Summary: AU Challenge from Lorein. Emmett moves in with he new boyfriend, so Michael has to find a new roommate. Fortunately for him, one Ben Bruckner answers his ad.
Rating: NC-17
Archive Date: 10 April 2006
Notes: Spoilers for Seasons 2 and 5
"Aren't you Emmett Honeycutt? Of the Hazelhurst, Mississippi Honeycutts?"
Emmett got up slowly to see who was asking this question, while the others turned to watch.
"Why yes, yes, I am. And you are?"
The stranger just smiled, shyly.
"Oh my God!" Emmett exclaimed. You could practically see the light bulb of recognition over his head. "You're Calvin Culpepper! From the boys' swim team!" The stranger just nodded, as Emmett continued. "I used to go the meets, just hoping that something would happen to your Speedo. But I thought you were..."
"I thought so too," Calvin confessed.
"I see," said Emmett. "Well then, why don't we go out on the dance floor and talk about the old times?"
"There's not really that much to talk about."
"I know," Emmett growled, leading his high school crush out to the dance floor.
Michael played this scene over in his mind as he watched Emmett pack. His relationship with Calvin had quickly developed into something serious, much to everyone's delight. Calvin was a sweet guy with a shy, Southern drawl that had just entranced Emmett. So much so that he was packing up his things and moving in with him this weekend.
Emmett looked over at Michael and saw the far-off look on his face. "Honey? Are you going to be okay with me moving out?"
Michael smiled at his friend, and said, "Of course. I'm so happy that you and Calvin found each other, and that your relationship has blossomed so quickly. I put an ad in the paper, and a couple of guys are coming by tomorrow to check out the room. I'll be fine."
Emmett grinned, returning to the task at hand, humming show tunes to himself.
Michael looked around the apartment, making sure it looked presentable to the perspective new roommates that were scheduled to come by today. The first one to show up introduced himself as "Greg", and Michael invited him in and offered a seat. Unfortunately Greg seemed to have a hard time sitting still, and walked around the apartment, looking at Michael's things with a glassy stare. He also seemed to be sniffing a lot, rubbing at his nose. Obviously he was high on something, probably crystal, a situation that Michael wanted no part of. As quickly and politely as possible, he led Greg to the door and out of his apartment.
A couple of hours later, "Steven" showed up. No glassy eyes, Michael noted, maybe this interview would go more smoothly. Steven came in and sat down, saying nothing. Michael asked him a few questions about what he did and personal habits, but didn't get much more than grunts and monosyllabic answers. Michael finally asked, "Are you okay?" Steven nodded, with a confused look in his eyes. Michael sighed; obviously he wasn't the answer either. He didn't want someone who was bouncing off the walls, but someone who could hold up his end of a conversation would be nice. He showed Steven to the door, promising to let him know.
Michael was beginning to wonder if he was going to find a suitable roommate when someone knocked at his door. He opened the door to find a blond Adonis looking back at him. Bright blue eyes, a brown leather bomber jacket, and jeans that were snug in all the right places. Michael's jaw dropped, and he found himself speechless. "Are you Michael?" his guest asked. Michael couldn't do much more than nod his head. "I'm here about the room for rent," he continued. Michael shook his head to clear his mind, and invited him in.
"My name is Ben, Ben Bruckner. I'm a professor at Carnegie Mellon, in the Gay Studies department."
"Michael. Michael Novotny, but I guess you already knew that from the ad." Michael had finally found his voice.
"Nice to meet you, Michael. I'm hoping that the room is still available; I need to find something as soon as possible."
Michael assured him that the room was in fact still available, and then asked, "Why do you need to find a place to live so quickly?"
Ben frowned momentarily, not sure that he was ready to spill the details of his personal life to a complete stranger, but when he looked into Michael's deep brown eyes he felt completely at ease, as if he'd known him his entire life. He immediately trusted him, and wanted to share his story with someone. So he took a deep breath, and gave Michael the details of his life recently.
"I was living with a man, Paul, for about five years. A year ago, Paul confessed to me that he'd been cheating on me. We talked a lot, worked it out, and I forgave him. Well, about six months ago, the other shoe dropped. He told me that when he had cheated on me, he wasn't always practicing safe sex, and had contracted HIV. My series of tests all came back negative, so thankfully he didn't pass it on to me. Anyway, about a month after he dropped that bombshell, he got really sick. He hadn't really taken care of himself, and his health deteriorated rapidly. He died just a few weeks later."
