The Secret Roommate Game

Alex stood still outside of Room 302 with his arms full of boxes and his heart racing. That was it. This is where he will live for the next year.

"You must be Alex," a deep voice said.

Alex almost dropped his bags. A tall man with dark hair and bright blue eyes stood on the left side of the room. He was dressed in a clean blue t-shirt that went well with his eyes.

Alex said, "That's me," trying to sound calm even though his stomach was flipping. "And you're Ethan?"

Ethan agreed and moved to take the top box from Alex's stack. "Let me help you with that."

Their fingers brushed, and Alex felt his face grow hot. Great. Five seconds in and he was already blushing like a tomato.

"Thanks," Alex mumbled, setting the rest of his stuff on the empty bed.

The room was exactly split down the middle. Ethan's side looked like something from a magazine - books lined up by size on the shelf, laptop centered perfectly on the desk, and a nicely made bed with dark blue covers. Not a bit of dust anywhere.

Alex glanced down at his worn pants splattered with paint and his overflowing backpack where colored pencils poked out from every pocket. This was going to be interesting.

"So, what's your major?" Ethan asked, sitting back at his desk.

"Art," Alex answered, pulling posters and supplies from his boxes. "I love painting and making comics. What about you?"

"Biology. Pre-med track," Ethan said with a small smile. "I want to be a doctor someday."

Of course he did. Alex wasn't shocked. Ethan looked exactly like the type of guy who had his whole life figured out.

Alex tacked up a poster of his favorite comic book hero, letting it hang slightly crooked. He could feel Ethan watching him.

"Do you need help unpacking?" Ethan asked.

"Nah, I'm good. My stuff doesn't really have a system." Alex grinned. "Unlike yours."

Ethan's face turned pink. "Is it that obvious?"

"Dude, your books are color-coded!"

They both laughed, and for a moment, the nervousness lifted.

As Alex unpacked, clothes spilled onto the floor and art tools rolled under the bed. Meanwhile, Ethan typed away at his computer, looking up occasionally with a mix of horror and amusement.

"Sorry about the mess," Alex said, kicking a t-shirt under his bed. "I promise I'll keep it on my side."

"It's fine," Ethan said, but his eyes told a different story. The invisible line down the middle of the room might as well have been a wall.

Alex's phone buzzed with a text from his best friend Jasmine: How's the new roomie? Cute?

Alex snuck another peek at Ethan, who was now reading a thick textbook. With his strong jaw, perfect hair, and focused face, he looked like he stepped out of a movie. The afternoon sun from the window lit up his face, making his blue eyes even brighter.

Super cute, Alex texted back, but WAY out of my league.

Pics or it didn't happen, Jasmine answered with a string of laughing emojis.

Alex rolled his eyes and shoved his phone in his pocket. No way was he taking secret shots of his roommate on day one. That would be creepy.

"Do you want to grab dinner together?" Ethan asked suddenly, shutting his book. "The dining hall opens in twenty minutes."

Alex's heart skipped. "Sure, that sounds great."

As they walked across campus, Alex noticed how other students looked at Ethan. Girls chatted and giggled as they passed. Guys nodded in recognition. Meanwhile, Alex tripped over a crack in the ground.

"Careful," Ethan said, grabbing Alex's arm before he fell.

"Thanks," Alex mumbled, wishing the ground would swallow him whole. "I'm a bit clumsy."

"I noticed," Ethan said with a small smile. "Your shoelace is untied."

In the dining hall, they filled their trays and found a table by the window. Alex was surprised at how easy Ethan was to talk to. Despite their differences, conversation flowed easily.

"So why art?" Ethan asked, taking a bite of his salad.

Alex spun spaghetti around his fork. "I've always loved making things. Telling stories through pictures. It's like magic, you know? Making something from nothing." He stopped, feeling silly. "Sorry, that sounds cheesy."

"No, it doesn't," Ethan said, leaning forward. "It sounds passionate. That's cool."

"What about you? Why medicine?"

Ethan's smile faded slightly. "My dad's a doctor. And his dad before him. It's kind of expected."

"But is it what you want?"

Ethan looked surprised by the question, like no one had ever asked him that before. "I think so," he said slowly. "I like helping people."

As they walked back to their room, Alex couldn't help stealing looks at Ethan. How had he gotten so lucky with a roommate who was both nice AND gorgeous? But also, how unlucky to have a crush on day one on a guy who was probably straight.

Back in their room, Alex flopped onto his bed while Ethan returned to his desk.

"Do you mind if I play some music?" Alex asked, reaching for his phone.

"As long as it's not too loud," Ethan responded. "I've got some reading to do."

Of course he did. It was the first day and Ethan was already learning.

Alex put on his favorite playlist at a low level and started sketching in his notebook. Without meaning to, he found himself drawing Ethan's profile - the sharp jawline, the slight furrow in his brow as he focused.

When his phone buzzed again, Alex jumped, quickly flipping his sketchbook closed.

Any progress with Mr. Perfect? Jasmine texted.

We had dinner. He's nice but super serious. Probably straight.

You don't know that! Give it time.

Alex glanced at Ethan, who was fully absorbed in his textbook. The evening light cast shadows across his face, making him look like a figure. Beautiful but unreachable.

A soft knock on the door broke the quiet. Alex jumped up to answer it, glad for the interruption.

A tall guy with light blond hair stood in the hallway. His gray eyes narrowed when he saw Alex.

"Is Ethan here?" he asked, his voice cool.

"Liam!" Ethan's face lit up as he came to the door. He gave the guy a quick hug. "Come in! Alex, this is my best friend from high school, Liam. Liam, this is Alex, my new roommate."

Liam nodded at Alex but didn't smile. His eyes swept over the messy side of the room with obvious judgment.

"We should go grab coffee," Liam said to Ethan. "Catch up before classes start tomorrow."

"Sure," Ethan said. He grabbed his phone and cash. "I'll be back later, Alex."

"No problem," Alex said, trying to sound relaxed. "Nice meeting you, Liam."

Liam gave another short nod before leading Ethan away. Just before the door closed, Alex heard him say, "So they stuck you with an art major, huh? That's rough."

The door clicked shut, and Alex was alone. He flopped back on his bed with a groan. Great. Not only was his roommate way out of his league, but his roommate's best friend already hated him.

Alex's phone buzzed with another text from Jasmine: Still alive?

Barely, he typed back. His best friend just showed up and looked at me like I was gum stuck to his shoe.

Drama already! I'm coming over tomorrow. I need information!

Alex smiled at his phone, then looked at the closed door. Through the window, he could see Ethan and Liam crossing the field, laughing about something. The sinking feeling in his stomach surprised him. Why should he care if Ethan had other friends?

Because you like him, dummy, he thought to himself.

Alex opened his sketchbook again and looked at his half-finished drawing of Ethan. He could already tell this year was going to be difficult.

As he finished the sketch, adding the details of Ethan's eyes, a wild idea started forming in his thoughts. A bad, exciting, dangerous idea.

What if there was a way to get to know the real Ethan without the awkwardness? What if there was a way to talk to him where Alex wasn't just the messy art kid roommate?

Alex pulled out his laptop and opened a new browser tab.

Sometimes the craziest plans were the best ones... right?