But, I’d decided something important while scrubbing plates and questioning the cholesterol levels of two different kinds of pork in one meal.
No weird tension. That was the deal.
I’d convinced myself I wasn’t going to get caught up in some dumb spiral about my new roommate. Derek was just… Derek. And I was just me, trying to be chill with the fact my dad dropkicked an adult human into my life this way.
So, friends vibes it was. No mental rewriting of his resume to include ‘resident heartthrob’, because the reality of this situation was that Derek was likely straighter than a stripper pole… with hopefully far less germs.
Once the dishwasher was humming, I went to get ready into something relaxed and breathable for a lowkey day. Thattranslated into an oversized white t-shirt, black athletic shorts, and a ponytail that was just doing its best. We’d call this lookfunctional neutral.
And then, of course, Derek came walking out his room looking like a fitness ad.
He was in a fitted forest green workout shirt that clung to his upper body like a second skin, and dark joggers that absolutely did not need to be that tailored, accenting his thick thighs and narrow waist. Sunglasses were propped on his dark brown hair that was slicked back. And for what reason? We were going to play a basketball game, but this was giving sponsored content while I was out here dressed like a background character in a sports drink commercial.
Whatever. It was fine. No big deal. I filled up two tumblers of water, because the Texas heat didn’t care about your outfit, and we headed out.
Some grumbling occurred on the way.
I would neither confirm nor deny if it came from me.
I drove us to a local park with a covered court and grabbed the basketball from my back seat after we parked. I always had one on hand whenever the urge to shoot some hoops hit me, which was admittedly often.
Basketball was one of the few ways I found helped clear my head. There was something about the simple principles of the game that quieted the racing thoughts in my head. All I needed to do was keep the ball moving, breathing, and make the shot.
We made our way onto the court before dropping our things on a nearby bench. Wordlessly, we both began to stretch out our arms and legs, getting the blood flowing.
“Losers first,” I called, tossing the ball to Derek with a grin when we were settled.
He caught it, huffing in amusement. “You’re gonna regret that.”
“Oh no… Not regret,” I sing-songed, mock serious. “Anything but that.”
Derek warmed up with a few dribbles between his legs, shifting his weight back and forth as he tested the feel of the ball. Then there was a subtle change in his posture that alerted me the game was on. With his wide shoulders and long limbs, he definitely had aslightsize advantage on me. But, size wasn’t everything. I knew what I was doing.
He made his move, but I was already there.
Darting in front, I crowded him in spreading my arms just enough in an attempt to throw him off balance. Instead, he spun himself around, trying to shield the ball with his back. I backed off a little, trying to give him some space so he’d let his guard down. When he did, I faked to my left, then slipped back to the right and snatched the ball clean from under him.
“Better luck next time, lawyer-boy!” I called, already sprinting toward the arc.
His heavy footsteps thundered behind me as he raced to catch up, but an almost manic grin spread over my face knowing he was too slow.
SWOOSH
The ball slipped clean through the net and I whooped. Could’ve kissed myself for that flawless execution.
Derek groaned, “What the fuck, man?”
I couldn’t hold back my smile as I shrugged, quickly snatching the ball. “What can I say? I’m just that good. First to eleven?”
“You’re supposed to go easy on me!” He called, shaking his head. “I’m your favorite new roommate!”
And then he pouted. Actually pouted.
I barked out a laugh. “Start playing better defense,roomie.”
“Don’t get cocky, asshole,” he grumbled, already squaring up.
We went at it again. For every slick move I pulled, he wasright there to counter it. Anytime one of us scored, some well-intentioned trash talking followed, and was easily dished right back out by the other party. A few times Derek had to pause the game so he could catch his breath from laughing so hard, which made my insides hum with something I wasn’t ready to examine in the middle of our match-up. I tried attempting to steal the ball once when he was bent over, but my lightning-like skills were apparently no match against his ninja reflexes. After that, he started making stupid faces right before trying to steal the ball.
