Making Friends

AI Disclaimer: Drafts were entirely human written. AI was used in the proofreading process.

Mark sat down on his freshly-made bed and started reading. Sophie and Mark separated for lunch. She had been invited to a special Asian-American welcome banquet. Mark instead enjoyed a mediocre burger and fries from the limited move-in day lunch selection offered in the cafeteria.

The college had provided recommended reading to all incoming freshmen, of which Mark was woefully behind. When he found out it was written by one of the college's professors, he worried it would be a bore to read. Doubly so when he discovered its length. At least the college had given everyone a discount code for half price.

Freshly full from lunch, the little unpacking and organizing he needed to do now complete, and the next few hours to himself, he had no excuse left to avoid the reading.

It wasn't until he heard the door open that he realized he hadn't moved an inch in the past few hours. The leg he used as a bookrest had long ago fallen asleep. He was surprised, both that he had finished the majority of the book, and that the book was so compelling. Mark folded the corner of the page to save his place and set the book aside to stretch.

It was an interesting book. An unassuming title gave the book on the construction of the Interstate Highway System an air of academic dryness. In reality, it was a work of fiction, a deeply personal tale of a construction worker **** to destroy his own neighborhood to make way for a highway that would never be finished.

Sophie stepped inside, taking off her blazer as she did. She looked over toward Mark and smiled. "Oh, you finished Lines on Maps?"

"Not quite, I still have about a quarter left. I just got to the demolition scene."

"Ah, yeah. That part made me tear up a bit." Sophie stood still for a moment, briefly looking sad before smiling again. "Anyway, the banquet was good, but quite long. It was a struggle trying to not fall asleep listening to speeches after such great food." She continued toward her dresser, pulling some fresh clothes out. "I'll be back in a bit, going to put on something more comfortable."

"I'll be right here." Mark picked up the book again as Sophie left the room. He continued reading.

Mark briefly looked up when Sophie entered the room again just a few minutes later. In her hand were the dress clothes she had worn to the banquet, neatly folded. She appeared clad in just a sports bra and spandex shorts.

"Welcome back." Mark greeted her before quickly shifting his attention back to the book. He didn't want to be caught staring. Sure, he figured he could influence her to not notice his leering, but he wanted to observe the effects his earlier pushes would cause. Plus, it was something he hadn't tried before, so he couldn't be certain of the outcome. It was simply easier to stay on her good side for now.

Sophie pulled out a yoga mat and started stretching. She happened to position herself away from Mark, which he took advantage of. Over the next hour, he periodically looked up to watch. The hour passed just as quickly, but progress in his book was greatly diminished as a result of the distraction.

She finished up her stretching and dusted herself off. With the distraction of his roommate performing yoga gone, Mark was finally able to turn his full attention to finishing his book. Sophie returned to unpacking and organizing her final few boxes.

By the time he completed the book, Sophie had finished her organization. She too was sitting on her bed, relaxing and scrolling on her phone. She noticed Mark had set the book down and looked over. "Finished?"

"Yeah. It was a surprisingly good read." Mark sighed. "The ending wasn't that satisfying, but I suppose that's true to life."

"Need a minute? Or are you about ready for dinner?"

"Is it that time already?" His stomach growled, answering for him. "I suppose it is." Mark hopped off the bed. "I'm good to head over now."

Sophie stood up and quickly threw a tank top on before heading toward the door. Mark followed her out of the room, pausing briefly to double check the door was latched behind them. Turning back to the hallway, he noticed their neighbor's door was open, the sound of alt-rock spilling into the hallway. Sophie peeked inside the room and called out to the occupants. "Hey, we're about to head down to grab some dinner, want to join us?"

Mark heard a distinctly feminine voice respond back. "Sure, just give us a second." The music switched off.

He watched as two very different women walked out. The first was tall and lanky, about as tall or even a little taller than himself. The second was quite a bit shorter, barely reaching her roommate's shoulder. Both were wearing jean shorts and t-shirts featuring what Mark presumed was the band being played earlier.

"The Wildwood Cafe, I presume?" Mark recognized the taller student's voice as the one who spoke earlier.

"Yeah." Mark wasn't sure what the obsession with wood was, but every place in this college had a tree-themed name. Woodhaven College, White Oak Hall, and the Wildwood Cafe, just to name a few. The Wildwood Cafe was the name given to the primary student cafeteria.

The cafeteria was bustling with students navigating their way through the maze of food counters. Mark, already familiar with the layout, led them to an empty table in a quiet corner. They left a few items on the table to prevent thieves from stealing their newly acquired spot, then split up to grab food. Mark stopped by a Mediterranean counter he noted on his way in. On offer was a Chicken Shawarma plate with Falafel, a favorite he hadn't been able to find back home.