Ben looked up to gauge Michael's reaction. His eyes were full of compassion, as he put his hand on Ben's leg and said, "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thanks," Ben said. "So, as I was saying, I stayed in our place, taking care of the funeral arrangements and putting his affairs in order. I've gone on a few dates since then, but I know that I need to get out of that environment before I'll really be able to move on and find someone to love. Hence the need for a new apartment."
"So," Ben continued, with a smile on his face, "do I pass the test?"
Michael's face scrunched up, as he pretended to think about it. "Do you take any drugs?" he asked.
"Only a daily multi-vitamin."
"Works for me. When can you move in?" he asked with a big grin.
"Is this weekend too soon?" Ben asked.
"Perfect."
They made arrangements for Ben to come back the next day with all of his stuff. He left a lot of the furniture in the old apartment, wanting to make as much of a clean break as possible. Michael helped him get settled into Emmett's old room, chatting the whole time. They talked about their childhoods, how they handled "coming out" to friends and family, even favorite flavors of ice cream.
When it came up that Michael owned Red Cape Comics, Ben took a decided interest. He said, "Part of my class is a study of homoeroticism in modern literature, and comic books would fit right in. Maybe we can talk about some examples that I can use in my lecture." Michael beamed, thrilled at the prospect of helping out a college professor with a lecture, considering that he barely graduated from high school.
As the last items were put in their places it was about dinner time, so they decided to head to the Liberty Diner to get something to eat. "Fair warning," Michael said. "My mom's a waitress there, so prepared to be grilled about your entire life. She has to make sure I'm not living with an axe murderer," he said, giggling. Ben just smiled.
When they got to the diner, Michael saw that the rest of the guys were already there. As he approached the booth where they were all sitting, he started to make introductions. "Hey, this is Ben, my new roommate. These are the guys. That's Emmett, my old roommate, and his boyfriend Calvin. That's Ted, and my best friend Brian." Michael gestured to each friend as he introduced them, and they responded with 'Hi' or a nod. Brian looked Ben over for a few extra seconds, but Ben seemed oblivious to the attention.
Just then Debbie came by, asking "So who's this?"
"Mom, this is Ben, my new roommate. Ben, this is my mom, Debbie."
Ben stood up, shaking Deb's hand as he said, "Nice to meet you, Debbie."
Deb smiled, and said, "Nice to see SOMEONE has some manners around here. Michael, I want you to bring Ben to dinner soon so that Vic and I can get to know him better." The guys all made "ooooohhh" sounds, knowing that Ben was in for an intrusive dinner at the Novotny household.
Michael just shook his head, and said, "Sorry, Ben. I warned you."
Ben smiled, saying, "Yes, you did."
In the weeks that followed, Ben and Michael settled into a comfortable routine. They ate breakfast together, and then headed their separate ways to work. In the evening, Ben would sometimes cook dinner, or they'd go to the diner to eat. They never seemed to run out of things to talk about, and enjoyed each other's company immensely.
One Friday afternoon, Michael found himself puttering around the store, straightening up the inventory, figuring out what he needed to order, when he found his roommate coming in the front door.
"Hey," Michael said. "What brings you here?"
"Well, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I thought that you might be able to help me put together a lecture for my class, using comic books as an example of homoeroticism in modern literature. My classes end early on Fridays, so I thought I'd stop by and see if you had time to get started on that project, that is if you're still willing to help."
"Of course I'll help," Michael said. "I assume you're looking for examples of gay story lines, that kind of thing?"
"Exactly. Anything you have will be a great help."
Luckily it was a slow afternoon, so Michael was able to give Ben multiple examples of gay story lines in different comic books, and answer all of his questions with unbridled enthusiasm. Every once in a while Ben would just watch Michael and stare, not really listening to what he was saying, getting lost in his animated description of one of his prize comics. He had to mentally shake his head to bring his mind back to the task at hand.
"Wow," Ben said. "You really know your comics."
Michael blushed, saying, "I've just been reading them since I was a kid."
"No, it's more than that. You clearly have a passion for this, you radiate with it."
Michael's face got even deeper red, but all he could do was nod.
Ben smiled, and said, "So I'm going to head back home, and get started on dinner, if you're coming home soon?" Michael nodded again. "Great, then we can talk some more over dinner."
