My Brother's Nerdy Roommate

Quinn I pull up outside my brother’s house in a cab. He has no idea I am coming. I wanted to surprise him. I have been travelling with a few friends for the last ten months. I wanted to see more of the world before finally deciding what to do with my life. I am only twenty-two, so I had time. He wasn’t expecting me back for another month, but we were all getting a little homesick, so we cut our trip short.  My brother Jared is the only family I have. We lost our parents when we were younger. Jared is four years older than me, so he took care of me. I was only fourteen when we lost them in a bad car crash. Jared was eighteen, so he was legal to take care of me, which I am so thankful for. He is a good man and my favourite person in the world.  I have missed him while I was away, so it would be good to see him. I hope he will let me stay with him for a while until I find a new apartment. I gave mine up when I was travelling. I didn’t see the point of keeping it when I wasn’t staying in it.  I pay the driver, grabbing my case from the trunk. I am eager to see him. I only hope he is home, or I will be hanging around because I don’t have a key. I had one to his old place, but he moved a few months.  I head to the front door, knocking loudly and ready to throw my arms around him. I know he would be happy to see me. I hear the door being unlocked from the inside and place my case down, so my arms are free. The door opens.  “Jared!” I squeal excitedly but soon stop when I realise the person in front of me isn’t my brother.  It is some strange guy. He is shirtless with glasses and messy hair. He has beautiful blue eyes under his glasses.  He rubs the back of his neck, “Um, hello, who are you?” he asks, his cheeks turning red.  Is he blushing? Oh my. I believe it is the first time I have seen a man blush. It is sort of cute.  I smile sweetly at him, “Hey. I am Quinn, Jared’s sister. Who are you? Do I have the wrong house?”  “No, you have the right place. I am Levi, Jared’s roommate. He didn’t tell me you were coming. He isn’t home.”  He is struggling to keep eye contact with me. I guess he is shy. Why the hell does he stay with my brother? My brother is the opposite of shy, and he is wild too, loves to party and the women. I get a feeling Levi isn’t into all those things.  “He didn’t know. I wanted to surprise him.” I smile.  He steps aside, “Oh, okay. Do you, um, want to come in?”  “Yes, please. Thank you.”  I went to grab my case, but Levi stopped me, “I can get that for you.”  “Aww, thank you. That is sweet of you.” I coo.  The redness on his face becomes more evident. He grabs my case, and I head inside, giggling. I find his shyness kind of cute. I have no idea where I am going since it is my first time here. I stop in the hallway, trying to work out where to go.  “The living room is the door in front of you,” Levi announces from behind me.  I glance over my shoulder at him, smiling, “Thanks. I haven’t been here before.”  I head into the living room, Levi following behind me. He places my case down. “Make yourself at home. Jared shouldn’t be long. I am going to put a shirt on. Sorry, I answered the door without one. I wasn’t expecting anyone.” He whispers.  “Thank you. No, it is okay. I don’t mind.” The last words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.  Levi chuckles nervously before rushing off. I sit on the sofa, waiting for him to return. If he comes back, he might hide in his room. I hear footsteps coming in my direction, and he soon appears in front of me with a tee on.   “Would you like a coffee?” he asks.  “I would love one, please. I like mine strong without any cream and two sugars.”  “Like your brother.” he chuckles.  “Yes. We have a coffee addiction.” I snicker.  Levi disappears into the kitchen, and I follow him. I hop up on the counter.  “How do you know my brother?” I ask.  “We met through a friend. He was looking for a roommate, and I was looking for somewhere to stay.”  “And are you two friends or just roommates?”  I am curious because I am unsure what they could have in common. Then again, I don’t know much about Levi since I only met him ten minutes ago.  “We are friends too. His idea of fun is different from mine.” he laughs.  “Let me guess. You aren’t a party animal or a male hoe?”  I know my brother well enough to know the things he gets up.  “No, I am not. I prefer nights in and dating. Well, the dating part, not so much. I don’t tend to get many offers for that.” He shrugs it off like it is nothing.  I find it sad that he doesn’t get many offers, “Why not?”  “Because I am not exactly the type women are attracted to.”  He is trying to disguise the disappointment, but I can hear it in his voice.  “Their loss. There is nothing wrong with you.”  Levi isn’t the type I usually go for, but he is cute.  “Maybe…” he trails off, turning his back to me and making coffee.  I leave it there because I don’t think he wants to talk about it. He hands me a mug and motions me to follow him back to the living room.  “What made you come back early? I remember Jared mentioning you were supposed to be back so soon.”  “I have loved travelling, but it was time to come home. I missed Jared. Not only that, but it is time for me to decide what I want to do with my life finally.”  I am only twenty-two, but it is time. I have always been uncertain, and I still am, but I hope to figure out what I want before any more time passes.  “Which is?” he questions.  “I have no idea.” I sigh.  “You will find it when you least expect it.” he encourages.  “I hope so. Question, how many rooms does this house have? I was hoping I could stay here until I find a job and get money for an apartment.”  If there were only two, I would need to find somewhere or crash on the sofa.  “Three, so there is room for you here. I am sure Jared will love having you around.”  “You don’t mind?” I don’t want to overstep.  He smiles sweetly at me, “No, I don’t mind at all.”  “Great! I promise I am not a bad roommate.” I grin.  “Then welcome to your new home.”  “Yay.” I beam.  I wouldn’t overstay my welcome, though. Jared wouldn’t mind me staying. He would let me stay forever if I needed to, but I wouldn’t do that to him.