afforded anywhere else. After walking home from the courts dozens of times, he didn't notice any of the minute details of the walk home. This time, he arrived back to the building to a surprise. His landlord was bent over the front of a police car, handcuffs around his wrists, and being read his rights.
A few days later, an email was sent out to all of the tenants of the newly renovated, white building. Someone new had bought the building, and they would be raising rent by twenty percent. Alex was in school and had a student job, but he could not afford an apartment at increased, not to mention full, rates. So, he put out a few ads on online forums:
In need of a roommate
Two bedroom one bath
Smoker friendly
He also left his phone number for people to contact him. He only had two weeks to find someone or he would have to move somewhere cheaper. At this point, it didn't even really matter who it was. Alex was a friendly guy, and quite easy to get along with. He didn't make much of a mess and was willing to cooperate with most demands. He had a girlfriend who often spent the night, but that's why they had their own rooms after all.
Two days passed and no message, but on the third day, his phone lit up early in the morning. When he woke up around 7:30 to begin the day, he rolled over and found the message. His heart fluttered for a brief second, maybe, just maybe, he could stay in his luxury apartment. If his relationship with Talia was more serious, he probably would have moved in with her, but they had only been dating a few months. The screen was bright and illuminated his face in the shy lighting of the morning.
Hi! My friend and I are in need of a place near campus and we wouldn't mind sharing a room if you are still looking for a roommate. Please let us know and we can arrange to meet up and get to know each other first!
He read it twice. Two people had not been what he expected, but he had the room, and certainly wouldn't mind having an extra hand to help with housekeeping and such. He quickly responded.
Hey, sounds good to me, I can meet for lunch today if that works for you?
They responded quickly.
Great! How ab noon at Mark's Midtown?
He liked the message and began his morning routine, curious as to who he would be meeting at the coney island. The rest of the morning was filled with a brief workout and cleaning the apartment. He was fit, but not shredded. Mainly, he teetered on the fence of skinny and lean, which at a meager 5' 6" made him quite unintimidating, but his confidence kept him in the game with girls.
Lunch time eventually rolled around and he sat in the corner booth of a mostly empty coney island. Like every coney island to ever exist, a woman with reddish hair in her 50's came by to take his order and he asked for three coffees. He sipped his subpar caffeine filled drink and scrolled mindlessly through social media, awaiting his guests. Each time the door opened, which was not very often, he quickly shut his phone and looked up to the door. Around 12:15, the bell rang to announce a new customer once more, and Alex darted his eyes toward the door. Standing in the doorway were two women, gorgeous and quite obviously aware of it. They wore black leggings to show off their long, slender legs, and they each had a tight shirt on, one a light blue and one black. The blonde had blue eyes that lit up the room and contrasted her golden skin, and the brunette had large brown anime eyes that drew everyone's attention.
The two girls scanned the room and found Alex, alone in a corner booth, sporting three coffees and ogling the both of them. They headed towards him and he noticed how tall both of them were, at least 5'10" each. They slid into the booth and the brunette promptly spoke, "I assume you're Alex, the one looking for roommates?"
His heart pounded and his blood rushed through his body, no way had he gotten this lucky. He stammered out a meek "yes" before she continued speaking.