It seemed to Daniel that the next morning never would come. Time passed slowly until his clock decided it was time to speed up. Time never acts the way you want it to.

It actually took Daniel a while to pick a shirt this day. Ended up looking like usual. He put his headphones on and listened to a few rock tracks. Angry music could soothe his soul in a way only the satisfaction of a program running for the first time without any compilation errors does to him.

Étienne knocked so softly on the door that Daniel didn’t hear. Maybe the music was too loud, maybe he didn’t expect his new roommate to be there so early. Maybe a bit of both. But you don’t listen to Grandson’s songs with a low volume and you don’t move in a school residence at 7:30 am. Well the first thing certainly didn’t happen, and the second took Daniel by surprise. His heart actually skipped a beat as his hand grazed the door’s handle after a second knock.

He slowly opened the door to reveal a guy almost half his size on the other side, looking as scared as himself. Daniel made a move to shake hands, and at first the french student didn’t react, confusion slightly taking over his sharp features. Then he hesitantly took the taller guy’s hand. It seemed to disappear in the middle of Daniel’s palm as they were both avoiding each other’s glance. They were too busy freaking out about that awful first impression they thought they were giving each other to notice how tiny Étienne looked next to Daniel.

Then followed an awkward hello dripping with Étienne’s accent. Daniel smiled a little at the attempt as he answered. In the future he’ll make fun of this accent that would never leave his new roommate completely alone, but for now he was scared Étienne would take it badly. He wanted to be liked so much that he refrained his personality from taking over his acts. Pathetic, he thought.

What Daniel didn’t notice is the way Étienne had looked at him. That the reason why the new student was shy wasn’t the same as his. Of course, the inability to express his thoughts in English and being in a new country stressed him as much as you’d imagine. But there was something within the tall guy that made his new roommate’s cheeks flush. Something Étienne couldn’t exactly pinpoint, and Daniel would never notice he possessed, no matter how hard Étienne would try to make him see.

But when that door opened and the two guys’ eyes met, something happened through the short blond guy. Daniel had his headphones resting around his neck, still blasting some angry song that contrasted with his soft looks. He had an evasive glance that showed just how shy he was. He was oblivious to what was to happen. He was oblivious to what had just happened.

Étienne took the unoccupied bed on left side of the room, and suddenly the space didn’t seem so empty. He got his stuff out of his suitcase, and the shelves welcomed new books and memories. Over time the walls would fill with posters and pictures of the two boys by each other’s side and among friends, but for now it was better than it ever had been before, even within the still plain and depressing mustard walls.