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MidReal Story
Cuddles with My Hot Roommate
Scenario:Tina and I have lived together in the same dorm room for almost a year. We don't get along very well due to Tina's very complex character. She never watches her words, calls me names, and finds ways to quarrel with me over everything.
It’s 2 a.m. now, hours since our last fight. I’m lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, but insomnia keeps me awake. Suddenly, an awkward but quite loud knock is heard on the door.
Here the door opens a little and the top of Tina's head appears from there. "Are you sleeping? No? I knew you weren't sleeping." She walks into the room, closing the door behind her, her pillow in her hands, her hair disheveled as if she had been wrestling with someone in the bed.
"Look... Just don't laugh, okay, idiot. But can I sleep here tonight? I... I just can't. I need company, maybe a little cuddle, I feel calmer this way." Her face is slightly red, she looks at me with a calm and tired face. "Just don't think that I'm a small and helpless girl, got it, nerd?" She shifts awkwardly from one foot to the other and then adds "Well then...can I?"
Create my version of this story
Chanel Windsor
college student, roommate to Tina, average height with curly brown hair, introverted and analytical
Neil Jensen
mutual friend of Chanel and Tina, tall with glasses and a friendly smile
Tina Rodriguez
college student, roommate to Chanel, petite with straight black hair, outspoken and complex
I hated Tina.
No, that wasn’t enough.
I loathed Tina.
Detested her.
Abhorred her.
Hated was just too mild a word for my feelings toward my so-called roommate and friend.
We had been paired together our freshman year, and I had thought it was going to be a good match.
She was outgoing; I was introverted.
We balanced each other out.
But I had been wrong then, and I was still wrong.
Tina wasn’t just outgoing; she was also loud, obnoxious, rude, and downright nasty.
I had tried to be patient with her, to bear her personality, but after three years, I couldn’t take it anymore.
We didn’t have a lot of classes together this semester, but we still took turns doing the dishes, and she had left them overnight.
I didn’t mind doing my share of the work, but she always left hers for me.
I did them last night when we got back from our date with Neil and Craig Jensen.
They were twins, and Craig and I didn’t click, but Neil and Tina had hit it off immediately.
They were already making plans for the second date.
I wiped down the counter for the fourth time.
The dishes were done, but the sink was still a mess.
I stared up at the ceiling, my fingers tracing the rough texture of my blanket.
I was still angry with Tina.
She had called me every name in the book before we left for our date, and I had been so angry with her that I had wanted to tell her to get out.
But I knew she had nowhere else to go.
Her parents had kicked her out when she turned eighteen, and she didn’t have any other friends except for Neil.
So, I had kept my mouth shut and let it go.
I couldn’t stay mad at her forever; it was too much work.
I was tired of being angry all the time.
I was tired of hating people.
"Chanel?"
Tina’s voice called from the doorway.
She stood there, her pillow in one hand, her hair in a messy knot on top of her head.
I could see the moon shining through our thin curtains on her face, casting long shadows across her cheeks and nose. "What are you doing?"
I asked, shifting slightly in my bed.
"Can I sleep here tonight? Please?"
She looked nervous as she asked, shifting back and forth on her bare feet.
Her toes curled over the edge of our worn-out shag rug.
She hadn’t said please to me in a long time, so I slid over to make room for her in my narrow dorm bed.
She crawled in beside me, stiff at first and then relaxing as she lay down next to me.
Her hair smelled like strawberry shampoo.
Neither of us said anything else as we lay there in the dark, waiting for sleep to claim us again.
Her hand moved under the covers until she found mine, and she twined our fingers together before falling asleep.
Her breathing evened out, and I felt her hand relax in mine.
I lay there for a long time, listening to the sounds of the dorms around us.
The creaks and groans of the old building, the muffled voices from down the hall.
The smell of Tina’s strawberry shampoo was familiar, and it reminded me of our first year together.
We had been so excited to be at college that we had stayed up half the night talking and sharing snacks.
She had been nicer then, and we had gotten along better.
We had done each other’s hair before our classes, helped with each other’s assignments.
We had laughed over stupid jokes and watched old reruns of The Vampire Diaries.