As they ate dinner that evening, Michael got the feeling that Ben had something on his mind. He didn't want to push, but was a little apprehensive about what it might be. Ben finally seemed to gather the courage he needed to say what he'd been thinking about.
"Michael, I'm hoping you won't think that this is too much of an imposition, but I wonder if you'd consider giving this lecture to my class."
Michael's jaw dropped as he stared at Ben. "Me?" he asked.
"Yes, you. I think my students would get so much more from the material hearing it from someone who has such a passion for it than from me. They have to listen to me every day."
"But Ben, I'm no Brainiac..."
"Brainiac...wasn't he one of Superman's enemies?" Ben asked, with a grin. Michael nodded, and Ben said, "See? I'm learning."
"Yes, you're learning. But I barely graduated from high school. What business do I have lecturing to a college class?"
"It doesn't matter that you barely graduated from high school. That's no measure of a person's intelligence or knowledge. You know these comics, you know the stories, and you have a..."
"Passion," Michael finished for him.
"Right. So, will you do it? I'll help you write it," Ben offered.
"I guess so. Mom'll be so proud," Michael said with a grin.
As the day of the lecture got closer, Michael got more and more nervous. Ben kept assuring him that he'd be fine, but Michael wasn't so sure. Unfortunately, living together made it impossible to back out, so one Friday morning he put the "Closed" sign up in the store window, and they made their way to campus.
Ben got up in front of the class, and introduced Michael. As Michael got up to the podium, he looked down at his note cards, feeling too nervous to start. He glanced over at Ben, who gave him just the slightest nod of encouragement, which helped calm his nerves. He had always heard that you should start a speech with a joke, so he started with, "I have no idea what 'Homoeroticsm in Modern Literature' means, I just know that the Green Lantern looks good in tights." That got a laugh from the class, and gave him the confidence to continue with the speech Ben had helped him prepare.
"That went well," Ben said, as they walked out of the classroom.
"Yeah...better than I expected," Michael responded.
"So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Ben asked.
"I think I'm going to go to the store for a little while, tie up some loose ends, and then hit the gym. How about you?" he asked.
"I have some paperwork to finish, and then I thought I'd go to the market to pick up something to make for dinner. You'll be home?" Ben asked. Michael nodded. "Great, see you then."
After dinner and dessert (Ben had splurged and gotten an apple pie at the store), Ben and Michael cleared the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Then Ben cleared his throat and said, "I have something for you." He went into his room, and brought back a book, and handed it to Michael.
Michael looked at the book, titled "RU12". "RU12, oh, are you one, too? I get it. You wrote a book? I never met anyone who wrote a book before."
Ben nodded, and then said, "Open it."
Michael opened the front cover to the title page, and saw that Ben had signed it. The inscription read, "To Michael, beneath whose mild-mannered appearance beats the heart of a superhero. Ben."
"Wow, I don't know what to say," Michael whispered, then impulsively reached up and gave Ben a big hug.
"No words necessary," Ben replied, returning the hug.
They both seemed to realize what was happening, and broke out of the hug somewhat awkwardly.
"I should, uh..." Michael stammered.
"Yeah...me too."
Both men paused, and then headed toward their respective rooms to collect themselves.
Once in his room with the door closed, Ben started to analyze what had just happened. He was a little surprised at Michael's spontaneous embrace, and hadn't entirely disliked it. To be honest, he'd enjoyed it quite a bit. He and Michael had clicked almost immediately after they met, but it never crossed his mind to pursue a deeper relationship with him until now. When Michael hugged him, he felt his body start to react as Michael's body seemed to melt into his. He wondered what Michael was feeling at this point.
Meanwhile, Michael was doing some analysis of his own in the other room. What had he been thinking, hugging Ben like that? Anyone could see that Ben was way out of his league - he was a fucking college professor! And gorgeous to boot. Ben certainly wouldn't be attracted to someone like him. Michael took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, and made his decision. He'd just act like nothing happened, and hope that he followed suit. He liked his new roommate, and he didn't want to scare him off.
After pacing around his room for about an hour, Michael decided that he needed to get out of the apartment. He changed clothes, then walked out of his room. Ben was on the couch, reading. Michael said, "I'm gonna go meet the guys at Woody's, the probably head on to Babylon. You want to come along?"
"No, I think I'm just going stay in and do some reading. Have fun."
