1 An Open Relationship #2
Inside it was packed. The place itself looked old-fashioned, but there were so many people there, I forgot about that right away.
I had to glance around a moment to find the reception area.
There was a blond guy in huge glasses behind the counter, not much older than me, and he seemed stressed as he shouted something to a young man who was leaning against the wall.
I wondered why he was there. It was a girls’ dorm.
Maybe he was someone’s brother or cousin?
Anyway, it wasn’t my problem. I stood there behind him, waiting for him to finish.
“Ross, I can’t let you go up there,” the guy behind the counter said. He sounded tired, as if he’d already repeated this several times. “On day one, only family members can go up. And no guys. You know that.”
“‘You know that,’” the other one repeated mockingly and grinned.
The blond guy turned red in the face. “Could you take me seriously for once in your life?”
“Could you give me a break for once in your life?”
“Ross, this is a girls’ dorm—”
“Thanks, I didn’t notice—”
“And you’re not a girl.”
“Neither are you, and you’re working here.”
The guy behind the counter got angry and groused, “Look, I’m here because this is my job and I’m trying to do it to the best of my ability!”
“Perfect. Then you can be the one to go tell Naya she has to take her own suitcase upstairs.”
The guy behind the counter froze. “No. You tell her.”
“Me? I don’t think so, buddy. That offer’s expired. I tried to be a gentleman, but you won’t let me.” He shook his head. “I guess it’s going to have to be all your fault, Chrissy. Too bad. I liked you. But no worries, I’ll come to your funeral to tell you goodbye, OK?”
The blond guy—what kind of name was Chrissy?—looked at him as he decided what to do. “Let Will do it,” he said. “He’s her boyfriend. That counts as family for my purposes.”
“Do you think I’d be here if Will could come?”
“No,” Chrissy said. “I guess not.”
“Bingo,” the other one replied.
“Why couldn’t he come?”
“Our dear friend Will is busy and thinks I’m his errand boy.”
The receptionist asked if whatever this Will was doing was more important than his girlfriend.
“What do I care?” Ross replied. “I literally just got up twenty minutes ago. I slept two hours. Maybe less. I’m dying to go back to bed.
And this suitcase is like a ton of bricks.
And I’m hungry, Chrissy. All I want to do right now is go home and eat my cold leftover pizza from last night and sleep away the next decade. ”
Ross paused and then leaned over the counter. “So will you let me take Naya’s suitcase upstairs so I can get on with my life, or are you going to keep telling me no?”
Chrissy was flushed. He seemed to be having some kind of short circuit. Was it really such a big deal to let a guy go up to one of the rooms? With all those people in there, who’d even notice?
“Fine,” Chrissy murmured, defeated. “But get a move on! If someone sees you…!”
“I’m a discreet man. You know that,” Ross said, smiling from ear to ear.
The blond guy seemed to finally realize I existed, and his face turned serious once again. He nodded his head toward me and said, “Look, Ross, as you can see, people need my help, so…”
Without even looking at me, Ross picked up the suitcase and started making fun of him again. “Yes, I can see you’re a very busy man.”
“How can I help you?” Chrissy asked me as his acquaintance wandered off toward the stairs. I tried to look friendly and said, “Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt…”
“I wish you had,” Chrissy replied. “He’s unbearable. Anyway, what’s up? You’re staying here?”
“Yeah. My name’s Jenna. Jennifer Michelle Brown.” I showed him my license, which he stared at for a moment.
“Jennifer Michelle. Strange combination.” He tried to find me on his list.
“My parents are very imaginative,” I murmured.
I’d always hated my second name. My family loved to call me by my middle name to tease me, but I usually kept them in check. I knew how to hit back. Still, it was there on my birth certificate. I’d never entirely escape it.
“Let’s see, then… Oh, yeah. Here you are. Hmm. That’s a coincidence,” Chrissy said.
“What?”
“That suitcase Ross was just taking upstairs belongs to your new roommate. Good luck. You’re going to need it.”
Somewhat frightened, I asked why I’d need good luck.
“I’m kidding,” he said with a nervous chuckle that hinted he wasn’t kidding at all. “Your roommate is Naya Hayes.”
“You know her?”
“Yeah. She’s my little sister.”
His tone was strange, and I asked, “Is that…bad?”
Slightly louder, slightly higher-pitched, he replied, “Well, uh, no. I mean…” Then he tossed a key on the counter. “Second floor. Room 33. You can’t miss it.”
Just then, Ross reappeared empty-handed. “I need the key,” he said. “Your sister’s not up there.”
