Earth to Me

I was never one to get things out of the way as quickly as I could. Heck, I procrastinated doing things I wanted to do, sometimes. I’d grab my sketchbook and get ready to draw, and then I’d get distracted by cat videos. God knows I put school-related things off like nobody’s business.

So, when we were all a few weeks into the semester, Murray was apparently already thinking about housing the next year, before I even considered the options.

It was a Friday night, and we were about to walk across campus to meet Tegan at a restaurant for dinner, since she had a class right next to it. Murray and I just decided to walk over there together, and after layering on a few jackets to defend against the chilly February breeze, we left our dorm in hopes of warm food.

The sky was pink as the sun was setting; the sound of cars rushing past us was relaxing, in a way. Fridays meant that the weekend was here, and to me it meant being able to sleep in with no repercussions except for a massive glob of guilt regarding the fact that Tegan and Murray had to watch me sleep in a split-shift. Eventually I stopped caring, but I could never get rid of that horrible feeling. Someday it would all be over, I guessed.

While we shuffled through sidewalks past busy people on their way into the city, Murray yawned and stretched, casually bringing up something I didn’t expect to think about for at least another month. “Do you think you’re living on-campus next year?”

I just shrugged. That kind of stuff wasn’t the most important thing on my plate.

“’Cause you could get an apartment in the city and just commute here every day,” he suggested, scratching his chin. “And, uh, you can choose your roommates with a little more certainty.”

I should’ve seen it coming. I shot him a quick smile and asked, “Is this your way of asking me if we can be roommates next year?”

“Well, I wasn’t gonna be that obvious,” he said with a nervous laugh, “but yeah.”

“Dude, of course we can room together next year. I was gonna ask you eventually, but it felt a little early to think about it.” A roommate who doesn’t steal my stuff and actually became one of my best friends? Why wouldn’t I want to keep him?

He tugged at the strings of his hoodie, glancing at the ground stretched in front of us. “I dunno, I just wanted to make sure. You never know.”

“It’s actually pretty awesome,” I said aimlessly. The cool air and familiar bustle of the city was putting a smile on my face. “I always feel bad for Tegan, ‘cause she ends up with the worst roommates.”

“Yeah, well, if we get an apartment next year, we can reel her in with us and actually give her a break,” he added, hands in his pockets.

I hadn’t actually thought of that. Tegan and I practically lived at each others’ houses anyway, so we could hang with that. “And we could drive each other nuts, too,” I laughed.

“Hey, we’ve been living together for almost two years now and I don’t hate you. Unless you hate me and that’s your way of telling me,” he smirked, cocking his head in my direction.

“Nah, I couldn’t hate you if I tried,” I spoke honestly. “You’ve probably saved my life a few times.”

Murray cracked his knuckles in an exaggerated way in front of him, grunting with a satisfied half-grin. “You’re damn right I did, babe.”

My heart started beating a little funny, and I instinctively blamed the redness of my cheeks on the frigid wind that was starting to pick up as we got closer to the restaurant. He didn’t make matters any better when he halfheartedly hugged me around the shoulders, squeezing my arm and patting my back a few times, and for some reason I did the same to him.

He stared at me with a look of mock-surprise, and when I asked him why he was making that face, he sniffled and pretended to wipe a tear away. “Oshie just returned my affections…this is the best day of my life!”

“Shut up,” I laughed, elbowing him in his insulated ribs.

“No, it’s fine, I picked up on the fact that you’re not a real touchy-feely dude,” he went on, waving his hand. “The last thing I wanna do is make you uncomfortable. But when you hug me back, it’s like I hear a chorus of angels above my head, and I’m like, ‘Yesss.’”

I kept on laughing like a moron, and I shoved him aside, but he bounced back and butted me in the hips.

When we got to the restaurant, basking in the warmth and feeling our extremities defrost, Tegan was sitting at a booth with her phone in front of her. She caught sight of us coming in, instantly standing up and powerwalking over with a big smile. She was warm as she hugged us for a little while, just as a greeting, and then we sat down and ordered some food to fill our cold bellies.

We talked about how stupid our classes were, mentioning the possibility of getting an apartment together the next year, and Tegan was all for it. She gushed about independence, being able to do whatever we wanted without a set curfew unlike in the dorms, and she even shook my arm and said it’d be a cool way to get into the real world a little bit. I saw what she was saying and I nodded along, but the prospect was still sort of intimidating.

I’d lived in a dorm for two years, though I assumed it wouldn’t be too different from that. Plus, I’d have two other people right along with me – the best friend I’d known since forever, and the dude who found out everything about me and still wanted to hang around. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.