Michael quickly found Brian and the others at the bar in Woody's, and went to join them. He ordered himself a beer, then started scanning the crowd for any interesting prospects. To the casual observer, it appeared to be very nonchalant, but Brian knew better. He noticed the tenseness in Michael's shoulders as soon as he came up to the bar.
Brian leaned over so that he could talk right into Michael's ear. "What's up, Mikey?"
"Nothing"
"Mikey....."
"I made a fool of myself! I think Ben thinks I made a pass at him!"
"What's wrong with making a pass at him?"
"Please. Ben is way out of my league. I'm sure he thinks I'm just a nice guy, a good roommate, nothing more."
"You'll never know until you try."
"No way. I don't have any great desire to have him shoot me down. He'd be all upset for hurting my feelings, then he'd move out, and I'd have to find another roommate. Nope, I'm just going to pretend it didn't happen and hope he feels the same way."
"You're so pathetic, Mikey."
Ben was in the kitchen the next morning, having some breakfast, when he heard rustling and hushed voices coming from Michael's bedroom. He must have brought someone home last night, Ben thought to himself. Just then the door opened, and Ben watched as his roommate ushered his guest to the front door. Tall guy with blond hair, wonder what that could mean.
Just then Michael realized that Ben was watching him, and their eyes locked briefly. Ben felt his breath catch just for a second as he took in how beautiful Michael looked this morning. Hair tousled, face flushed, lips full and bruised looking, must have been an eventful night. He felt his pulse quicken, then he started to get hard. Not wanting to reveal that much to his roommate, he turned away quickly to hide his arousal.
Michael, however, took that move to mean something else entirely. Was Ben mad that he brought someone home? They'd never talked about it, but he just assumed there'd be no problems. Their bedrooms were far enough apart that they wouldn't bother each other. Whatever, Michael thought, if Ben wants to bring it up later, that's up to him. With that, Michael turned around and went back to his room.
Ben finished his breakfast, and decided that he needed to go out for a run to work off some of this excess energy if he was going to make it through the day. He went into his room and pulled on his running shoes and a light sweatshirt, and headed out the door. After a quick warm-up and stretch, he ran toward the park. He ran as long and as hard as he could, but he just could not get that image of Michael out of his mind.
When he got back to the apartment, he saw that Michael had taken that time to get himself up and out of the apartment, probably to the comic book store. Probably just as well, the run had done very little to ease Ben's arousal. He went into the bathroom and started the shower. He stripped off his running clothes and jumped in while the water was still a little cold in order to shock his body back into a normal state. As the water began to warm up, Ben allowed his mind to wander back to his roommate's appearance earlier this morning. He ran a hand down and across his chest, imagining that a pair of smaller hands were caressing him. He closed his eyes and fantasized about what Michael could do with that small, taut body of his. Finally he gave in to his body's demands, and let his hand move down toward his thickening penis, and started to stroke it. In his mind's eye, the warm water and pressure from his hand were really Michael's mouth, sucking him into oblivion. Ben climaxed quickly, leaning against the cool tile wall of the shower, calling out Michael's name.
After a full day at the store, Michael returned to the apartment to find a note from Ben stuck to the refrigerator door. It said that he had dinner plans with one of his colleagues, and that they'd probably do something after, so he wouldn't be home until late. Probably a good thing, Michael thought.
The next morning, Ben came out of his bedroom to find his roommate on a stool next to the bookcase, reading something intently. Must be research for one of his customers, Ben thought. He moved quietly over to where Michael was and said "Good morning."
Michael had been so focused on what he was reading that Ben's voice startled him, to the point that he actually lost his balance and started to fall off the stool. Luckily Ben was close enough that he caught him before he hit the floor.
Ben held him close as he got his feet under him, but didn't release him even when he could stand on his own. Ben just stared into his eyes, then lowered his head and kissed Michael sweetly on the lips. Michael moaned, just a little bit, but it was enough to encourage Ben to deepen the kiss. Michael's lips parted, and soon the kiss dissolved into a passionate exhibition of tongues and teeth.
Michael's brain finally caught up to the rest of his body, and put his hands on Ben's chest to push him away. "What are we doing?" he asked, breathlessly.
Ben smiled, and said, "Well, I was kissing you, and I think you were enjoying it." With that, he moved toward Michael, presumably to kiss him again.
