Perfect Match

"Alex?"

"Alexander! I swear to God if i wake you up one more time...."

I'm yelling, which is totally rude, but i don't have a choice right now. It's Monday morning and I'm getting late for school yet my lazy bum of a friend won't budge.

He is my ride to school, and he knows I don't have an option, yet he is still covered from head to toe, clearly deaf to my yells and empty threats.

"Alex!" I yell yet again, grabbing the duvet off the bed and tossing it on the floor. He rolls over and groans dramatically, holding an egde of the cotton comforter over his crotch.

I totally do not roll my eyes.

"Go away. Can't a guy get some sleep in his own bed?"

"First of all, you'll kick my butt if i let you oversleep. Second, you are my personal chauffer and I'm getting late for school!"

"You can ditch the early morning class. You are in college for crying out loud. Act like it!"

"I'm not a genius like someone i know. How the hell do you ditch all those classes and still ace your tests?"

He smiles with his eyes half closed.

"One of us has to be smart and that obviously ain't you."

"How kind of you to point that out."

"Kindness is my middle name."

"Good. Now that we've cleared all that, why don't you get your lazy bum out of that bed and drive me to college?"

"On one condition."

"You are not calling the shots, Alex. You have ten minutes to take a shower and dress up."

"That means i can sleep for three more minutes."

"What?"

"Kylie, i only need seven minutes to get ready."

"How the hell do you do that?"

He smirks at me.

"I ain't telling you shit. You can leave now, unless you want to witness my morning wood the moment i push this duvet away."

I make a disgusted face.

"Ew no. I don't want to see your little man. Your morning hair is disgusting enough."

He runs his fingers through his hair.

"Sexy is the term used to describe this."

"I'm sure of that."

"Jeez, Kay! Stop acting like a virgin. It doesn't suit you."

"Neither does it suit you to be a jerk all the time. You are so annoying."

"I only annoy people who I actually like and you happen to be my favourite of them all. You know that."

"I do. Enough chitchat. Take a shower already and for the love of all that's holy, clean the mess in your bedroom after school. This place stinks."

He looks around at the clothes lying on the floor.

"What do you expect my room to look like after i hosted such a huge party on Saturday night? Of course i had girls in here."

"Poor girls. We're just glad they didn't die from the stink, aren't we?"

"They were distracted enough."

"I bet. I'll be in the kitchen. Your seven minutes starts now."

"You said ten!"

"You only need seven."

He groans.

"You little bully. At least make me eggs and butter my toast while I'm at it."

"Get a girlfriend for that, or a maid. Whichever comes first."

He rolls his eyes.

"Off you go. Three eggs..."

I cut him off.

"Two pieces of buttered toast, an apple and black coffee. Two sugars. I know."

"You know me too well."

"Of course i do, silly. I'm your best friend and roommate, all in one pretty package."

He smirks knowingly.

"I will love you forever, my little pretty package."

I scrunch my nose before leaving his bedroom and slamming the door behind me.

I know what you're thinking, that we are both rude asses who don't like each other too much.

Wrong.

I love Alex. I have loved him since he found me at the cemetery, crying beside my Mom's tomb when i was thirteen. He was there to visit his late dad's grave, and that's how we became friends. That was eight years ago and we've grown so much since then.

We didn't go to the same high school. His parents (mom and step-dad) are quite well off so he went to a very prestigious high school while I stuck to one that my Dad could afford

Daddy worked as a cashier in a supermarket before he was fired for being 'lazy' and 'ever distracted'. His manager thought that he was ever drunk when in real sense, he was always tired and sleepy from working two jobs a day to cater for all our bills and my school fees. I tried to get part-time jobs but he wouldn't let me until i turned eighteen and joined college. He works fewer hours now since I got a scholarship to college and i earn enough to pay my share of our apartment's rent.

Initially, Alex was paying the whole amount after I moved in with him but i couldn't take that anymore after i secured a job. I was being a parasite and that was embarrassing as hell. We had our first big fight after i insisted on paying my share and he wouldn't talk to me for two days. Eventually, he had to let it go since I refused to stay in his apartment free of charge.

It's been three years since we started living together and we're good. He caters for everything; shopping, water and electricity bills then he ferries me to school on a daily basis; he insisted that i should never take the bus in the morning. On my side, I pay half of the rent and buy my clothing. That's the most I can do with my meager salary.

Initially, i was staying in the hostels. It just happened that i got a bully and a sex maniac for a roommate and she'd ask me to leave when she wanted to bring a guy over. I didn't have many places where i could spend the night so I'd have to bear the moans and sighs all night long as she got some.

I told Alex everything after putting up with it for two months and he immediately decided that i was moving in with him. He had a spare bedroom and he was sort of looking for a roommate anyway so that same evening; I moved into my best friend's apartment.

"I took six minutes and fifty two seconds!" Alex yells from the living room, making me grin.

"Congratulations! How did you manage that? Are you Superman?"

"Don't think i didn't pick on the sarcasm. Is food ready? I'm starving!"

"That's the least of my concerns right now."

"You're lying. In as much as you act like you don't care about me, we both know that you have a secret crush on me."

