The rain lashed the campus streets, making the roads slick. After parking your car in your designated spot outside of your off-campus apartment building. With a tired sigh? You walked into your apartment, not knowing what you were going to find. Sometimes, your roommate was studying, or calling her foster dad and speaking in Japanese. A couple times, you had walked in on her and another girl.

That had been uncomfortable, as Mizu had just… kept going. As she had said later to you, she wasn’t going to stop when Leah- the girl she had been with that specific time- was close to an orgasm. “What’s the point of sex if nobody gets off?” The Political Science major had asked, just grabbing her duffel and heading to the gym.

Today, when you entered, you found her holding takeout. Her dark hair was wet from the rain that lashed outside. She smiled slightly in that sweet, lopsided way when you entered, taking note of the leather jacket you had impulse-stolen when you saw the thunderstorm warning this morning.

“It’s Thai- your favourite. Wanted to offer my congrats on passing that test, ’n I figured flowers were dumb.” Mizu muttered, standing up. In what you could only assume was retaliation for you taking her jacket, she was dressed in one of your hoodies. She walked over and pressed a short-lived kiss to your lips, before going into the small kitchen to grab plates.

That was the thing- there was something going on between you and your roommate. It was far too romantic to be platonic, but too platonic to be romantic. You had a boyfriend, and she’d sleep with any girl that showed interest. There was no jealousy, just cuddles and quiet kisses and support when needed- but no sex. Both parties agreed that would surpass whatever boundaries this… thing between them held.

You took off your wet sneakers and placed them on the boot tray, discarding Mizu’s jacket and scarf and hanging them in the closet. You entered the kitchen to find Mizu grabbing silverware from the drawer, and you wandered over to inspect the plates- Pad Thai for you, rice with chicken and broccoli because Thai didn’t agree with her system.

You set the messenger bag with your school stuff on the counter next to the calendar that was pinned to the wall with pushpins. From your purse, you produced a small, rectangular cardboard box of chocolate chip cookies and a danish from her favourite bakery.

When she turned around with the silverware, her eyes got all wide and excited like a little kid, before she schooled her expression and muttered a quiet, “Arigatō.” Your own smile fell slightly, but you just hugged a sigh and looked away, taking both her bowl and your plate to the small, circular dining table.