Michael held him off, and said, "I don't think this is such a good idea."
"Why not?" Ben asked, still smiling brightly.
"Because," Michael answered, "I wouldn't be able to handle it when you figure it out and leave."
"Figure what out?"
"That I'm a stupid, uneducated jerk who runs a comic book store."
"First of all," Ben replied in a serious tone, "you aren't a stupid, uneducated jerk. You're warm, considerate and funny, you have friends and family that love you, and you love them. Plus, you have a passion for life and your work that surrounds you. Pretty enticing package, if you ask me."
Michael blushed, and bowed his head, but was clearly not convinced.
Ben put a finger under Michael's chin to raise his head so that he could look into his soft brown eyes. He leaned in for one more gentle kiss, and said, "I'm not going to push you into anything you don't want. You know where I stand; the next move is up to you, Brown Eyes."
The next morning, they both tried to act like nothing had happened, but they were only moderately successful. It was difficult to fall back into their easy banter while trying to ignore the 600-lb gorilla in the middle of the room. Finally it was time for them to leave for work, for which Michael was grateful. He was so torn about what to do, or not do, and his comic book store would provide a welcome distraction.
Once at the store, Michael sat staring at his computer. He appeared to be working, but really he was a million miles away, mulling over what had happened over the weekend with Ben. Just then Brian popped in to see how things were going with his best friend.
"Hey, Mikey," he said, "how are things going with the professor? Did you fuck yet?"
"Shut up."
"Is that any way to treat your best friend? I'm offended."
"He kissed me!"
"And....?"
"And I had just decided that it was bad idea for me to have led him on, and then he kisses me!"
Brian waited to hear the rest of the story.
"He said that I was warm, and funny, and passionate, and an Ôenticing package.' What's that supposed to mean?"
"I would imagine it means he thinks you're warm, and funny, and passionate, and an enticing package. Haven't I always told you that you're fantastic?"
Michael just shrugged his shoulders.
Brian leaned in close, and whispered in Michael's ear, "You should go for it. He's hot, and he obviously wants you."
"But what if...," Michael stammered.
"But what if, what?"
"What if I don't live up to his expectations?"
"It sounds to me that you've already exceeded them."
As the week wore on with no move on Michael's part, Ben had to admit to himself that maybe he had misread the situation. Obviously Michael wasn't interested in him; certainly he would have said or done something by now. Which left Ben in a bit of a quandary -- he had moved out of the apartment he shared with Paul to exorcise those demons and find new love in his life, but now he found himself in the same situation. There was no way he could continue to live with Michael, considering how he felt about him. And forget about finding love; anyone he met while still here would pale in comparison.
He hated the thought of moving out already, but it seemed like the only way to move on with his life. Now he just needed to figure out how and when to tell Michael.
Each morning at breakfast he resolved to talk to Michael about this, but then his roommate would smile, or say something funny, and Ben simply couldn't make himself say the words.
By Friday they were both nervous wrecks, but hiding it well from the other man. Ben had decided that this weekend he was going to talk to Michael, no matter what happened. Michael, on the other hand, had decided something completely different.
That evening they headed out to Babylon to hook up with the rest of the guys. As they all stood at the bar, drinking and chatting, a tall brunet guy was noticeably cruising Ben. Ben realized that maybe this is what he needed, to focus his attention on someone other than his roommate. He allowed the stranger to lead him out onto the dance floor and started moving with the rhythm of the music.
Back at the bar, Brian watched as Michael followed Ben's every move. The smile, the lean in to whisper in the stranger's ear, the brush of the hand on his shoulder. Brian expected to see sad resignation on Michael's face, so he was completely surprised by the look of fierce determination he saw instead. After a couple of minutes, Michael took one long drink from his beer, and then headed out onto the dance floor toward Ben and his dance partner. Brian leaned against the bar to watch the scene play out.
Michael walked right up to Ben, completely ignoring the guy he was dancing with, and said, "Mind if I cut in?"
The stranger moved around into Michael's line of sight and said, "Fuck off, he's dancing with me."
Without taking his eyes off Michael, Ben said, "Not any more, I'm not."
The stranger muttered, "Asshole," then walked off in a huff.
Ben and Michael were now standing in the middle of the dance floor, staring into each others' eyes, not moving at all. Finally Michael reached up to rest his arms on Ben's shoulders, pulling him closer. Ben's hands instinctively went to Michael's waist, and they started to move slowly together. Their bodies kept getting closer, until they came in contact with one another. Ben held his breath, could this really be happening? Was Michael making the move he'd been hoping for all week long?