It wasn't until they reconvened back at the table that proper introductions were made. Jess, the taller of the two, introduced herself first. She then introduced her roommate, Liz, who acted a bit shy and just waved. Mark and Sophie each introduced themselves.

Jess opened the conversation between bites of her salad. "So, how do you two know each other?"

Mark quickly responded before Sophie had a chance to finish her own bite. "We met today during move-in." He left his answer open to interpretation. He wanted to keep his rooming with Sophie hidden to avoid unnecessary questions making their way to the administration. "We seem to get along well."

Sophie flashed a slight smile at Mark before speaking. "I'd say we're already pretty close, all things considered." She took another bite of her salad. "How about you two? Did you know each other before becoming roommates?"

"Actually, yes. We've been friends since high school. We used to play softball together." Jess spoke while Liz nodded in agreement. "Liz is like the sister I never had. We enjoy the same music, food, hobbies… you name it."

Liz finally spoke up. "We even aligned our class schedules."

"That sounds fun. I haven't had a chance to finalize mine yet. Mark, maybe we should take a look later?"

The conversation continued for a while longer, with Mark only making an occasional comment here and there. At some point the discussion had transitioned from class schedules and tomorrow's orientation meeting to rumors about the college's sorority scene. The overhead lights dimming briefly served as their reminder that the dining hall would be closing shortly, and they started to make their way back.

"So which rooms are yours?" Jess asked, a curious expression on her face. "It would be helpful to know where everyone is so we can meet up before breakfast tomorrow."

Sophie responded before Mark could think of a reply. "We're both in 304."

Jess and Liz both looked at each other in confusion. "Wait, what?" Liz replied with a puzzled tone.

Mark panicked slightly, quickly activating his suggestive voice. This would be his first test with more than one person, and in less than ideal circumstances. He desperately hoped it would work. "Nothing is odd about Sophie and I sharing a room. Sophie and I are normal roommates." As soon as he said it, he felt significant pushback in his mind, as if he were trying to move something heavy. He pushed hard against it to try to make sure it landed.

Everyone stopped. "Normal roommates." All three echoed in unison. He mentally kicked himself. Idiot! He should have seen this scenario coming and prepared something ahead of time. He had no idea how far the "normal" wording would bury itself. And he hadn't meant to affect Sophie any further.

"Sleep well. Catch you two tomorrow!" Sophie wished Liz and Jess a good night as their new friends returned to their room. Mark gave a half-hearted wave before following Sophie in returning to their own room next door to begin their evening routine.

Mark quickly grabbed his toothbrush before heading to the communal men's room to brush his teeth. He left as Sophie was gathering up some toiletries for what he assumed would be a lengthy routine. Mark was right. He finished, changed into pajamas, and lounged in bed scrolling through the available electives for twenty minutes before Sophie opened the door.

Mark looked up as she stepped into the room. She was wearing a long bathrobe, concealing what she was wearing underneath. She carried a shower tote full of lotions and creams in one hand, and a bunch of half-folded clothes in the other. "How was the shower?"

"Very warm and relaxing. So relaxing that I felt like I could have stayed for a half hour longer."

"I'll be looking forward to mine tomorrow morning then. You never know if the pressure will be high enough."

"The pressure was quite good. I actually had to turn it down a little." Sophie unwrapped the bathrobe from around herself, revealing only a pair of panties underneath. "I hope you don't mind if I sleep topless, especially in the summer heat."

Mark was pleasantly surprised. He gawked for a moment before catching himself, responding as calmly as he could. "Not at all." Luckily, Sophie was already moving toward her bed, pulling out her pillows so she could sleep on top of the sheets.

She reached over to the lamp beside her bed, turning the last remaining light in the room out. "Good night!"

"Good night." Mark replied. He lay there in silence for several minutes, reflecting on the unusual day, his unexpected roommate, and the effectiveness of the suggestions he pushed into her mind. He recapped the suggestions so far.

Sharing a room could be fun, though. College is supposed to be all about trying new experiences, how would a coed room be any different?

You wanted to avoid bunk beds because you're concerned about hitting your head if you wake up suddenly.

Treat sharing a room the same as with any other roommate. New experiences sometimes take some adjustment, and we'll just take it one step at a time.

Nothing is odd about Sophie and I sharing a room. Sophie and I are normal roommates.

This was his first time layering suggestions on top of each other, and especially with changing someone's mind completely. The comfort Sophie showed with her earlier yoga poses followed by her choice of sleepwear was unexpected, but quite a welcome result. Sharing a room being fun and treating it the same as with another roommate might be the interesting parts here. Mark pondered for a moment. Maybe she's treating me with the same openness she would with a female roommate? He frowned slightly. Or maybe the last push affected her more than I wanted to.

Mark decided he would have to do more testing in the following days. But first, sleep. Breakfast and orientation were first thing in the morning.