Just Friends? - Katie McGrath x Reader

Chapter 2: Surprise

Possible Trigger Warning: Discussion of religion and topics of mental health. The religion is specific, so apologies if this does not apply to you. Feel free to change what's written in your mind as you read.

Y/N's POV:

After the enchanting interaction with Katie in the coffee shop, they exchanged phone numbers and vowed to text each other later and discuss their schedules.

Once Y/N left the coffee shop, it was time for her to meet her roommate. Although her conversation with Katie largely helped her worries about the upcoming meeting, she was still concerned about certain things. Would her roommate like her? Would she constantly have partners over? Or would she be a complete introvert like herself and be isolated? It was a completely open field, and Y/N was very unsure of what to think.

Y/N walked into her dorm building, rode the elevator to her floor, and inserted the key into her door only to walk in and see Katie standing there. She froze in the doorway as Katie turned around and her eyes widened in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Y/N asked, clearly confused. "This is my room, right?"

"Ehm, this is my room....unless- are we roommates?" Katie asked, just as confused.

Y/N finally walked fully into the room and closed the door behind her. "Well, I would hope so, considering I already moved all of my things into this dorm room," Y/N replied, looking at Katie in shock, but also hoping beyond hope that this was the case. "If we are roommates, then I don't have anything to worry about anymore!"

Katie smiled and pulled her into a quick hug, Y/N surprised, but happy about the action. Now that they were standing, Y/N couldn't help but notice that Katie was a few inches taller than her. This was definitely not a bad thing, Y/N actually found it even more attractive.

Although they had already gotten their hopes up, the two women decided they had better make sure that they were correct in their assumption that they were roommates. They were relieved to find out that they were correct, and the RA seemed confused as to why they were even asking. They hadn't even thought about it that way.

They made their way back to their shared room, very excited to be on their new adventure as roommates. Now that they had gotten over their worries that they'd gotten their hopes up for nothing, Y/N and Katie could actually look at each others' sides of the room.

Katie's side had more of a dark academia aesthetic. She had lots of historical fiction novels on her small bookshelf and a few drawings of ravens and darkly colored butterflies, which Y/N found fascinating. Her bedspread was a dark emerald green and the pillows were black and gray. Y/N thought this to seem very much like a Slytherin thing, which made her internally chuckle since Katie definitely did not strike her as a Slytherin.

Y/N's side, on the other hand, was a bit more wholesome. She had photos of her and her friends and family on her wall, as well as a drawing her cousin had made for her that she absolutely loved. Her bookshelf consisted mostly of YA novels, but she did have some historical fiction as well, which she and Katie bonded over. She also had a quilt for her bedspread made by her grandmother, along with some extra floral blankets that were very soft.

The two women laughed about the contrast between their decor, but also applauded each other on their aesthetics. It was very interesting to see the differences in their styles, but that only increased the mystery and intrigue that they found in each other.

"We are quite the pair, Y/N," Katie giggled.

"Indeed we are," Y/N agreed. "You never told me earlier, what is your major?"

"Oh yeah," Katie smiled at the fact that they hadn't gone over something so simple in conversation. "I am a history major with a literature minor."

Y/N laughed at this. "I should have guessed, with all of the historical fiction novels you have on your shelf. Do you want to go into historical analysis or be a professor?" she asked.

Katie loved that Y/N was so interested in her interests already, she hadn't even talked about her own major yet. "I'm not sure yet, I will probably be a professor. I just love history and find it so fascinating. I would love to pass on that fascination to other students and help them find their passion in it," she spoke about her major with passion. "What about you, Y/N? What is your passion?"

Y/N smirked, thinking that maybe some time in the future, Katie would be her passion. "Psychology," she replied. "And no, I will not psychoanalyze you or read your mind."

"I would not expect such a thing from you, Y/N. It's not like you have superpowers. Unless...." Katie then laughed along with Y/N at her joke.

"No, I unfortunately do not have superpowers, Katie," she grinned. "Most people expect that from me when I tell them psych is my major, though. Either that or I want to only talk to crazy people." Y/N rolled her eyes at the naive notion most people have.

"Really, you just want to help people though, right?" Katie asked, somehow knowing exactly the way Y/N felt.

Y/N was in utter awe of this woman. Was there anything she couldn't do? She was beautiful, smart, kind, and empathetic. Y/N suddenly found herself wishing to share more of herself with Katie, feeling like she would understand better than anyone else.

"Yes," Y/N replied. "I want to help people who are going through struggles similar to what I have. I remember being a young teen and confused about why I found myself attracted to both girls and boys, when I was told from a young age that it was wrong. I have had so much anxiety about this my whole life, and it even brought me into a state of depression at one point. I still struggle a lot sometimes."

Katie looked deeply into Y/N's eyes, knowing all of these feelings too well. She felt such empathy for Y/N, and embraced her tightly in a comforting gesture. "I know how it feels to have the disapproval of your family because of who you love," she soothed. Y/N couldn't help but love the simultaneous gentleness and roughness of her voice.

"Do you believe in God?" Y/N asked.

"Yes," Katie responded. "I grew up Catholic, but have since grown to disagree with some of the church's teachings. There are better and more progressive churches than the one I grew up in, though, that I would love to explore."

"I grew up Catholic too," Y/N spoke softly. "I have always felt a connection to God, but have always been conflicted about why I feel the way that I do about women. I have also always felt that God loves me no matter what, though, and that is what matters."

"And your family disagrees," Katie guessed.

"Yes," Y/N confirmed. "In fact, they do not know the extent of who I am."

Katie looked at her with raised brows at this. "You haven't told them?"

"I haven't had to," Y/N inhaled, bracing herself for a bad response from Katie. However, none came, the woman just listened intently. "I have never fallen in love with a woman."

Katie nodded her head in understanding. "I would not have told my family until I had to either."

"Could we maybe just....not talk about this anymore?" Y/N asked softly. "I don't want to think about what I might have to do any longer."

And Katie understood. She simply wrapped her arms around Y/N and held her close.

A/N for clarification: I apologize if this chapter offended anyone in any way, that is not my intention. I wrote it more for myself, and also in the hopes that it might reach someone going through a similar situation. All religions or those who do not believe will be respected here, and I apologize if you could not relate to this chapter. Thank you for reading!