MidReal Story

Cuddles with My Hot Roommate

Jeffrey Deyo

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?"

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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?"

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

It is a rare day when Tina and I agree.

Our personalities are complete opposites, and we’re constantly butting heads.

I’m introverted, quiet, and analytical.

I like to take my time and weigh options before making a decision.

Tina, on the other hand, is outspoken, complex, and impulsive.

She acts based on instinct and emotion rather than reason and logic.

I often find myself wishing that she would slow down and look before she leaps, while she’s always lamenting my tendency to overthink.

Despite our differences, I’ve come to the realization that our roommate relationship works.

And it works because we are roommates.

You see, roommates don’t come into your room at midnight and flip on the light switch in your face—friends do.

Roommates don’t wake you up at 2:00 a.m. to ask you where you think they put their keys—family members do.

Roommates don’t borrow your clothes without asking—former classmates who you no longer keep in touch with do.

But Tina and I do all of these things to each other, and that’s why it works.

I prop myself up on my elbows to study her.

Her eyes are cast downward, her face illuminated by the moonlight coming in through the window.

Her expression is vulnerable and uncharacteristically open.

It’s an expression that I’ve only seen on her a few times before, and it always catches me off guard.

She shifts her weight from one foot to the other as a loud crack of thunder rumbles outside.

Her shoulders flinch at the sound, and she glances toward the window, but she doesn’t back away.

Without waiting for my answer, she shuffles to my bed and climbs in beside me.

The mattress dips beneath her weight, and her pillow bumps against mine.

I can feel her body trembling slightly as she settles into place.

I shift to give her more room and pull my covers back over us.

She snuggles into place, pressing her back against my side. Neither of us says anything else as we settle into place.

Another loud crack of thunder booms outside, closer this time, and Tina’s hand finds mine beneath the covers.

She squeezes my fingers tightly in response to the sound.

The warmth of her hand against mine feels strange and foreign, but I don’t pull away.

It’s not the first time we’ve touched, but it is the first time we’ve touched like this.

I can feel the softness of her skin against mine, and it’s a sensation that I’m not used to.

Her body is warm next to mine, and I can feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

I can smell the sweet scent of her coconut shampoo wafting up from her hair, and it fills my senses.

Another loud thunderclap rumbles outside, and she flinches against me.

Her breathing is shallow and rapid, and I can feel her fear radiating off of her like a palpable force.

I shift closer to her, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her into place beside me. The cotton of her pajamas is soft under my palm as I hold her close.

Her small frame shakes with each rumble of thunder, and I can feel the fear radiating off of her in waves.

Despite our constant fighting, seeing her so scared stirs something inside of me.

I want to protect her from whatever is causing this fear to course through her veins.

I lean in closer to her, my lips inches from her ear.

Her breathing slows slightly as I pull her into place beside me, but it’s still rapid and shallow.