Unwritten Love Story

In shadows' grasp, a storm of despair, Yet a flicker of hope, still lingers there. Hold tight to light, let it guide your way, Defying the darkness, find strength to stay. ••• I stare at every person who I pass by, and try to imagine what their life must be like. It is creepy but for some reason, it calms me down. I am in the mall with my sister and cousins, and I see a group of friends walk into the entrance. I notice how all girls are walking together, but one girl who’s standing in between four boys. This girl likes to cause trouble between the boys and the girls. Her walk is mean, it’s like she owns this place. Her blonde hair flying as she walks with confidence. Confidence is not a bad thing at all, but it depends on how you use it. We’ll call this girl Sasha, who’s in love with the most popular guy in the group, Jack, who’s probably walking next to her, and I can’t help but notice how he turns his head to look at one of the girls in the back. It can only mean that he is not in love with Sasha, he is in love with Millie. Millie lived in a broken home, and she didn’t stay in one place, they had to move to different cities because her dad was wanted. However, her dad was taken to jail a day after they moved her, so they had no other choice but to stay here, which was why she decided to befriend this group of friends. “Are you okay?” Amber shakes her hand in my face, and brings me back to reality. “Yeah, all good,” I nod, not bothering to look at her. I look at a different girl, who this time has a baby in her arms. Poor woman, she had to do it all alone, because her ‘husband’ murdered his ex-fiancé’s boyfriend. “Do you believe you’re turning eighteen next week?” Amber nudges my arm, trying to start a conversation. Amber is my cousin. She has short black hair with dark brown eyes, curved body and she looks perfect. I hate standing next to her. “No,” I shake my head. “Even though I have been waiting for this day ever since I was born. I still can’t believe that it’s happening next week.” Amber frowns as we reach the food court. “Are you still thinking of moving out?” “I have to,” I shrug. “I feel like I won’t live if I am living with my parents. I need freedom.” “Freedom to be alone?” Amber raises her eyebrows. “Exactly,” I wink at her as we enter the food court. “What should we eat?” “McDonald’s?” Amber suggests. “Since we’re both broke and it’s cheap.” “Fair enough,” I follow her to McDonald’s as we stand in line to order. • ~~ FOUR YEARS LATER ~~ Amber: Happy birthday, cousin! You’re twenty two! I read the message as a small smile forms on my face. I type back a thank you before turning off my phone, knowing that I will not receive any more notifications from anybody. Finally, my dream came true and I had been living alone for a while now. I will admit that it’s been hard at first, but I have gotten used to it by now. Unfortunately, I had to stay in my parents house until I graduated university, because they told me if I wanted to continue my studies, I would still have to live under their roof. Since I needed their money, I had to accept their offer. Before I graduated in a month, I started to search for an apartment to rent. I found it quickly, and I loved it very much because there was Starbucks underneath the building. It fit me perfectly for one person, but it had two rooms, and I needed a roommate. I would’ve invited Amber to live with me, but I needed someone to help me pay the rent and the bill, knowing Amber all too well, she’d think that I was inviting her to stay for free. So, instead of bothering anyone I knew, I advertised online for a new roommate. I added a few details about me, and finally, someone rang the doorbell. The whole time I thought the ad was directed to girls, but when a boy stood in front of me with hair dripping water because of the heavy rain outside, I knew that he was the person looking for a place to stay at. “I’m Luke,” he introduces himself. “I am two years younger than you, which means that I am twenty years old. I dropped out of college because I didn’t have the time to keep up with it. I don’t have any siblings, but wish I had a sister, but God’s plans! I have a dog named Peter, but I had to leave him with my parents.” I stared blankly at him, furrowing my eyebrows. “How long are you planning to stay?” “Until you get sick of me,” he shrugged, smiling at me. He had brown hair that hid his dark eyes, and he was only a few inches taller than me. So, if he attacked me, I could take him. “Where were you living before?” “With my friend,” he replied. I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why didn’t you live with your parents?” “My parents live in Canada,” he answered. “And I left my friend’s house because his parents were moving in, and it was getting crowded.” “Do you like to have friends over or go out with friends?” “It often depends on our mood,” he said, looking into my eyes. “But if it bothers you, I will always go out with them, so we won’t cause you any problems.” “So, you claim that you like dogs, are you planning on getting a pet?” “Not now,” he shakes his head. “I will probably get one as soon as I find a place for myself. I don’t want to bother you with a pet.” “What do you do during weekdays?” “I have work, so I am always out from nine to six,” he replies. “But I would spend my weekends with my friends.” “What do you do?” “I work in my friend’s company,” he replied. I knew we were both getting bored and tired of all the questions, but I spent all night writing down questions from Google to ask in an interview for a new roommate. “What’s your position?” “You can trust me, I promise!” He put his hands up in surrender. “I think it’s time to mention that I have trust issues,” I informed him, raising my eyebrows at him. “So, there is no use of promising me that I can trust you, because I won’t.” “I will give you something that means too much to me, and if I do anything wrong, you can do what you want with it,” he offered. I scoffed. “Do you think I have time for this BS?” “I really need a place to stay for a couple of months,” he begged. “Please let me stay, and if you want, I can pay the whole rent every month.” My eyes widened, and somewhat confused, because he made it seem like I couldn’t pay the rent myself. “Are you-” “I don’t mean no harm,” he said like he read my mind. “I am desperate for a temporary home for now.” “Are you a criminal?” I stepped backwards, putting the notebook behind me as if I was protecting it. This time it was his eyes that widened, and he put his hands up. “I promise you I am not.” “What if you’re lying?” “If I am lying, I will let you slap me with a ham!” And that’s how I live with a twenty-year-old boy, who always wakes up early to make me breakfast and coffee. I will admit that I have gotten used to having him as a roommate, and I do not think I want to change him anytime soon. •••