Housemates (boyxboy)

Chapter 23

With the end of the semester looming overhead, rain fell from the clouds above as small droplets raced each other down the sleeves of my windbreaker. I pulled my hood over my head and tightened the strings, frowning at the gloomy atmosphere of the campus I currently walked through to get to class. I hadn't realized I'd arrived late until I removed my ear buds and heard the professor's boring voice drone on while I slid my notebook onto my desk with no intention of scratching down anything he was saying. Releasing a sigh, I searched through my backpack to find a pen that I could doodle with instead and almost cursed aloud upon the realization that I left it on my desk at the house.

There was going to be no helping my boredom today.

A few seconds after I had decided to rest my cheek in my palm with my elbow on the desk, I heard a tapping sound on the side of my desk. Looking down, I found a pen enclosed in the hand of the person beside me. I raised an eyebrow without moving and the person tapped my desk again before opening his palm.

I pointed toward myself and he nodded his head as I took the pen from his outstretched hand.

"Thanks," I whispered to which I received a kind smile.

The lecture continued on at such a slow pace and I hadn't listened to a single word that came out of the professor's mouth. I was busy creating a masterpiece anyway. At least it was in my eyes.

"Is that a character from One Piece?" I heard a voice say beside me and practically jumped at the sound. Looking up, I realized the voice belonged to the same guy who had lent me his pen as he currently stood beside me. I hadn't been aware that class was over as well.

"Huh?" I asked, looking down at my notebook. "Oh, yeah. It's not good though."

The guy laughed and I glanced up at him again, trying to recognize if I had seen him before. Though, I had never paid attention to anyone in my class so it wasn't a surprise when I couldn't recognize the dirty blond-haired boy before me. His eyes shined a light blue and he had a small freckle above his left cheek, close to his eye.

"That's better than I can do," he told me as I began to pack my belongings together.

"Don't hype me up now," I warned him, zipping up my backpack. "I might just think I've become the next Picasso."

The boy laughed again and I stood up, ready to take my leave when I realized he'd probably been waiting for me to return the pen I accidently packed away in my backpack.

"Shoot," I said, dropping my backpack to the floor. "Your pen."

"It's alright," he said. "You can keep it."

Hauling my backpack on my shoulders again, I grinned. "Sweet."

"Yeah," he replied as the two of us finally took our leave from the classroom.

"You're Cade, right?" the boy asked me as we continued to walk together in the same direction.

"Yeah," I said. "How'd you know?"

"You're the one who never replies when the professor calls on you," he said, stifling a laugh.

"Shit," I said. "I do that?"

"You're always busy doodling," he said.

"That's embarrassing," I said, holding the door for him as I walked through the exit of the building.

"Nah," he denied. "I'd say becoming the next Picasso is more important."

"Shut up," I joked, puffing out a laugh.

He laughed too before informing me that he was headed in the other direction.

"Hey," I said, halting him. "Thanks for the pen, uh..."

"Arlen," he said with a smile.

"Right, Arlen," I said. "Thanks for the pen."

"No problem," he said. "See you."

Offering a wave, I watched as he turned his back before I walked in the direction of my car. I wasn't in the mood to go to work today but my shift started in twenty minutes and there was nothing I could do to get out of it.

So when I arrived at work, I was already exhausted and wasn't in the mood to hear about Marcy's new love interest. She must've recognized my gloominess and kept her mouth closed for most of the shift.

Well, pulling out the pen that Arlen lent me earlier, I began to scratch down reminders on a pink sticky note that I placed on the corner of my computer screen. There wasn't enough time in the day to get all of the work done and I couldn't afford to forget to complete any of it.

"Woah," Alec's voice suddenly sounded beside me, causing me to jump.

"Jesus," I said, hovering my hand over my heart. "You scared me."

"How'd you get that?" he asked me, pointing down at my desk.

"Get what?" I asked as I stared up at him with a frown. "I'm not falling for that."

"No, I'm serious," he said. "That pen. It's a rare release from the Percy Jackson series that lights up and mimics the one in the book."

"Oh, wow," I said. "I didn't even realize."

Squatting beside me with his face close to mine, he stared at me with wide eyes.

"No, really," he said. "Where'd you get it?"

I squished my eyebrows together, not seeing the big deal. "From someone in my class."

"What, do they have a crush on you or something?" he asked. "Do you know what I'd do to get my hands on that thing?"

"I don't even want to know," I said. "But no, I don't really know him."

"What?" he asked. "That's super weird. There's only a few of those in the world, you know. I can't believe you have one."

I shrugged. "I guess I'll have to give it back then."

"No," Alec said. "Can I have it?"

Shoving him softly, I said, "No, I'm going to give it back when I see him. Get back to work."

"Damnit," he said, pouting and I shook my head at his immaturity before he dropped into the seat behind me.

Looking down at the strange pen again, I clicked it, turning the light on and off again and again until it began to irritate Marcy.

I couldn't come up with a single reason why Arlen would give a random person like me such a limited-edition pen.

I assumed I would find out when I returned it to him in a few days.

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