Aki breathed in the fresh air and smiled as he exhaled. Blue sky, clean and crisp air, lines of trees, a big patch of flowers… What kind of heaven is this?

Well, there were rows of high-rise buildings built in a semi-circle but it only added to the beauty of the place. The entire area was so picturesque that Aki had to remind himself that he was still in the same stinky city. Who would have thought that there was a place like this in the middle of the city?

This was the place his would-be roommate should be. Jun mentioned about someone looking for a roommate. He just said a ‘pretty decent neighborhood, with lots of trees’. This was more than decent. Plus it was very near the university.

The biggest plus was that the rent was even half the price of his current rent. When Aki heard about it, he pestered Jun to give the contact details of the owner right away.

Though, looking back, he thought he should have been more suspicious. It was a rent lower than the shabbiest room you could get. To think that this apartment was located in one of the luxurious neighborhood in the city. He remembered Jun saying that the owner was a student in their university, so how could a student afford something like this?

Wait.

He did not remember asking Jun who the owner was. Or did he mention it? Aki tried to think back on their conversation.

+++++

“What I’m saying is, I think I know someone who is looking for a roommate.”

“Really!?? Why didn’t you say so earlier!”

Jun looked uncomfortable as if he had just swallowed something unpleasant. “Well, I heard the rent was $100. In Highlands.”

Highlands was not the official name of the place but that was what most people called it. It was a place full of newly built condominiums. To think there was such a low rent at such a place! What a steal!

“Give me the details!!! Please Jun! I’m begging you!”

If they were not in the middle of the cafeteria, he would probably have groveled at his feet.

Aki’s eyes sparkled which made Jun looked away. He could not bear to look at his friend directly at the moment. “Are you sure about this?”

“Well, I still have to talk to the owner about the details but otherwise, I’m sure. Really sure. Really really sure.”

Jun stared intently at his friend. “Remember, you’ll have a roommate. You’ll have to live with a stranger. Remember how you said you’d rather live alone than live together with Rina?”

“That’s very different! Rina is for one, my sister, who never fails to be so loud in the morning. A roommate would be different...I think.”

He had a lot of reservations about living with someone else, much more if it was a stranger. But it was either that or a place to live in. Aki would gladly take the latter.

Jun sighed. Aki was starting to think that his friend would rather see him on the streets.

“And remember,” Aki emphasized on the last word, copying Jun’s tone, “I need a roof over my head that no one wants to lend me, not even my friend.

“Fine,” Jun winced. He took out his phone and was about to borrow Aki’s phone, but somehow he changed his mind. Instead, he took out a piece of paper, wrote the number down, and slid the paper across the table.

“Look, if you ever change your mind, you can just throw this paper and pretend this talk never happened.”

Aki snatched the paper as he eyed his friend. “Why are you being so gloomy about this?”

Jun gruntled, busying himself with his coffee. Aki did not press on, happily staring at the number written on the paper. This was it. He could feel it. His long search was over. He would finally have a home.