Page 28 of The Tryout

“Um, no. I know some of the guys pick furnished places, but they all felt kind of…”

I think of my hotel room, imagining an apartment only a step up from that.

“...sad?”

He nods.

“So the bed is…yours?”

“Oh. No. It was Poulin’s, but he said it wasn’t worth moving. You can, uh, have it if you want. But I get if you don’t want to sleep on someone else’s mattress.”

I walk over and, Dad’s influence strong, double check for bedbugs. I’ve clearly been blessed once again, as the mattress seems pristine.

“Was he a gross guy, Poulin?”

“Huh? No. He was fucking meticulous.”

“Then I think the bed will be just fine. Kind of like a dorm or billet family, you know?”

His lips press together and he nods briefly.

“You said this is the smaller room?”

“Oh. Yeah. You can, uh, see mine? I guess?”

He walks across the hallway, seeming pretty nervous. I’m tempted to tell him it doesn’t matter, but he’s moving fast enough that I don’t have a chance.

Once we’re in his room, I can’t really understand why he was so embarrassed. The room is brutally clean – the bed made so neatly it looks like Finn could be at boot camp. But I notice something else, too.

“This room…isn’t bigger.”

I lean back into the hallway to double check, but I’m confident.

“And it doesn’t have a view.”

His face is bright red.

“It has a view of the courtyard. It’s…nice.”

I don’t want to tell him it’s a shithole – for one thing, it isn’t. But it’s definitely the worse of the two rooms.

“Ok. But it is smaller.”

He looks unsure of himself, and I’m regretting digging in.

“Sorry, my, uh, dad is an interior designer. It’s not a big deal either way, just don’t sell yourself short, ok?”

“I think…I think I’m not counting the closet?”

That doesn’t surprise me – with how little is in this room, he would probably have no use for a closet that size.

“Oh. Well I’m definitely counting the closet. It’s great!”

He looks a little relieved at that.

“So…you’re still interested?”

“Yes, but not for five hundred. Can we talk roommate rules first?”