Chapter 4
Dylan
Theapartmentbuildingissleek and modern, one of those cookie cutter types that developers have been putting up all around the city over the past few years. Stark white walls and dark roofs, row after row exactly like the other. Not my architectural preference, and a far cry from the ornate Victorian homes in my small hometown, but it’s a roof over my head and that’s all I need while I focus on my rugby career.
Plus, all the appliances should be fairly new. The website showed some nice amenities like a large pool and BBQ area, so that’s something. Maybe I’ll even make friends with some neighbors while I’m here.
I double-check the number on the door of the apartment in front of me. No need to embarrass myself first thing by trying to get into the wrong place. I knock, but nobody answers, and there’s no sound of life from outside. Nice. I have the place to myself for a moment while I get my bearings.
Maybe I can be a bit nosy and try to suss out my mysterious roommates before we finally meet. I tried to find out who they were going to be before I got here, but the housing department said it was against policy. I know they’ll be rugby players too, from one of the women’s teams, but that’s all.
Grabbing the hastily scrawled note from my purse containing the apartment’s keycode, I carefully press each number and it beeps, opening on the first try. Nervously, I step inside.
The first thing I notice is the way the apartment smells. Not necessarily a bad scent. But just not what I expected for a place full of girls. There’s no perfume here… instead, there’s a masculine vibe to it. Like body spray and medium rare steak.
My gaze sweeps the living room and I wince. Mismatched furniture is buried under piles of wrinkled clothes. A few takeout containers and beer cans litter the coffee table. The carpet looks like it hasn’t been vacuumed in a while. Not exactly what I pictured for my new home with the women’s rugby team. I sigh, remembering the meticulously decorated apartment photos the housing office had sent over. Is this some kind of hazing prank? Maybe I should just turn around and crash at a hotel tonight.
But no—I’m here to prove I can handle anything they throw at me, on and off the field. I’m just being picky. So what? They’re not a house full of Martha Stewarts, but the same could be said about me. I straighten my shoulders, inhaling the stale air. I’ve got this. Time to show my new team I don’t flinch in the face of mess.
Stepping further inside, I push aside the apprehension swirling in my gut. This isn’t the fresh start I envisioned, but it’s not a big deal. Nothing a quick tidy-up can’t fix. I’ll make it work. I’m ready for a new chapter, whatever form it takes.
I let Jonah out of his carrier and he eagerly jumps out and runs off to explore his new home. He’s not one of those cats who cowers and hides away until they’re comfortable. He’s the curious one, the brave adventurer. I never thought a cat could inspire a human, but I admire his unabashed courage on an almost daily basis.
The kitchen is clean, but in a haphazard way, as if the counter was wiped down in a rush or an afterthought.A few stray dishes are piled in the sink, but they at least look like they’ve been rinsed.
I peer inside the fridge. Stacks of steaks and pork chops. And a ton of chicken breast. A humongous block of cheese. Barely a vegetable in sight. I cautiously open the vegetable crisper, and inside I find a combination of beer and electrolyte drinks. Maybe everyone here is on a keto diet or something? But it’s definitely not what I expected. That said, rugby girls have a reputation for being a bit quirky–and god knows I am–so who am I to talk? At least I won’t be short on protein.
I head to the bathroom, bracing myself for what I might find. The entire room has a light coating of something dark and… oh my god! I flinch away as I realize the substance appears to be body hair. Short, curly, dark. Now, I’m not afraid of body hair in principle, but everyone has their limits. It looks like someone bushwhacked a mountain of pubes and then blew it all over the room like dandelion spurs.
“What in the world?” I mutter. The sink is covered in globs of toothpaste and stubble trimmings. The mirror is so spotted and smeared I can barely see my reflection. I look down at the bathmat and recoil in horror—it’s like a fur rug, totally coated in even more coarse, dark hair.
I was excited to meet my roommates, but now I’m a little terrified. Who exactly am I going to be sharing this space with?
I take a deep breath, steadying myself. I’ve got this. I’ll keep an open mind and figure this out. Maybe it’ll even be good for me, pushing me outside my comfort zone… I’m not sure how, but I need to believe in something positive.
The only good thing I can see right now in this room is the bathtub. It’s fucking huge, and I get the feeling it hasn’t been used in a while. It’s one of the cleanest surfaces I’ve seen in the entire apartment.
Whatever’s going on, though, I’m fairly certain that my roommates aren’t who I thought they’d be. I pictured chatting over face masks with my female rugby teammates, not...this. If I’m honest, I feel totally blindsided.
I lean against the wall, trying to wrap my mind around the situation. Maybe this is all just a misunderstanding. But as I look around again, taking in the hair-clogged shower drain and hairy soap bars, I begin to realize there’s no mistaking it.
My theory is confirmed as Jonah strides back into the room, proudly dragging what are unmistakably a pair of men’s boxer briefs.
I’m living with men.Messy ones, at that.
My heart pounds as the reality sinks in. I’ve gone from expecting to room with my fellow rugby girls to apparently moving in with a bunch of total strangers—male strangers. This is so far outside my comfort zone, I can barely process it. There must have been some kind of mix-up with the housing department.
I shake my head in disbelief. How could this have happened? I thought I was finally going to find my place here. Instead, it seems like I’ve been dropped into the ultimate fish-out-of-water situation.
But, there are worse things I suppose. I can get this all ironed out. This is just another challenge to overcome on my way to proving my worth.
As I turn to leave the disaster of a bathroom, I lift my chin up. I didn’t come this far to back down now.
I head back out into the apartment, determined to investigate further. There have got to be more clues here to explain this bizarre situation.
Jonah discards the newly discovered boxer briefs in the middle of the floor and accompanies me on the rest of my investigation.
I wander into the first bedroom. The decor is minimal, just a twin bed and a dresser. But the pile of dirty clothes spilling out of the hamper and the gym bag tossed haphazardly in the corner speak volumes.