Hexus

*26* Revise

[6:41PM, November 13, UTC ±00:00]

Henri held the phone away from his ears; far enough to avoid damaging his ear drums, yet close enough to know when to slip in the occasional response. His mother went on an awful gut-wrenching tirade about how much she missed him and how it wouldn't be the same without him and whatever else she thought would serve as adequate emotional blackmail. But he had made up his mind. He was sticking to his decision.

"There's really no need to come back. I have exams as soon as the holidays are over."
"But it's Christmas! We can't spend Christmas without you."
"Yes, you can. I'll try to come home after the exams."
"But-"
"It's fine Mama. I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."
"But you'll be all alone!"
"Don't worry," he said, glancing sideways. He tried to keep his voice levelled. "My roommate will be around too."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Alright then, as long as you have company. Well, you boys take care. Study hard. I'll miss you terribly."

Henri mentally sighed in relief. He hadn't imagined it would work, but at least it got her to be quiet.

"I know Mama. I'll miss you too. Love you. Bye."
"Love you too. Greet your-"

Henri hung up and tossed the phone on the table. He had been dreading this phone call, but he was glad he'd gotten it over with. With his upcoming exams, extra credit courses to sort through and assignments to complete, it gave him less to think about.

Now, if only this housing thing would fall through, I'd be really happy.

He spared a sideways glance at the large mass lying on the opposite bed, stretched out on his stomach with headphones over his head, laughing at whatever stupid show he was watching. The guy laughed way too loud, spent too much time lifting weights and used so much perfume that the entire room stank of it.

Probably trying to cover up his own stink.

In all the things Henri had imagined could ruin his great opportunity in Southampton University – from failing to get the scholarship to his father's refusal to being unable to speak English constantly – he hadn't factored in the simple scenario of being housed with someone he couldn't stand. Due to the tedious process of getting his academic documents sorted, he'd handed in his accommodation forms late, so hadn't had the opportunity to switch like many of the early comers. And this, he supposed, was his punishment; a whole semester to be spent with a loud, oversized ugly African. Henri had done his best to avoid fraternizing by spending as much time away from the room as possible and limiting all his replies to one word. When the guy realized that they wouldn't be friends any time soon, he respected himself enough to stay out of Henri's way. And Henri was grateful for that.

He looked back at his pile of books and sighed. He was nearly done with the assignment at this point, but he couldn't get himself to concentrate on it. Somehow, his gaze kept drifting back to his roommate. The guy was quiet now, but his large eyes were still fixed on the screen, and every once in a while he would smile. Henri was contemplating ways to get away with homicide when there was a knock on the door. He decided to sit still and pretend to be busy, waiting for his roommate to get it – after all, it was bound to be one of his friends. The knocking continued; he probably couldn't hear anything with those overpriced headphones on. But once he started laughing again, Henri decided that one source of annoyance was all he could bear.

He opened the door.

"Hi, is Kwabena around?"

Henri stood speechless. Their visitor was tall – almost his height – with sandy blonde hair, high cheek bones and a dimple in her left cheek. Her blue sweater wasn't baggy enough to hide her curves, and the black skinny jeans she wore showed off perfectly toned legs that ended in ankle high boots. She was by far the most beautiful girl he had seen since he stepped on the shores of England. It took him a few seconds to realize he was staring. And that whatever she said never made it to his brain.