The Roommates

Jonas stepped inside, balancing a box of his things. His eyes caught Rafael just finishing his shower, a towel loosely wrapped around his waist. For a brief second, time slowed. Rafael's easy confidence, the way the damp hair clung to his forehead, it all hit Jonas like a quiet spark.

Rafael glanced up, eyebrows raised in surprise, then gave a small, knowing smile. "Hey. You must be the new roommate."

Jonas cleared his throat, suddenly aware of how loud his heartbeat sounded. "Yeah. Looks like it." He forced a casual grin and set his box down.

They shared a glance, the kind that felt like an unspoken question. Is he my type? Both of them thought the same thing but said nothing.

Jonas caught himself stealing a quick look at Rafael's relaxed stance. Yeah, definitely my type, he thought. But he masked it with a shrug.

Rafael, catching the glance, felt a tiny rush of something warm. Maybe he's my type too, he wondered quietly. But he just nodded and said, "I'm Rafael. Let me know if you need anything."

Jonas smiled again, a little softer this time. "Jonas. Thanks."

Neither of them said it out loud, but both felt that small, electric pull, an invisible thread tying their attention without them admitting it yet.

They both looked away first, pretending like it was nothing. But their minds were already racing, imagining what this new roommate situation might mean.

Jonas dropped his box by the door and started unpacking slowly, taking in the small space they were sharing. The room wasn't much, two single beds pushed close together with just enough space for a narrow coffee table between them. On the far side was the tiny bathroom, barely big enough for the shower and a sink.

Rafael, now fully dressed in a loose shirt and jeans, moved around the room with ease. He grabbed a towel from a hook and tossed it over the back of a chair.

Jonas couldn't help but watch him out of the corner of his eye. Rafael's casual movements, the way he took up the small room with confident ease, it was almost hypnotic.

Trying not to stare, Jonas arranged his things on the small desk by the window. A few textbooks, some clothes folded carefully, a plant he insisted on bringing despite the cramped space.

Rafael perched on his bed, stretching his arms and yawning. "Feels weird, huh? Sharing a room like this."

Jonas nodded, biting back a smile. "Yeah. But I guess it's better than being alone."

Rafael gave a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah. The company's not so bad."

The silence settled between them again, comfortable but charged with unspoken thoughts. Neither dared to admit just how much that company meant more than just convenience.

Jonas kept unpacking, but his hands moved slower than usual. Every now and then, his gaze flicked over to Rafael, who was now scrolling on his phone but still looking impossibly relaxed in the tight space.

Rafael caught one of those glances and smirked, but said nothing. Instead, he stretched again, deliberately showing just a little more ease, as if daring Jonas to look away.

Neither of them spoke about the awkwardness between them, but the room felt smaller with all the silent electricity hanging in the air.

Jonas told himself it was nothing. Just nerves. Just the first day in a new place.

But deep down, his thoughts kept circling back to Rafael, the way his smile tugged at something inside him, how his presence made the room warmer despite the cramped walls.

Rafael, on his end, was playing the same game. He told himself it was just curiosity, just passing interest.

Yet every time Jonas's eyes met his, his heart thudded harder, and his fingers twitched like they wanted to reach out but didn't.

They were two strangers pretending to be indifferent, while secretly tangled in a quiet obsession neither dared to name.

Days passed. Classes came and went in a blur of lectures, notes, and assignments. Jonas and Rafael moved through their separate worlds, each chasing a different major, with barely a word exchanged outside the dorm.

Jonas's days were filled with numbers and formulas, theories and experiments, while Rafael's schedule revolved around art studios and design critiques. Their paths rarely crossed on campus, their worlds orbiting different stars.

But once the sun dipped low, and the hum of campus faded into quiet, the dorm became their common ground.

They'd pass each other by the coffee table, exchange quick glances while pretending to focus on their own routines.

Small moments, Rafael brewing coffee while Jonas unpacked books, Jonas humming softly to himself as Rafael stretched by the window.

Those fleeting seconds were charged with something neither wanted to admit.

Outside the classroom walls, behind the quiet facades, their secret obsessions grew stronger, unnoticed by anyone but themselves.