Thisbe finished writing up her profile and pressed enter to upload it onto HouseMates. “Geeky artist who enjoys spending time with her family seeking quiet roommate” summed her up in a nutshell. She needed a roommate badly because her paycheck from Municipal Muses, Willow Creek’s little provincial art museum, wasn’t enough to pay all the bills and have money left over for groceries. Just the other day, she passed out in the kitchenette after she got home from work.

Thisbe: I passed out because you forgot to let me go to sleep!

Jillz: Shoosh, you, I’m telling the story here.

She browsed through some profiles before stopping on one in particular, mostly because his last name was Shepard too, just like hers.

Thisbe: What a coincidence. He is pretty cute though, so I won’t complain much.

Jillz: I could always set you up with Johnny Zest or Don Lothario.

Thisbe: Ok ok, this dude can’t be worse than either of them.

Caliban: Hey, I heard that!

“Caliban Shepard, Intern at Oasis Springs Space Administration, wannabe astronaut, needs room in quiet house to study for exams. I also like jogging and long walks on the beach. (Just kidding, I hate jogging. Haha)”

She typed in a quick message to him, describing what she was looking for and hoped for the best. If she didn’t find a roommate soon, she would be sleeping on the benches at Magnolia Blossom Park.

Thisbe: You wouldn’t really make me sleep rough, would you? You’re just being dramatic for storytelling purposes.

Jillz: You’ll have to wait and find out what happens, just like everyone else.

The next day she received a reply asking her to meet him at Desert Bloom Park, near where he worked, so they could talk about the details and see if they got along well enough. Let’s hope this guy isn’t a total weirdo, she thought as she walked over to the park.

It was only awkward for the first few minutes.

Once she realized he was just a normal guy, they started to hash out the details of sharing a house and agreed to be roommates.

—

He didn’t have many things. A pet frog, a figurine and his punching bag were the only things he had besides his clothes and things he needed for his exams. Quiet and polite, he mostly stayed out of her way.

Caliban: It’s an action figure

Jillz: It’s a doll. You play with dolls just like I do.

Thisbe convinced Caliban to take a night off from studying every now and then to watch a movie with her. Cal usually ended up falling asleep right after the movie started.

The only time she really saw Caliban was in the mornings. He was a happy morning person and they usually chatted through breakfast.

Cal turned out to be a really good listener and friend. She really appreciated his perspective as much as she appreciated his abs.

Thisbe: Hey!

Jillz: You’re looking right at them!

Caliban: *flexes*