Roommate's Virgin

“Funny,” I said. “I used to wish that I had some musical ability… I always wanted to play guitar.”

“You can still learn.”

“I’m not patient enough.”

“Don’t you have to be patient to paint?” Zoey asked.

“Not really,” I said. “When I’m working… it’s like I enter this other world. I’m building slowly on this story I can see in my head, and my mind is on and completely alert. Then I finished working, snap out of it and see that hours have passed and it’s only felt like minutes to me.”

“Hey, I have that too, that’s what happens to me when I’m composing,” Zoey said excitedly. “It’s almost like the rest of the world—”

“Fades away—”

“And there’s only you—”

“And the work,” I nodded. We stared at each other for a second, and I let out a little chuckle.

“What is it?” Zoey asked.

“I just think it’s interesting that we met a few minutes ago and we’re already finishing each other’s sentences.”

“We have a lot in common,” Zoey said. “We’re both storytellers. I just tell my stories through music, and you tell yours through pictures.”

“True,” I nodded. “Maybe we should put the two together and see if that works?”

It wasn’t a very subtle line, but I had to say it. Zoey looked amused, but she didn’t address it. There was something about this girl, and it wasn’t just that she was beautiful. It was more than that. Maybe I recognized something in her that was similar to me. Maybe it was just a question of kindred spirits. Or maybe the artist in me was reading too much into a beautiful face, but I couldn’t ignore my feelings. It wasn’t like I could describe them accurately, but I knew it was different from anything else I’d felt in the past.

“You’d have to show me your work first,” Zoey said. “I’d really love to see what you do.”

I was never self-conscious about showing people my work, but somehow, I got nervous when Zoey asked. I realized that her opinion mattered to me. If she didn’t like what I did, it would actually upset me.

“How about we strike a deal?” I asked. “You play for me, and then I’ll show you my work?”

“Uh, no deal,” Zoey said immediately. “You have to go first.”

I laughed. “Well then… we have a bit of a problem.”

Zoey shook her head. “I’m being silly… I play in front of people all the time. I’ve played concerts too. I don’t know why I’m so nervous to have you listen to me.”

I realized she was feeling the same thing I was, and it gave me confidence that this was not a one-sided connection.

“Well, I’m sure we can come to some sort of compromise,” I suggested, giving her a special smile.

Her green eyes were so incredibly arresting. They inspired me to want to draw or paint immediately. I could see a white canvas in front of me, and I could feel my fingers twitching to get started. But what could I draw that would capture her likeness and represent the kind of beauty she possessed? Somehow, I felt as though I would fall short of the task.

This was not the time for me to be getting involved with anybody. I had to find a roommate, get myself a decent job, finish my community service and concentrate on my art. It was too much for me to handle at the same time so dating on top of that felt irresponsible. But somehow letting Zoey walk away from me without asking her out felt equally if not more irresponsible. And I reminded myself that it wasn’t every day that I met a woman who made such a huge impression so instantly.

“A compromise?” Zoey repeated. “How do you propose we do that?”

“Well… how about we discuss this over dinner sometime?” I said, throwing caution to the wind and going with my gut instinct. “A compromise requires conversation, and I’m sure we can reach one if we had a couple of hours alone together.”

I wondered if that was too heavy-handed an invitation. I saw her smile grow a little weary and I saw conflict burgeon in her eyes. Was it possible that I had moved a little too quickly? Maybe I should have made it clear that it wasn’t a date and rather an attempt at friendship. Except I had no interest in being only her friend so I decided not to pretend that that was my only goal. I was going to own how I felt about this. Hopefully, that honestly would put me over the line.

“You’re asking me out?” Zoey asked, and she sounded uncertain.

I refused to back down. “Yes I am asking you out,” he said.

She looked into my eyes for a second and smiled. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”