The next morning, Alex woke up to the sharp beep of his alarm, dragging him out of a restless sleep. His head felt foggy, like he hadn’t really been asleep at all, just sort of floating through it. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, his mind still tangled with yesterday’s news. Kai. His new roommate. 

Of course it had to be Kai.

The guy who kept popping up in his thoughts like some annoying, unwanted presence. The guy Alex barely knew but couldn't seem to stop thinking about. And now, for the next four years, they were going to share a room. That thought made his stomach twist in ways he didn’t know how to handle.

He groaned and dragged himself out of bed, heading to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, he barely recognized the guy staring back. His hair was a mess, his eyes tired and red from lack of sleep. He splashed cold water on his face, hoping it would help shake off the lingering sense of unease, but it didn’t. 

“Pull it together,” he muttered under his breath. As if saying it out loud would somehow make him believe it. 

But it didn’t.

His mind still raced. *Why am I like this?* The question hit him again, sharp and unexpected. He didn’t like it when that thought popped up, but it was there, nagging him like it always did when things felt out of control. What was wrong with him? Why did his brain feel so... scattered all the time? Why did he have to feel *this way* about someone he barely knew? 

He dressed quickly, the same hoodie and jeans he wore every day, and shoved his phone into his pocket before he could think about it too much. He was already late for class anyway. He couldn't afford to waste more time spiraling.

When he stepped outside, the campus was alive with the usual buzz of students making their way to their next class. The cool air hit his face, and for a second, it felt like a small relief—like the world outside his head was real, solid, and at least somewhat predictable.

But of course, his brain wouldn’t let him go. *Kai. He’s your roommate.* And with that thought, the knots in his stomach tightened. 

He reached his first class, Intro to Psych, and slid into a seat in the back. He didn’t really mind the class, but today, the lecture felt like it was happening in the background of his thoughts. He wasn’t really listening to the professor, just staring at the chalkboard, pretending to be engaged while his mind was running on overdrive.

And then, as if on cue, the professor suddenly called his name.

“Alex, can you give us an example of what we discussed last week?”

Alex blinked, momentarily lost. He hadn’t been paying attention at all. “Uh…” He fumbled for something to say, but nothing came. His cheeks burned as he heard a few stifled laughs around him. He hated this feeling, the sense that everyone was silently judging him. It wasn’t rational, he knew that, but it didn’t stop the wave of panic from creeping up his throat.

He scrambled to piece together a half-answer, hoping it was enough. The professor didn’t seem impressed, but at least he let it slide. Alex sank back into his seat, wishing he could disappear. The rest of the class felt like a blur, and by the time the bell rang, he was practically out the door before anyone else had even started packing up.

His phone buzzed again, snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts. It was a message from Kai.

*"Hey, roomie. Just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Kai—looking forward to meeting you!"*

Alex stared at the message for a few seconds, his thumb hovering over the screen. He didn’t know what to say. *What’s the right response?* He thought. Maybe a simple "Hey, nice to meet you" would be fine. So, he typed that. Then deleted it. Typed again, deleted again. Finally, he just went with: 

*"Hey, same here. See you soon."*

It felt stiff. Too forced. But maybe that was just how this whole situation was going to feel. Forced. 

He tossed the phone onto his bed and grabbed his things, trying not to think about how much his heart was racing. The clock was ticking, and he had to meet Kai in just a couple hours to finally move in.

He could keep avoiding it, keep pretending it wasn’t a big deal, but the truth was—he was already way past pretending. His stomach was still churning with that familiar sense of dread, the kind he couldn’t shake. The thing was, it wasn’t even the *moving in* part that was the problem. It was Kai. And whatever this... whatever *this* was between them.

By the time Alex made it back to his dorm, the anxiety was a heavy weight on his chest. He dropped his backpack on the floor and glanced over at the bed, where his phone still lay face-up, waiting. There were no new messages, but that didn’t matter. His mind was loud enough to fill the silence.

He stood there for a moment, trying to gather himself. *It’s just a roommate,* he told himself again. *That’s all it is.* 

But when he looked down at his phone, he couldn’t help but notice how his hands were shaking. The reminder about meeting Kai later pinged through, followed by a flash of the text he’d sent this morning.

*Just a fvcking roommate.* 

His chest tightened again.

He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled slowly. He wasn’t ready for this. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be ready. But he didn’t have a choice, did he?

With one last, reluctant glance at his phone, Alex grabbed his keys and headed out the door. Kai was waiting, and the next chapter of his life was about to begin, whether he was ready or not.