Aiden checks out his new room

When they got back into the apartment, he dropped his things by the wall in his room, then returned to find Natalie and his mom in the kitchen, already opening drawers and debating whether the mugs were too high up. It seemed that Natalie was much more structured than his mom was. He’d have to be mindful of that, living in her place.

“It’ll be fun staying the night, right?” Lisa asked, turning toward Natalie. “Just like old times! One last night of freedom for you before the kid takes over.”

Natalie gave her a dry look. “You’re staying in my bed and he’s the one with his own room. How is that my last night of freedom?”

Lisa waved her off. “Details.”

Aiden hesitated just past the doorway, unsure whether to linger or leave them to whatever they were doing. They clearly had their own thing going on of shared stories and inside jokes, and he wasn’t part of that. Not yet. Probably not ever.

He cleared his throat lightly. “I’m gonna, uh... finish unpacking I guess.”

“Need help?” Lisa asked, half-turning.

“I’m good,” he said, already backing down the hall.

He shut the door behind him, sat on the edge of the bed, and stared at the bin he’d just carried up. The room was nice. Too nice. Clean, quiet, and... adult. This wasn’t going to feel like college. Not even close.

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands loosely clasped. The bin sat unopened in front of him. He knew exactly what was in it and none of it was urgent. Chargers, notebooks, a couple of extension cords, and a hoodie he hadn’t worn in months. He wasn’t really in a rush to unpack, but just needed a moment to take everything in.

Everything in the room felt intentional. The bed was already made, the spare blanket folded, and there was even a small dish of spare toiletries on the dresser, like he was checking into some kind of Airbnb. It was far from bad, but it felt super foreign. Quiet in a way he wasn’t used to. No background noise. No random yelling through dorm walls. No roommate clomping around in flip-flops after day drinking. Not even the noises he was used to back home with his mom. Just… calm. And that made him realize how much he’d relied on noise to distract himself from actually thinking.

He stood, opened the bin, and started pulling things out one by one, placing them in empty drawers and the vacant closet. It didn’t take long; he didn’t have much. By the time he was zipping up the empty duffel bag and stuffing it inside the suitcase, he could hear faint laughter coming from the kitchen along with his mom’s voice, then Natalie’s.

He couldn’t make out the words, but the flow of it seemed like it was familiar between them. His mom almost sounded giddy, like it was just a continuation of some past life they had together before he showed up. He wasn’t sure if that made him feel better or worse.

It was good, because at least he was staying with someone that he kinda knew and his mom was close with. On the other hand, it was someone his mom was close with and may tell her about everything he does.

Aiden sat back down on the edge of the bed, resting his forearms on his thighs. This wasn’t going to be like dorm life. It wasn’t going to be like anything he’d done before. Natalie wasn’t just some stranger off a roommate board; she was his mom’s friend. Sharp, professional, polite. And he was crashing in her home for the foreseeable future.

He exhaled through his nose, then stood again, mostly just to move. The idea of staying in here all evening felt antisocial, but barging into the kitchen mid-laughter felt weird too. After a moment, he opened the door and wandered toward the living room. At the very least, he figured he should make an effort to not be hiding.

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