I was angry with her again, but as I lay there in the dark, feeling her warm hand in mine, my anger began to fade away. It was replaced by a dull ache of nostalgia, a longing for those days when we were friends instead of enemies.
I rolled over slowly, watching her face as she slept.
She looked peaceful, not like she did when she was awake.
Her eyebrows weren’t furrowed together in a scowl, and her lips weren’t pursed in irritation.
Her cheeks were soft and smooth under the moonlight, and her eyelashes cast long shadows across her face.
The digital clock on my nightstand blinked 3:47 AM as I gathered my courage to move again.
I turned slowly until I was facing her sleeping form, my face inches from hers.
"Tina," I whispered, my voice barely audible in the quiet room.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked at me with a mix of confusion and vulnerability. "What is it, Chanel?"
I hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Why did you really ask to stay here tonight?"
She didn’t answer me for a long time.
I watched her fingers fidget with the edge of my blanket, her eyes avoiding mine.
The strawberry scent grew stronger as she shifted slightly in the bed, her shoulder pressing against mine.
"I just feel safe when you’re here," she whispered, her voice barely audible in the dim moonlight.
I remembered that phone call from her parents last month.
She had been crying in the bathroom when I came back from class, and I had heard her telling them that she would be fine, that she didn’t need their help.
I hadn’t said anything to her then, but I had seen her tears.
Without thinking, I squeezed her hand.
She squeezed back and then pulled away to wipe her eyes on the hem of my blanket.
"I hate when you make me emotional, nerd," she muttered, but there wasn’t any bite in her words.
In that moment, I realized we were both just trying to find our way back to the friendship we once had.
I watched her face scrunch up at my words.
She rolled onto her back, still holding my hand, and stared at the ceiling.
"You’re such a sap," she muttered, but her grip didn’t loosen.
We lay there in silence for a long time, the only sound our quiet breathing.
Then she turned to face me again, her dark eyes searching mine in the dim light of my bedside lamp.
She nodded once, quick and sharp.
"Fine. But I’m not doing your laundry or anything."
I snorted, and she kicked my shin under the covers.
"Deal," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.
Tina's lips curled into a reluctant smile, and she sighed softly.
"Maybe we can start over, you know, like back when we were freshmen."
I watched her face in the dim light, her features softening as exhaustion took over.
Our hands remained linked under the covers, neither of us willing to let go first.
The silence between us was comfortable now, like it had been back in freshman year.
I cleared my throat and suggested meeting at the campus cafe for coffee tomorrow, a neutral spot to figure out where we went from here.
Tina's eyes fluttered open at my words, and she shifted closer, muttering "Fine, whatever" as she adjusted her pillow.
I stared up at the ceiling, processing our agreement to meet tomorrow.
Her breathing grew deeper as she drifted off, but her grip on my hand remained firm even in sleep.
When she shifted again, mumbling something about being cold, I carefully pulled the extra blanket over us both.
The familiar weight of her head settling against my shoulder felt like a long-overdue homecoming.
Despite my usual insomnia, my own eyes grew heavy now, and I closed them, the soft hum of the campus cafe's espresso machines already calling to me across the dark expanse of night.
Before drifting off, I set my phone alarm for tomorrow’s coffee meeting, making sure it was quiet enough not to startle her.
As I settled into the pillow, I couldn’t help but glance over at Tina’s sleeping face.
Her features were softened by exhaustion, her dark lashes resting gently on her cheeks.
The steady rhythm of her breathing and the warmth of her hand in mine created a bubble of peace around us, a fragile truce in our long-standing war.
I closed my eyes, feeling a strange sense of comfort wash over me.
For now, at least, the world outside receded, and all that mattered was this quiet moment shared with my unlikely roommate.
Just as I was drifting off, Tina shifted again, mumbling something indistinct.
I turned to face her, my heart pounding for no reason I could explain.
Without thinking, I leaned forward, my lips brushing against her forehead.
Her skin was warm beneath mine, and the scent of her shampoo filled my senses.
As I pulled back, Tina’s eyes flickered open, her gaze meeting mine in the dim light.
For a moment, we stared at each other, the only sound the steady hum of the campus outside.
