Chapter Text
Nunew groaned loudly as he tried to turn off the alarm on his phone indicating it was 7:00 in the morning, “just 10 more minutes of sleep” he mumbled to himself and was slowly drifting back to dreamland. Awakened by the blinding lights of the sun seeping through the window of his dorm room he tries to open his eyes and checks his phone which is now 8:15. He immediately stood up from his bed and bolts towards the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth.
It's his first day of college and he is running late for his 9 AM class. “Oh God, why did I sleep in after that alarm I set? I’ll be late for my first subject” currently scolding himself, he grabs the first sweater and faded jeans he sees from his closet and wears it hurriedly. 8:30, he gathers his things and dumps them on his backpack while running to the door to get out of his room. Good thing the school is only 15 minutes away from his dorm.
He’s half walking and half running to the campus gate just to get to his room on time. Thankfully he already had a tour of the campus during the orientation last week so he knows where the room is. He spots his room and gets inside, eyes roaming around to see if the teacher is already there. Thankfully the teacher isn't there yet, he spots a vacant chair and decides to settle on it as he catches his breath.
"Hi, I’m Nunew” he greets his seatmate, smiling brightly. “Im Nat, short for Natasit," says the other with a shy smile and offering a handshake. They were chatting and getting to know each other as soon as their professor came in. Starting his 3-hour lecture right away. Nunew and Nat are attentively listening to the teacher in front.
Nunew has always been interested in languages, especially Chinese, and that's why he decided to have this as his major. Whereas Nat is an English Major. They also found out that they almost have the same schedule except for their major subjects. After that 3-hour lecture, the two headed to the school cafeteria to have their lunch. Nunew is already starving since he had no time to eat breakfast earlier.
They lined up and ordered food for themselves. Nunew ordered some fried rice with pork and an omelet on the side while Nat got some Pad Thai. They also ordered mango sticky rice for them to share for their desserts. Spotting a vacant table, the two settled in and started to dig in.
“So where are you staying?” Nunew asked Nat while munching on his fried pork. “Oh, I still need to find my dorm room. I didn’t have the time to do that last week but my things are with my cousin, also a student here. Can you help me locate where the dorm is?” Nat replied and asked the other boy. “Sure, I can go with you after my 5 PM class”. The food hall is bustling with students eating their lunch.
As they are halfway through finishing their dessert, he hands his phone to Nat so he can get the other boys’ phone number and Nat does the same. “I'll text you as soon as my class is over,” says Nunew. After exchanging phone numbers, they stack their plates together practicing Clean As You Go and putting them in the designated area of used utensils. They bid goodbye to each other and went to their respective classrooms.
The rest of the afternoon seems pretty chill for Nunew. His classes ended on time and he sent a text to Nat.
Nunew:
Nat, my class is over and I’ll wait for you by the benches in front of our department building. Take your time. :)
He then received a reply from the other.
Nat:
Okay, I'll be out in a few minutes. I just need to take note of all the assignments our professor gives us. See you!
Nat spotted Nunew on one of the benches, bobbing his head and constantly tapping his fingers on his lap. Currently enjoying the music he is listening to. He taps the other man’s shoulder to catch his attention. “Oh, hi! I didn't notice you there” Nunew says to the other man while removing his earphones. “That’s because you are enjoying the song so much that you didn't notice me," replied Nat. “Let’s go, as far as I know, my dorm is the one across from our school - Building 1,” Nat said while they were walking out of the campus.
Nunew pauses and faces his friend who’s walking behind him. “Wait so your dorm is also on Building 1?” he asked the other man. “Yes, but I still need to check with the front desk what room number I am in."
“My room is in that building too,” Nunew said. They reached the building, and Nat went straight away to the front desk to check his room number. The attendant provided him with his room number and the keycard to it which happens to be room 613. He thanks the attendant and proceeds to the elevator where Nunew is waiting for him.
“Got my keycard and it's room 613”, Nat informed Nunew who was looking at him with wide eyes after the revelation. “Wait, that's my room too, so that means we're roommates Nat! What a coincidence, I'm glad you’re my roommate” Nunew says happily.
They reached their room and Nat is currently inspecting the entirety of it. Upon entering there's a cabinet on the left side which seems to be a storage for their shoes. A small kitchen area complete with basic utensils they needed. He also spots the cute dining table which for sure can only accommodate the two of them. A few steps from their dining space is the living room. In that living room, you can see a cozy two-seater sofa, a coffee table, and a TV mounted on the wall. The room is spacious enough for them to not bump into each other's shoulders but it has all they need.
After checking their common space, Nat then checks his room. It has a bed frame with a mattress, a small closet, and a study table, mentally noting what else he needed for his room. While Nat is busy checking his room, Nunew settles himself on the sofa scrolling through his IG account.
"So how do you find our place?” he asked the other male when he came out of the room. “It’s spacious enough for the two of us and pretty homey too though we may need some other stuff here. More importantly, I'm glad that you’re my roommate. It makes me comfortable.” Nat replied.
Nat decided to get his things from his cousin's place so that he can start to settle into his new space. Once he’s back Nunew offered to help him unpack his things. After everything has been unpacked they decide it's time to have dinner. They’re having chicken and pizza courtesy of Nat as thanks for helping him unpack. The two are happily eating their dinner while watching some random show on TV.
After dinner, they agreed to call it a night as both were tired from their first day and retreated to the comfort of their rooms. Nunew takes a quick shower and picks the comfiest PJs he owns. Then proceeds to do his skincare routine before plopping on his bed. He spent a few minutes checking on his socials and replied to his mom’s message via Line. After setting his alarm for the next day, he decided it was time to sleep. And there, he’s off to dreamland…