Given Time

♡5♡

The morning light trickles through the drapes, casting beams on my comforter. I stretch every joint in my body and let out a loud, satisfying yawn.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Catch up on that sleep?" Zara asks while scrolling through her phone on her bed.

"Morning," I greet, sitting up in bed. "I slept like a baby. The flight must have worn me out. What about you; did you sleep okay?"

She lifts a shoulder. "Not the best. I got a few hours here and there."

"Oh God, I wasn't snoring, was I?"

Zara chuckles at my question. "No, I just couldn't sleep well."

"I'm glad that it wasn't me who kept you awake. If I do end up snoring at some point, feel free to throw a pillow at me."

She laughs. "I'll keep that in mind."

It's only at this point I realize Zara has already showered and dressed while I've been in bed asleep. As expected, her outfit comprises all black. Black shorts, black bodysuit, even black sneakers.

"What are the showers like?" I ask nervously. That was the one part of my college experience I was not looking forward to, shared bathrooms.

"They're okay. Before Jake got into his fraternity, I used to use them."

I forgot about her boyfriend already being at Berkeley for a year.

"Wait, what about when you stayed over? Wasn't it a bit weird with him having a roommate?" I couldn't imagine sharing a room with a couple. I mean, what do you do when they want a bit of "alone time"?

"Not really; his roommate usually ended up going back to some girl's room after a night out, so I didn't see him much," she says nonchalantly. "Then when Jake got into his Fraternity, he had his own room which made it even easier."

"Oh. That's good, then."

"So what do you want to do today?" she asks, swiveling her body so that her legs are now dangling above the floor.

I look at the posters adorning her wall and wish I had brought some with me from home. "We could go shopping? There's a few things I want to get for our room."

"Cool, I'm up for that! Why don't you shower while I grab some cereal from the cafeteria?"

"Sounds like a plan."

I get out of bed and grab my showering bits before heading to the communal bathroom to get ready.

I have an ounce of dread about sharing a shower with loads of strangers, but at least I was lucky enough to be given an all-female floor, so there's no risk of seeing a half-naked guy in there.

When I walk in the bathroom, there are already two girls by the sinks doing their makeup, and I can hear a shower running in the back. I keep my head raised and head over to one of the empty shower cubicles and open the saloon-style door.

Very gingerly, I remove my pajamas and drape them over the door next to my towel. When I turn to face the hose and pull the lever, ice-cold water sprays out. I squeal in shock and quickly move to the corner of the stall. Laughter quickly erupts in the bathroom, making me cringe. Could this be anymore mortifying?

After waiting for what seems like forever, the water finally warms up, and I wash my body as fast as I can, then wrap my towel around me.

I quickly retreat to my dorm room, avoiding everyone's eyes as I leave the bathroom. Luckily, Zara is still out when I get back, so I don't have to worry about being disturbed while I dress. Seeing as the sun is shining high in the sky and there are no clouds in sight, I decide to pull out my white cotton dress.