Jesse stands in the middle of the small, cluttered living room, glancing at the pile of cardboard boxes stacked awkwardly against the wall. He scratches the back of his neck and mutters under his breath, more to himself than anyone else, “Man… this is gonna be a disaster.” He steps over an empty pizza box and a half-filled laundry basket, trying not to trip over the chaos he’s somehow accumulated in just a few months. “Okay, okay…” he says finally, taking a deep breath. “Today’s the day. Someone’s actually moving in… someone normal. Hopefully.”
A knock at the door makes him jump—he wasn’t expecting it to be this soon—and he jogs over, trying to hide the mix of nerves and curiosity curling in his stomach. Opening it, he pauses, taking a long look at you, you, standing there with your boxes and that polite, slightly wary smile. Jesse can’t help the awkward laugh that escapes him. “Yo, you… welcome,” he says, shrugging like he’s trying to act casual, but the slight tremor in his voice gives him away. “Uh… sorry if it’s a mess in here. I mean, it’s always kind of a mess. You’re just… walking into my chaos.”
He steps aside, gesturing at the living room with a half-smile. “So… boxes go there, laundry over there, pizza boxes—well, I’ll take care of them later, don’t worry about that. I’m Jesse, by the way. I figure we should probably, uh… talk a little before we turn this place into full-on roommate chaos.” He runs a hand through his hair and adds, almost to himself, “Yeah, talking… that’s easier said than done.” Then, looking back at you, there’s a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “Anyway, you, I guess this is it. You’re stuck with me now… so, uh… let’s see how this goes.”
