Chapter Text
Sembreak had only started and Miu already has her problems. She needs to find a dorm that's closer to her University but almost all bedspace are occupied except for the shared room. Miu and her friends has been looking for quite awhile now but the only place that's very close, convenient and kind of quality to Miu's preference is the shared room. However, she is not quite fond of having to share a room with a stranger.
Few days after looking for a place, Miu and her friend Bam, decided to check it out for the last time. It was very convenient for Miu as her house is a bit far, an hour and a half drive just to go to the University, and Bam was able to convince her to just look for a place that's very near.
Miu had called the Landlord to ask for the details of the room and there she finds out that it was only being rented for girls, which was a big relief for Miu.
"It's still a bit unclean because no one has been staying at this room for awhile but your roommate is moving in tomorrow.." the Landlord explained.
"What?" Miu and Bam asked in unison.
"This is a shared room you know," she just smiled at the two girls who looks so confused.
"It's okay, Meg. My house is near here, we can hangout in my house of you're not comfortable with your roommate," Bam whispered in her ear. She just nodded and smiled.
Miu decided to take the room thinking; I wouldn't be in this room everyday when the school starts anyway.
She started packing up her things from her house, the important papers, clothes, even her fluffy bear pillows that she can't sleep without. She's moving in right away as she has many things to decorate inside the room.
"Have you packed your things yet?" Orm asked on the phone. She's been calling Miu a few times to make up for not going with them in their apartment slash dormhunting as per her. "Yeah, I'm moving in tomorrow afternoon." She answered excitedly.
"I heard from Bam you have a roommate?" Her friend asked curiously. "I actually do and she's also moving in tomorrow.."
Silence.
...
"Goodluck to her then." Orm teased her and, "Hey! I'm nice to people!" Miu defended herself before ending the call.
After preparing her things, Miu decided to take a rest as she knows she already has a long day for tomorrow.
Moving in day!
Miu had always believed that moving into a new dorm was supposed to feel exciting.
A fresh start. A new place. New routines.
Maybe even a little independence.
What nobody told her was that moving into a third-floor apartment with four boxes of books, two suitcases, a desk fan, and absolutely no elevator was mostly just exhausting.
By eleven in the morning, she was already sitting on the floor of her new bedroom, staring blankly at the pile of boxes surrounding her. Her hair was tied messily behind her head, her shirt was slightly damp from carrying things upstairs and she had reached the point where she was seriously considering leaving half of her belongings in the hallway.
Miu picked up her phone.
11:34 AM.
She checked the message from the landlord again.
Your roommate will arrive later. Her name is Lena. She has the room across from yours.
Later. Same day as me, of course. Miu had technically known this when she signed the lease but still, it felt strange.
She'd spent the entire afternoon moving around an apartment that was supposed to be shared with someone she hadn't even met yet.
My roommate probably wouldn't murder me, right? Miu thought to herself.
The door was open and inside was nothing but a mattress, a small closet, and a window overlooking the street.
Miu stared at it for a moment, getting used to the surroundings of her new home.
"So that's Lena's room."
She didn't know anything else about her. Just her name. Not her age, not what she looked like. Not what she studied, not whether she was messy. Literally nothing.
Miu had tried searching her name on social media earlier and there were approximately twelve Lenas so she just.. gave up.
"Whatever.."
She stood up as the apartment was quiet. Too quiet, for her loud, and hyper personality, actually. It was the kind of quiet that made every little sound noticeable. You can even hear the refrigerator humming. The traffic outside, the beeps, the sound of a motorcycle that's very loud. The occasional footsteps from the apartment upstairs.
Miu walked into the living room and looked around. She had already unpacked most of her things. A small plant sat on the windowsill. Her books were arranged neatly on one side of the shelf, her pink blanket that was folded over the arm of the couch. Her mug sat beside the television remote.
It already felt like hers. That was probably why, when she looked at Lena's empty bedroom again, she suddenly wondered what it would be like when someone else finally filled the space.
Would Lena leave her shoes by the door? Would she decorate her own room like I did with mine? Is she good at cooking? Would she want to watch movies together? Would they become friends?
There were lots of questions inside Miu's head but she just shrugged it all off. There were few more weeks to adjust, and she'll find out the answers to her questions sooner or later. She didn't think much of it after that. At least, not until the next afternoon.
Lena arrived at the place around 3:47 PM.
Miu knew the exact time because she was in the kitchen making coffee when she heard the sound of someone struggling with the front door. There was a loud thud and then silence. Another thud.
Then-
"Come on."
Miu paused. She looked toward the hallway nervously. There was another sound followed. Something heavy hitting the floor.
Then a muffled, "Seriously?"
Miu put down her spoon. She wasn't sure whether she should check. Maybe the person was a neighbor or maybe someone had the wrong apartment.
Then came another frustrated sigh.
"Why is this thing so heavy?" the sound was much more clearer and Miu already knows who that was. After all, her landlord told her that her roommate was coming.
Miu smiled despite herself and realized, that's definitely not a neighbor. She walked toward the door and when she opened it, she found a girl standing in the hallway surrounded by luggage.
Two suitcases. Three cardboard boxes. One large duffel bag.
And a rolled-up mattress topper leaning against the wall. The girl, Lena herself, looked like she had just survived a war. Her hair was messy. Her shirt was wrinkled. Her sweats looked like it's been there for awhile.
One hand was gripping the handle of a suitcase while the other was pressed against her forehead.
She looked up and their eyes met. Miu who was standing right infront of the door froze.
"Oh."
