Chapter Text
Emily Raine does not believe in fate.
Everything she has in life is solely because of her choices. Fate has nothing to do with it. Landing a scholarship at the University of Manchester was hard work. She endured the arguments she and her mom had weeks before she left. She ignored the judgment of everyone she knew from her small town just because she wanted more.
It was this or nothing else. She didn’t have a second choice.
So now, even when her best friend, Anna, moved out to be with her boyfriend and left her alone to deal with the financial burden of staying in their flat, she needed to find a way to make it work.
“People don’t care for physical ads anymore, Anna.” Emily groaned as she scribbled down her address for the nth time. “A serial killer could just come here, knowing I live alone now because I wrote my information here.” She waved the makeshift ad she created to her best friend, who only rolled her eyes.
“You’ve posted your ad on the group page for a week now. Nobody has responded yet.” Anna replied. Emily sighed, “That’s because no one looks for a room in the middle of the semester. You couldn’t wait until I found someone else before you moved in with Kyle.”
Emily pouted. “If I could only have enough money for the rent, I would live alone. Or find some other place close to school with a cheaper rent, I’d do it, y’know.”
“Don’t lose hope. Someone is gonna see your ad, and think wow, I’d be a perfect fit for this girl.” Emily could only shake her head. “I should be specific that I would only consider girl roommates, okay? I cannot live with a guy. That’d be weird.”
“Beggars can’t be choosers.” Anna teased before pulling Emily out of the door to start posting the ads around the uni.
But it’s a good thing that Owen Brompton believes in fate.
He can’t help it that his mum taught him to see the world in bright colors. He blames her for letting him always see the positive side in everything. That even on her deathbed, she tells him it’s nothing to be sad about. She always wanted to go before him and Matt. It’s all part of something bigger.
But he’s unsure now if that’s true.
It’s not like he’s been kicked out of his house, or that he cannot afford a proper place for himself. It’s just that he doesn’t want to stay with his brother and his wife. They deserve a space just for themselves. And he got some money when they sold their old house. He just doesn’t want to spend so much because it feels wrong.
He didn’t need the money. He wanted to stay in the house. But he knows his mom would’ve wanted him to move on. Find his place and purpose in this world. But, so far, he still hasn’t done any of that.
Or that’s because he doesn’t have to do anything. Fate does work in mysterious ways.
Despite the drizzle, Owen grabbed a paper lying on the street as he made his way to work. Half of its page was soaked, so some of the information was incomprehensible. But it was clear that it was an ad for a room vacancy, just a few blocks from the university. He had to call the number on the poster immediately. But the call couldn’t go through.
The same script filled his ears: “The number you have dialed is incorrect.”
He just guessed some of the information, so it’s possible he got the number wrong.
So, he just made a mental note instead to visit the place, look for Emily? and beg for a place to stay before his boss finds out he’s been sleeping by the student union hub.
“Owen!” Rhea called him as soon as he got in. She gestured to him to hurry, her face filled with nervousness. “What?” he asked innocently. “Boss almost found your stuff. Dude, you gotta find a new place to crash.”
Owen bit his lip and ruffled his hair. “Shit, I know, I know. I’m still trying to—I might’ve found one,” he showed the half-soaked poster to Rhea, which only raised her brow. “What is this?” She asked, trying to read off the ad. “It’s near here. But I can’t make out the number or the person’s name..? Is it Emily?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I tried calling, but I might’ve got the number wrong, so I need to just go there and ask—”
“I don’t think this Emily would want you as their roommate.”
“What? Why not? I’m not messy, I can cook, clean, and I won’t bother them—” Rhea cut him off again. “Owen,” He finally stopped rambling. “You’re a guy. Maybe they’d prefer a girl?” Owen sighed. “Fuck, you’re right. I thought they’d just be the owner? That I’m not living with them, but then again, it’s within the uni, so rent must be higher. Well, fuck. I’m fucked.” He just ran his hand through his hair, absolutely frustrated.
“Hey, Owen. Some guy went by here asking for you. Something about a gig.” His boss mentioned it as soon as he came in. Owen immediately thought of his old mate with whom he used to be in a band before. “You’re not available tonight?” Owen shook his head. “No, I’m not going to that—I’m done with that. I’ll be here, don’t worry.” He replied with a small forced awkward smile on his face.
“Well, good. A lot of students are coming in for the mixer here, yeah? You gotta be present here.” Owen only nodded, even though he’s still fixated on finding a new flat.
Emily groaned and lay on the floor feeling its coldness on her back. She just stared at her ceiling, feeling burnt out. Aside from the stress she’s having with looking for a new roommate, she’s still stuck on writing the conclusion for her dissertation. She only has two weeks left for it, and everything is still blank.
She wants to prove badly that her hypothesis that love is a temporary state of psychosis. But, so far, her argument is weak. Her professor advised her not to dwell on it so much and just accept it. Disprove her hypothesis, and just submit it. But Emily isn’t one to accept defeat easily.
Her cynical view of love, rooted in her parents’ relationship, is to blame. That even in her relationships, she cannot form a secure attachment with others. She doesn’t see the need for romantic attachment in evolving as a person. She sees herself as a very self-sufficient person. She’ll live without love. But she cannot live going back to Iowa. So, she needs to do well for her final task so she can at least secure a job in Manchester. All her case studies so far have been a failure.
She stopped dissociating when her phone rang. She let it ring a bit and closed her eyes instead. She just doesn’t want to move. She feels at peace on the floor. When it stopped ringing, she finally got up and reached for it on her table.
When she looked at it, there were two missed calls. One from Anna, and the other one from an unknown number. She called Anna back instead. She only lay back on the floor again, waiting for her friend to pick up. “Hey, what are you doing?” Anna greeted her. “I’m thinking of ending it all. I have no roommate. I have no conclusion—”
“Shush! Stop this moping, Emily.” Emily only shook her head, sighing. “Why don’t you come with us to this mixer later at S.U?” Emily grumbled. “That’d be so boring. I don’t want to.”
“You might meet a cute guy there, or a case study?” This got Emily thinking. She thought it would be possible, but she just doesn’t have the energy at all. She’s trying to avoid guys at all costs.
“Well?” Anna asked on the other line, hopeful to get her friend out. “I’ll pass, Anna.” Anna sighed. “No, you have to get out there. I think some people are interested in our ads. Did anyone call?”
“Not yet. Still waiting.” That’s a lie, of course, she did have a missed call from an unknown number.
“I’ll just let you know if anyone calls. Bye, I gotta work on my conclusion.” She didn’t wait before Anna said anything else and just ended the call.
A message pinged on her phone afterward that finally made her move an inch.
“Hi, I don’t know if this is the right number but I saw the ad for the room vacancy. Wondering if I could meet with you later or whenever you’re free. I’m messaging for an interested friend. We’ll be by the mixer in the student union hub. Thanks.
Rhea.”