As if he could read Ben's thoughts, Michael rose up on his toes and kissed him; softly at first, uncertain of the reaction he would receive. Ben responded by wrapping his arms completely around Michael and crushing his body to his own, kissing him passionately, as if his life depended on it. Michael felt like he might melt into a puddle, right there in the middle of the dance floor.
When they broke apart to breathe, their eyes met again, locking onto one another. Their eyes seemed to convey secret messages back and forth. At almost the exact same time, they each said, "Let's get out of here," and headed for the exit, without a word to the other guys.
Brian, who was still leaning against the bar, had seen the whole exchange. A knowing smile came to his face. He was pretty sure of what was going to happen back at their apartment.
As soon as Ben and Michael got the apartment door unlocked and all but tumbled into the room, they started frantically reaching for each other's clothes. Since Ben's room was closer to the front door, that's where they headed. Soon they were bare-chested, luxuriating in the feel of skin on skin contact. Shoes and socks, pants and underwear hit the floor next as they stood naked, facing each other, almost as if they were taking a mental picture of this exact moment to save for future reference. Ben's golden skin and sharp musculature contrasted with Michael's alabaster frame that was more softly defined, but strong nonetheless.
Once that mental picture was taken and stored away for safekeeping, their mouths met again. Their hands moved frantically over the other man's body, taking in all of the different textures, hills and valleys. Ben maneuvered Michael over to the bed, laying him on his back, then covering him with his own body. Their hips started to grind against each other, cocks already becoming slick with arousal.
With a moan, Ben rolled over, positioning himself on his back, Michael straddling his hips. He needed to get closer to the edge of the bed so that he could reach into the nightstand for a condom and the bottle of lube he kept there. He handed the condom to Michael, and said in a thick voice, "Put it on me." Michael ripped the package open with his teeth, then slid down Ben's body just a little bit so that he could roll the condom on with his mouth. Ben's breath caught sharply in his throat as Michael's warm mouth took over.
Michael smiled, loving the power he felt in this position. He took a quick nip at the soft skin on Ben's inner thigh, and then moved back up his body for another kiss.
By this time Ben felt he had been patient enough. He rolled Michael back over on his back, lifting his legs up onto his shoulders. He spread some lube on his fingers and sought out Michael's tight hole, pressing in firmly. Michael gasped, then relaxed quickly. He nodded at Ben, who added a second finger, making sure to apply lube all around so that Michael would be ready for him. Michael's breath was ragged as he whispered, "Please...Ben....I want you inside me."
Ben needed no further prompting. He removed his fingers, then positioned his cock and went in for the kill. He waited just a moment to allow Michael time to adjust to his size, then pulled almost all of the way out and thrust back in again. He repeated this several times, all the while watching Michael's eyes as they darkened with lust. His started to pick up speed as he realized how close he was to coming. Wanting to make sure Michael was along for the ride, he reached down and circled his neglected cock and started to stroke it. Michael just about lost it at that point, he was sure he was going to implode due to sensory overload. Ben deep inside him, his big hands circling his throbbing dick, his brilliant blue eyes glazed over with the heat of the moment.
"Oh, God!" Michael yelled, as he came all over Ben's hand and his own stomach. Ben thrust just a couple more times, then reached his own climax. He collapsed on top of Michael as they each rode out the explosion of their respective orgasms.
When Ben recovered the ability to move, he propped himself up onto one elbow and gazed into Michaels' face, wanting to memorize every detail. Michael reached one hand up and softly traced Ben's cheek and jaw, and said, "That was amazing." Ben just smiled, and then leaned down to softly kiss Michael's lips.
After a couple of hours of exploring and experimenting, Ben spooned up behind Michael, wrapping his arms around the smaller man. "So what made you change your mind?" he asked.
"I couldn't get what you said to me out of my mind. All week I kept looking for any reason to resist, but I couldn't find one. I've never been very self-confident, but for some reason, I believed you when you said that you were interested in me. Plus, I feel like a better person when we're together."
"I'm glad you feel that way."
"Me too."
"Now, on to bigger and better things. Which bedroom are we going to move into?"
End of "Roommates" by Kirsten (eli_ollie@yahoo.com)