I roll my eyes.

"Keep lying to yourself buddy."

"I know what you're going through. It's called denial. You'll accept it with time, no worries."

"Can you just take breakfast?"

"Happily. Can i ask you something?"

"The answer is no."

He smirks.

"Really? Because i was going to ask if you can imagine getting married to another man apart from me."

"Well smartass, the answer is still no. I'm not planning on getting married."

"Why? Because of Billy?"

I hit him on the head with a pan.

"Don't you dare bring that up."

He smiles knowingly but proceeds to zip his mouth with his fingers anyway.

Billy's story is an embarrassing one. He was the first guy I ever kissed and he is the only one I ever had sex with. I was in highschool, having these wild teenage hormones raging through me, and I craved male attention badly. I was the weird poor kid in school and i didn't exactly have a line of boys at my dad's doorstep asking me out on dates.

To be quite honest, i didn't have a single boy flirting with me until Billy approached me. He was somehow popular, good looking enough and i was flattered that he indeed wanted to take me out on a date. I automatically said yes and that evening, he picked me at my dad's doorstep and took me to the park.

I had wasted my money purchasing a decent dinner dress.

Needless to say, the date was awful and i lost my virginity on a cold park bench in the early hours of the night.

Billy didn't talk to me again after that night. He told everyone at school that i was a slut and a disgusting freak.

That was the last straw to my self esteem.

I told Alex about it later that week and he did the one thing he does best; he found Billy and beat the crap out of him. That didn't boost my self esteem but at least something was done about it.

Needless to say, I'm scared of men. I don't want a repeat of that so I've strived to stay away from them for the last three years. I'm a grown up now, my hair is better and longer, my skin is free of acne, I shed the extra kilos and got rid of my braces and generally, I'm a totally different person. I still don't want a repeat of what happened with Billy though. My poor heart can't take it.

Alex keeps making jokes about the Billy thing since it's been like four years since the incident. I don't like talking about it, but my best friend does the exact opposite. He is concerned that my love life is nothing to write home about and he thinks talking about Billy will make me move on from the entire saga.

It's not working.

"What are you doing after school?" He asks me, glancing at me over the rim of his coffee mug.

"Working. I have the evening shift."

"You had the evening shift yesterday and the day before."

"I know. I somehow got it again today."

He frowns and pushes his plate away before turning fully to look at me.

"Kay, you're supposed to be getting two off days in a week as per the contract yet you work every single day! Do they pay you extra for working daily?"

"You're overthinking about the whole thing. Drop it."

"Now I won't. This is not right, Kay. Do you want me to pass by after school and talk to the store manager?"

I cast him a horrified look.

"Hell no! That's where i get all my money from. Please don't ruin that for me."

"I'm not ruining anything. I'm actually trying to make everything easier for you."

"No thanks. I'll handle it."

He rolls his eyes.

"Like hell you will."

"Alex?"

"What."

"Don't you dare go there."

"Fine. If you need my help with that, you know where to find me."

"I know." I kiss his cheek. "Thank you for everything, really. You always have my back."

"It's nothing. It's what brothers do."

I smile fondly at him. Brother indeed. He is the one I never had.

"Do you have after school plans?" I ask him while tucking the dirty dishes away. I'll do them tonight.

"Actually yes. I am hanging out with my friends and i wanted to tag you along. You never do anything for fun!"

"I'm fine. You worry too much about me."

"And rightfully so. You don't have friends, you hardly step out of this house unless you're going to school or to work and you generally don't have a life. I'm sick and tired about that. If you can't make friends, we'll share mine."

I swallow the lump that forms in my throat.

"I don't fit there."

"What makes you say that?" He asks angrily.

"You guys are so rich and trendy! I'll totally be out of place."

"No one is asking you for money. Stop using that as a scapegoat."

"Okay, I'm working after school. Topic closed."

"You better make a friend or a boyfriend at school today. If you don't, I'll drag you along the next time I go somewhere with my friends."

"Be my guest."

"Okay. Let's go."

He grabs my hand and pulls me from the kitchen. Our bags are on the couch and he picks both with his free hand before we walk out of the apartment. He releases my hand once we are in the parking lot and i quickly get into the car to escape the chilly weather. He gets in and tosses me pair of warm hand gloves before starting the car.

"Are you gay?" Alex asks casually the moment we take the freeway.

I stare at him.

"What?"

"Answer the damn question."

"I'm not, okay? Why would you even ask that?"

"Because I've never seen you talking to a guy."

"That makes me gay?"

"Maybe. A little weird as well."

"So now that you know I'm not gay, what are you going to do about that?"

"I'm giving you exactly a week to introduce me to someone. A guy."

"Or else?"

"I'll hook you up with one of my friends who thinks you are hot."

"Your friends are manwhores! They sleep around like crazy!"

"You've only met two of them. The rest are good, trust me."

"I don't trust you on this one. Sorry."

He makes a mock pouty face.

"You're hurting me."

"That was the idea. Alex, I can find a man by myself. You don't need to find one for me."

"Then prove it. One week, Kay."

I groan, letting my head roll back on the headrest.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because you are important to me and you need to get laid."