Lena straightened her posture, not expecting anyone to be infront and Miu blinked too fast. For a second, neither said anything.
Then Miu dumbfoundedly said, "You're Lena." without conviction, she just blurted it out.
Lena looked at her. "You're Meg?"
"Well, yeah," she answered in a small voice.
Another pause before they made eye contact again then Lena looked down at all of her belongings.
"I swear it looked like less stuff when I packed it." Miu laughed. It was the first thing that came naturally.
"I believe you," Miu deadpanned.
"No, you don't,"
Lena just stared at her then she laughed.
Miu stepped aside and asked, "Do you need help?" but Lena immediately shook her head.
"No, no. I'm good." She grabbed one of the boxes but it barely moved so she tried again.
Nothing.
Miu raised an eyebrow, high doubting Lena's refusal of help.
Lena strangedly looked at the box and then at Miu. Then back at the box.
"...Maybe, I do need help.." She was too shy to admit.
Miu just gave her a playful smile. "Thought so," She walked over and grabbed the other side.
"On three." Lena advised.
"Okay."
"One."
"Tw-"
"Wait." Miu just looked at her.
"Why?"
"I don't know. I wasn't ready," Miu chuckled at her roommate's antics.
"Okay. Ready now?"
"Yes."
"One, two, three!"
They lifted the box but it barely moved. They shuffled toward the door together.
"What did you put in here?" Miu asked.
"Books."
"That's why."
"What?"
"Books are heavy."
"I know that now."
They carried only one box inside and Lena dropped it beside the wall and immediately stretched her arms.
"I think my shoulders are dead." They're both catching their breath.
"You still have five more things outside." Miu teased her.
Lena's face fell from that fact. "Please don't remind me."
"You can leave them there then," Miu answered, almost walking away jokingly.
"I can't."
"Then let's get them." Lena looked at her.
"You're helping me?"
"Yeah,"
"Why?" Lena genuinely asked.
Miu shrugged, "because you're my roommate?" there was something about the way she said that made Lena smile despite first time meeting each other.
"Right."
"My roommate."
They went back downstairs and it took them another twenty minutes to bring everything inside. By the end of it, Lena was sitting on the floor of the living room, completely exhausted.
Miu handed her a bottle of water. "Here, drink this," and Lena accepted it.
"Thanks."
"You look dead."
"I feel dead."
"Long trip?"
"Three hours."
"That's rough."
"And then I had to carry everything up three floors."
"There's no elevator."
"Miss Chiu said the maintenance will fix it later this week." Lena just nodded her head and Miu sat across from her, examining her roommate.
They talked like they've been friends for all their life, it wasn't as awkward as their friends (assumed) think it would be for two girls who just met each other almost 3 hours ago. They've already exchanged interests, and their agreement inside the room. Apparently, Miu is very organized while Lena has a habit of being clumsy most of the time. Miu found it cute but also worrisome because she wasn't sure how clumsy is her roommate gonna be for the next coming weeks.
The apartment looked different now.
There were still boxes everywhere, but at least the hallway wasn't completely empty anymore. Lena's suitcase stood beside the wall, one of her dufel bags was hanging from the back of a dining chair, and a pair of sneakers had been left near the front door without much thought.
It was strange seeing signs of another person in the apartment.
Just yesterday, Miu had been walking around the place alone, listening to the quiet hum of the refrigerator and the occasional sound of traffic outside.
Now, there was someone in the second bedroom. If anything, the apartment felt a little more complete and lively.
She was sitting at the kitchen counter when she heard Lena's bedroom door open. Lena appeared in the hallway wearing a much more comfortable-looking shirt, her hair tied loosely behind her head. She looked considerably less exhausted than when she'd first arrived, although the tiredness in her face hadn't completely disappeared.
Realizing it's almost dinner, Miu glanced toward the kitchen. There wasn't anything to cook. She got too busy unpacking her things yesterday that she forgot to get grocery and now she's all hungry.
She was sitting at the small dining table when Lena eventually came out of her room. Lena had changed into something more comfortable after spending the last couple of hours unpacking. Her hair was loosely tied back, and the exhaustion that had been written all over her face when she first arrived had softened into something more relaxed.
Miu suggested ordering dinner. Lena immediately seemed relieved by the idea.
They stood in the kitchen for a while, trying to decide what to get. Neither of them seemed particularly picky, which should have made the decision easier.
But hell, it wasn't. They went back and forth between several choices until they eventually settled on pizza and chicken.
When the food arrived, Lena went to get it from the door.
Miu cleared some space on the table. They opened the containers and began eating. For the first few minutes, neither of them talked much as they were both hungry, tired from carrying all those boxes.
Especially Lena. Miu noticed how quickly she finished the first portion and smiled to herself and Lena eventually noticed. She looked slightly embarrassed, but Miu simply told her that she must have been hungry after traveling all day.
Lena admitted that she hadn't eaten much since breakfast and Miu didn't make a big deal out of it. She simply pushed one of the box of pizza a little closer to Lena.
The latter accepted it without argument. The rest of dinner went quietly comfortable. They talked between bites.
Miu mentioned that there was a small bookstore nearby too and that caught Lena's attention.
"Really? Have you been there?" Lena asked curiously, as a bookworm and as a student with needs of more books.
"I just happen to passby.." Miu shook her head and shyly answered.
Lena immediately suggested checking it out sometime and Miu agreed casually as she's been wanting to explore the place that she's gonna stay for along while. She wasn't familiar at all but she's been taking notes ever since she and Bam went hunting for a dorm. There were few places that kept them interested in choosing this place anyway.