Then, without a word, she closed her eyes again, her breathing deepening as she fell back asleep.
I lay there for a while longer, my heart pounding inexplicably.
The weight of our reconciliation hung heavy in the air, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted tonight.
Eventually, exhaustion claimed me too, and I drifted off into a restless sleep.
The buzzing of my phone against the nightstand jolted me awake.
The blue light pierced through the darkness, casting an eerie glow over Tina’s sleeping form beside me.
She stirred slightly but didn’t wake, her fingers still loosely tangled with mine. I reached over with my free hand to check the notification.
Squinting against the sudden brightness, I saw an email from "Dream Vacation Contest" with the subject line "Congratulations! You've Won Our Paris Dream Vacation Contest!"
I had entered this contest months ago during a late-night study break and promptly forgotten about it.
It seemed too good to be true: two tickets to Paris, luxury hotel accommodations for five nights, and a generous spending allowance for meals and activities.
My heart pounded as I looked at Tina’s sleeping face beside me.
The timing of this email felt almost surreal after tonight’s reconciliation.
I shook her gently, whispering, "Tina, you won't believe this."
She stirred, blinking sleepily at me.
"What is it?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.
I held up my phone, the bright screen showing the email.
She sat up, her eyes widening as she read.
"Paris? Oh my god, Chanel! We did it!"
Her voice grew louder, and I could see the excitement building in her.
But then I remembered the peaceful expression on her face when she had confided in me earlier.
She needed rest, not another adrenaline rush.
I set my phone face-down on the nightstand, the email still open.
"We can celebrate in the morning," I said softly.
"We both need sleep."
Tina nodded, her shoulders relaxing again.
"Right. You're right. Morning will be fine."
She lay back down, shifting closer to me once more.
Her warm breath tickled my neck as she drifted off again.
I closed my eyes, imagining the cobblestone streets and fresh croissants of Paris.
The contest email replayed in my mind: first-class flights, boutique hotel, generous spending allowance.
Tina’s steady breathing was like a metronome, keeping time with the possibilities swirling in my head.
When she shifted again in her sleep, her arm draped across my waist, I couldn’t help but smile.
This prize was the perfect accompaniment to our fresh start.
The early morning sunlight filtered through the dorm room window, casting a warm glow on Tina’s sleeping form beside me.
The clock read 7:13 AM.
She was curled against me, her arm still draped over my waist, her face pressed into my shoulder.
Her black hair spilled across my pillow, and she had somehow managed to steal most of the blanket during the night.
The scent of strawberry shampoo mingled with the morning air, a familiar reminder of our shared space.
When she stirred slightly, I stayed perfectly still, not wanting to wake her yet.
For the first time in months, the morning felt peaceful instead of tense.
Tina's eyes fluttered open, and she gave me a sleepy smile.
"Did I dream about Paris, or did you really win that contest?" she asked, her voice still soft with sleep.
I chuckled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "No dream, it's real," I assured her, feeling the excitement bubble up again.
Her gaze drifted downward, and I froze.
The intimate position we had fallen asleep in suddenly felt awkward.
I tried to subtly create some distance between us, but she tightened her grip on my waist.
"Don't be such a prude, Chanel," she teased, her voice tinged with a hint of mischief I hadn't heard before.
She shifted even closer, her breath warm against my neck.
I remained still, unsure of how to react.
Her face was inches from mine, her dark eyes fixed on me with an intensity I had never seen before.
The morning sunlight highlighted the flecks of gold in her irises, and for a moment, I forgot to breathe.
She leaned in even closer, eliminating any remaining space between us.
When I tried to speak, my voice caught in my throat.
Tina's fingers traced up my side to my neck, sending shivers down my spine.
"Stop overthinking, nerd," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Before I could respond, she pressed her lips against mine.
I pulled back slightly, my heart racing.
"Tina, what does this mean for us?" I asked, my voice a mix of confusion and hope.
She smiled softly, her eyes searching mine. "It means we're not just friends anymore, Chanel."
With a gentle nudge, she shifted even closer, and I couldn't resist the pull.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, feeling a sense of comfort and excitement that I had never known before.
"Then let's see where this takes us," I whispered back, my voice barely audible against her lips.