Tangled With My Roommate

Chapter-11: Drunken Roomie

|| Theo ||

It was around midnight.

I was watching a horror movie in the living room with Clover sitting in my lap. I vaguely watched some creature creep out of the closet on the TV while spooning the ice cream tub in my hand, hyper-aware of the clock ticking.

Even though I tried to keep my eyes on the screen, they just kept fleeting to the front door. As if I was waiting for someone to come home. No, I wasn't waiting for Annabelle to get home. No way. The door design was just very interesting.

I heard footsteps coming towards the living room.

"Theo, why are you still up on a school night?" Wyatt asked.

"Just felt like watching some movie with ice cream," I replied, gluing my eyes to the people screaming on the screen as if I was so invested in it.

"If you were a girl, I would say you were on your periods," he said with an eye roll. He glanced towards the door and asked in concern, "Ara isn't home yet, is she?"

"Oh, don't you see? Annabelle is sitting right beside me," I said sarcastically.

Wyatt glared at me. "Will you ever let go of that name?"

"No, why? I like it."

"Well, she doesn't," he pointed out.

"Her problem."

If I wanted to call her Annabelle, I would, and no one could stop me. Besides, it wasn't like I didn't know her actual name. Well, maybe I didn't know it when I first called out to her two years ago, but every time after that was on purpose. And I absolutely loved the way her face would twist in irritation with every new name.

Besides, by this point, it would be weird to call her Arabella. I would never call her that. It was either Ara or some other mispronounced name, and she would never give me the right to call her by her nickname, so Annabelle it was.

I heard Wyatt sigh. "It's getting late. I hope she didn't run into any troubles."

"Maybe she hit her head on a lamppost and fainted on the street," I joked, though I was getting a bad feeling myself.

"Would it kill you to show some concern for your roommate?" Wyatt scolded.

"I never know. Maybe it will," I deadpanned, taking a spoonful of ice cream.

"Whatever. I'm going to sleep now. Wake me up if Ara isn't back in two hours," he informed and walked away.

Once I was sure that Wyatt went back in, I asked, "Hey, Clove, where do you think Annabelle went tonight?"

Clover just snuggled closer to me, hinting that she couldn't care less about Annabelle.

I petted her head and mumbled, "You really don't like her, huh."

Clover scratched her ear in response, which was a yes.

I glanced at the front door once again and sighed.

I can't believe I was actually worried about Annabelle. But then again, it would be heartless not to. It was almost midnight and she still wasn't back home. That too, on a school night.

After what felt like ten minutes or so, the calling bell rang up.

"Who came so late?" I wondered, putting Clover down.

It probably wasn't Annabelle because she had a key.

By the time I reached the door, the person on the other side had already used the bell ten times.