Chapter Text
The volume of the bass flowed through my head through the uncomfortable couch I was sitting on. All around me, people mingled, chatting and laughing, unaware of the real reason for the night's festivities, the drastic dilemma I was in.
I had to meet people. Fuck, I had to GET TO KNOW people! I had to talk to the people at this party (more of a small gathering, really, there couldn't be more than 10 people here) and decide in just one night if I would be comfortable living with them?
It was insane, but I had little choice. Chris, my roommate since college, had decided to leave me and move in with her girlfriend. He had been the one to set this impromptu party up so I could meet prospective roommates before she moved out in a week, though I couldn't see why he had decided to tell me just this morning. I sipped at my soda and tried to disguise my discomfort, though nobody was really paying attention to me. Everyone around me was too busy talking.
I knew most of these people were Chris' friends from high school who were thinking of moving into the city just as I had all those years ago. So now I was reduced to sitting alone on a couch at the reunion of a high school I'd never attended. A soft "Hey," came from the other side of the couch. A person I hadn't seen sit down was now peering at me through their long hair, their eyes growing large. "You're Nacelle, right? I guess we were all supposed to come here to get to know you, but everyone's too busy catching up."
They let out a good natured chuckle while I sat there, too awkward to know how to respond "Uh yeah thats my name, and yeah I guess so." I said, fiddling with my cup. "I wouldn't really mind, but I guess you all are looking for housemates, too? I'm kinda at a disadvantage, not knowing anyone's name here." I looked down, breaking eye contact with the stranger. They laughed again "I'm Medina," they said warmly, "so you're at less of a disadvantage now." Oh yeah, Chris mentioned that name before, from what I remember, they were a pretty chill person.
Then they grinned and said “Would you like my résumé now or do I need a referral from Chris? I’m sure you know him brown hair, buzz cut, short as shit, and absolutely no sense of humor whatsoever.” I can’t help but chuckle, hmm their humor is slightly endearing. "Bold proposition. How 'bout you buy me a drink first?" I tapped our empty soda cans. "I bought all the drinks for tonight, but if you insist, I can get you another." Grinning again, they got up and left for the drink table, it was surprisingly really nice to talk to them, I’m somehow more calm and weirdly energized?
I looked down at the place they had sat on the couch and saw a long strand of black hair. That’s weird I don’t have black hair and Chris definitely doesn’t, did Medina? I didn’t really think to look at them that closely. Then I chuckled to myself, I think I wanted them to be my roomate. Was that impulsive of me? I'd barely talked to them for what, like 10 minutes? But they had captivated me already, and hadn't Chris already marked them as a trustworthy person just by inviting them over here tonight? I wracked my brain to remember what Chris had told me about them. Before inviting everyone over, he'd told me a bit about everyone so I wasn't going in COMPLETELY blind. I think they were some sort of scientist, but I couldn't be sure. And I remember him talking about their desserts and their baking skill in general. Just another incentive, Chris and I almost never had baked goods in the house. I was a notoriously bad baker and Chris didn't fuck with the oven.
Most of our meals were simple to prepare and our pastries were strictly bought from the market. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a homemade dessert, it was probably before my brother and I had moved out of our parent's house. I snap back to reality. Medina had left to get us drinks a few minutes ago and I wanted to keep talking with them. Aside from Chris, they were the only one at this party I felt vaguely comfortable talking to. I stood up and made my way to the kitchen. Right in front of the refrigerator, I saw Medina again, only now they were talking with somebody I hadn't yet introduced myself to.
They hadn't noticed me and I didn't want to interrupt, so I stood quietly by the door and waited for them to move so I could grab another drink. I tried not to eavesdrop, but it was hard in such a small room.
"-were on the LaCrosse team together, I would go to all of the games." The person I didn't know was saying, "I think I remember you, aren't you Fr-"
"Medina," they interrupted, "my name's Medina now. I'm nonbinary. Pronouns They/them." They pointed at one of the belts around their waist where a pin was attached.
"Oh, cool! That's a better name, anyway. I was never a fan of F- uhh, I mean your old name." The stranger stuttered. "Oh, I'm Grant. He/him, please." Grant outstretched his hand and Medina shook it.
"Thanks, I'm a fan of Medina, too. I think I remember you, you made the spirit signs, right? I remember you always had glitter in your hair after the games. Bold fashion choice, if I may say so." They smiled ruefully.
"Yeah," Grant chuckled, "Now I prefer my glitter applied with a make-up brush." He gestured to his eyelids, which were decorated with a thin layer of gold glitter and expertly applied eyeliner.
Medina leaned forward and examined his make-up,
"That's so gorgeous!" They gushed, "Did you do it yourself?"
Grant beamed, "Yes! I was trying out a new look, do you like it?" His makeup, along with his general countenance, make him seem endlessly sunny. I smiled, seeing someone so genuinely excited made me happy.
"I really do, the gold suits your skin tone. I love makeup, but I've only ever experimented with a monochrome or grayscale palette. You're really tempting me to bring out the hot pink lipstick right now."
My smile grew wider at their banter until a laugh bubbled out of my mouth. Suddenly, Medina and Grant noticed me standing just a few feet away.
"Oh!" I exclaimed, shocked, "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt or anything."
Medina waved my apologies off with a hand. "Don't be silly, I told you I'd bring you a drink ages ago. Sorry I lost track of time. Grant, this is Nacelle, the person Chris wanted us all to meet." Grant stuck his hand out to me and I accepted it.
"Hey! You're the one looking for a housemate, yeah? I can't believe Chris has never introduced us before, I only live half an hour away." He smiled, revealing bright white teeth. I grinned nervously.
"If you live so close by, why are you here?" I asked. "Oh, sorry, that sounded rude! I just meant-well, isn't everyone here looking for a place from out of town?"
"Don't apologize, you're right. I'm not really looking for a new place to live. Honestly," he whispered conspiratorially, "I just wanted to meet you. Chris mentioned that he was having some people over tonight and I asked to come. She was brutal, though. Practically made me beg! I can see why now, this isn't really meant to be a big thing. Sorry for crashing your party, as much fun as I'm having, I'm stealing your company." He winked at me and started to walk away, then stopped. "Oh! Medina, I know you were joking about that hot pink lipstick, but if you ever were curious about trying different makeup styles, I'd be more than happy to help you out." He handed them a sage green business card, "Even if you aren't interested in experimenting with your look, feel free to contact me. You're fun to talk to." Grant turned to me now, "You too, Nacelle, don't be a stranger." He shoved a second business card into my hand. "Good luck finding a new roommate, darling!" He turned on a heel and flounced out of the kitchen. I decided to not wait on luck to help me out.
“Hey Medina, could I get your number?”