“Where is she, then?” Chrissy asked.
“I don’t know, bro. She’s your sister, not mine. Why don’t you tell me?”
“I don’t have another key, Ross.”
“Great, then I’m leaving her shit in the hallway where some creep can steal all her panties.”
I tried not to laugh.
Chrissy looked at me and said, “How about you chill for a moment and I’ll make an official introduction here. This is Jenna. She can open the door for you. If she doesn’t mind, of course.”
I felt a little uncomfortable as Ross looked at me and said, “Sure, no problem.”
“Good,” Chrissy finished. “Then welcome to the dorm, Jenna. If you need anything, my name is Chris, and I…”
“He’s the head of making sure guys don’t enter without permission. Or so he wishes,” Ross cut him off.
Chris pretended not to hear him: “I’m the person who keeps order around here. I’m in Room 1, first door on the second floor. If you need anything and I’m not here, that’s where you can find me.”
“Otherwise he’ll be down here playing Candy Crush ,” Ross added.
“I don’t play video games during working hours,” Chris said, trying to maintain his composure.
“Anyway, Jenna, try not to come to my room unless it’s an actual emergency.
I mean like if the building catches fire.
If you drop your phone in the toilet and you don’t want to fish it out because you think it’s gross, that’s your problem. ”
“Do lots of people come knocking?” I asked.
“More than I’d like,” he assured me. “If you lose your key, you can get another one, but there’s a ten-dollar fee.
You can have visitors during the day, but if they’re coming at night, we need at least one day’s notice.
And your roommate’s got to be OK with it.
There are shared bathrooms at the end of each hallway, but I think your room has an en suite.
Anyway, they’re always open. Anything else… ? Oh yeah, this.”
He fished around in a drawer and pulled out a little basket full of plastic squares. “Safety first,” he told me, and I saw they were condoms. “It’s a welcome present from student health services. One per. My recommendation is the strawberry flavor. That’s the one most people ask for.”
I was red with embarrassment as Ross peeked over my shoulder and grabbed a handful and Chris reminded him he’d already taken one. As Ross dropped them all, I picked up a blackberry one. I slipped it into my pocket, feeling hellishly uncomfortable, and said, “Thanks…”
Chris wished me a good day and reminded me I could come to him for help whenever I needed. Then he shouted, “Next!”
I almost twitched, his voice was so loud, and another girl immediately took my place. Ross asked me, “So, you have the key?”
Clearing my throat, I showed it to him and said, “Yeah, unless they gave me the wrong one.”
“Great,” he replied. “I’ll give you a hand.”
He grabbed the handle of my suitcase and I followed him upstairs, just carrying my backpack.
All around were weeping families saying goodbye and hugging and lonely-looking girls.
I thought of my mother and what a scene she’d have started if she’d come.
It was better that Monty brought me. It was better that he’d left, too.
Ross dropped my suitcase next to the purple one I’d seen him with earlier and stepped aside to let me open the door. Even with the key, I had to give it a good nudge. That depressed me somehow. But I tried to put a happy face on it, saying, “It probably just needs a little oil in the lock.”
“It could always be worse,” Ross replied.
I looked around inside. The room was simple.
Too simple, maybe. The walls were green and white, and there was a window over each bed, a desk with a chair and a lamp, and two small closets.
I’d clearly not been the first to arrive, because the bed on the left already had my roommate’s stuff on it.
“So you know my roommate?” I asked Ross.
“Me? No, I just love lugging around strangers’ things. It’s my passion, actually.”
Of course he knew her. Why did I say so much stupid stuff when I felt awkward?
Was it because he was handsome? I hoped not.
But obviously I had noticed. I don’t know if it was his brown hair, uncombed, or his bright eyes or his welcoming smile.
Or maybe it was that old sweatshirt that made him look like one of those guys who doesn’t care what anyone thinks.
I don’t know. He seemed like a joker type, and I usually hate that.
Those kinds of men bore me. But why was I even thinking about all this?
“She’s my best friend’s girlfriend,” Ross said. “Her name’s Naya.”
“Is she, uh…” I didn’t want to sound scared. “Is she nice?”
“When she wants to be. She can also be… What’s the word? Persuasive.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll figure it out when she has you doing stuff you don’t want to do and you don’t even know why,” he replied. Then he pointed at the door and said, “Listen, if you’ll excuse me, my work as a mover is done.”
“Yeah, sure. Thanks for helping me with my suitcase.”
“It was a pleasure,” he said with a smile, then turned around and walked out.