Plus One - Chapter 1: Independency

[deedee_sims]

Warnings: Confusing apartment tour, modern technology, engagement rings, jumpscares, metal music, fluffy ice-creams, very slight mention of homophobia, suggestive spoon sucking



Here I am.
At the gate of independency.
I mean at the door. Of an apartment, I'm planning to rent. I mean a room of it.



Ugh. I can't help but feel nervous about this whole thing.
I take a deep breath, and ring the bell.
"Coming!"



The door opens, and a guy, in an interesting looking sweater, greets me with a smile. He's probably the one who I was texting with, about the apartment.
"Hey! You're Oliver, right?" he asks cheerfully.
"Y-yeah."



"Amazing! I'm Rhett O’Ward! It’s like award but with an o!" He extends his hand, which I shake. He's quite good looking, with tan skin and a flock of black hair. He motions inside. "Welcome to the apartment!"
I obediently follow him, and he starts an impromptu tour.



"So! Here's the living room, which contains the most important furniture, like the couch!" He plops down, and puts his long legs onto the coffee table. "It's very comfy! Although, you're probably not supposed to put your feet on the coffee table." He jumps up, sweeping the surface with his hands, trying to erase the fact that his feet had indeed been there.



"Here we have the precious television. I have Netflix, you can watch it if I'm not watching it. Or other stuff like SFL or SBA or whatever."
I nod, but I have no clue what any of these abbreviations mean.



"That's my room!" He points to a closed door. "You're not allowed to enter. Only if I let you in. I'll probably let you in if you're not creepy."
Do I look like a creeper?
Aw man.



"Here's the bathroom!" he says, opening a door. "I emptied some space for you there! And you clean the bathroom on even weeks. And we can only have this kind of toilet paper. The others are scratching my ass."
What?



"And! We move on to the kitchen." He skips away, and opens another door. "I don't cook, so you'll have to. We have a fridge, a toaster, and the most important thing! Coffee machine!"



He lifts the appliance up, and he looks at it like he's in love. I need to force myself to not start laughing. What a weird chap.
"Anyway! You're probably more interested in your room, so let's go!" he calls out, and leads me there.



It's surprisingly big, even has a proper double bed, a wardrobe and a desk. I didn't expect this much for the price.



He pats my shoulder. "So, there's that. Just don't break anything. I think there are enough hangers in there? But you can buy more. I mean hangers. Not wardrobes. Although, you can buy a new wardrobe too, but I'm not going to finance it."
"O... kay."
"I hope the tour was alright? I've never had a flatmate before."
"How come?" I ask, surprised.



"Actually this flat's my dad's, and I've been living here for like a year or so. But now he just realized that he could get some extra cash from offering this spare room for rent, so here we are."
"I see."



"You like the place?" He looks at me expectantly.
"Yeah," I admit, taking another look at the room. "When can I move in?"
A radiant smile spreads on his handsome face.



"Anytime."

***



So I move in on a chilly Sunday.
It feels a bit weird, being away from home for an indefinite time. The longest I spent away were probably those week long summer camps I used to attend when I was a kid. But now, this room will be my home.



It will be much more convenient, I remind myself. Much better than the two-hour train ride from home to university I used to take. Now it’ll be just about fifteen minutes. I’m looking forward to having a proper amount of sleep, but uh…
I'm going to get used to it, I assure myself.



As I'm in the middle of unpacking my stuff, I hear my phone beep. I check it to see that Rhett sent a friend request on Simsbook, and followed me on Simstagram. I accept it and follow him back.
Absent mindedly, I start scrolling through his pictures. They're mostly of him partying, surrounded by various girls. Sometimes guys. He looks quite impeccable in all the pictures, though, not a single weird face in sight. I end up lingering on one of his close ups.



My phone starts ringing all of a sudden, startling me, so I end up dropping it. I pick it up with a groan, but my anger quickly disperses, as I see who’s calling me.



"Hi mom!"
"Hi honey! Did you get there?"
"Yeah, everything's fine. I'm in the middle of unpacking actually."
"Alright, I don't want to disturb you! I just already miss you."



"Aw, mom, I just left three hours ago!" I roll my eyes, but what she said also warms my heart. "I'll be fine!"
"I know," she says, and I hear her sigh. "I'll let you be. Call me!"
"I will! Bye!"



Yeah. It's weird to think about not living with your mother anymore. But that's just how life is, no? The birds all leave the nest at some point. And even if it scares me a bit, I think I'm ready.

***



The afternoon finds me in my favorite café, alongside my favorite (I mean one and only) best friend, Lainey.
"How's your new flat?" she asks while she pours an unhealthy amount of sugar into her coffee.



"It's nice. I have a bigger room than I anticipated. A bit noisy, because my window faces the street, but it's not too bad," I explain. "You have to visit me someday!"



She smiles. "I wouldn't miss it! And how's your flatmate?"
"He's nice."
"With more words?" She tilts her head curiously.
I don't like when she looks at me like this.



"Well, he's nice." Wait, I already said that. "He's a bit older than me, I guess. And he’s a bit intimidating in general?"
"What's his name again?"
"Rhett."
"Is he handsome?"
Oh, right, here we are.



"Does it matter?" I perform a dramatic eyeroll, and my gaze somehow lands on her hand. Why does she have a...
I point to the pretty ring on her finger. "Is that what I think it is?"
"Hm?" She follows my gaze. "Yes! Dan proposed yesterday," she beams.



"Watcher! You're getting married! Congrats!" I jump up from my seat and pull her into a hug. I can't say it was utterly unexpected, but it's still a nice surprise. They've been together forever (which is more or less five years), and the engagement was just a matter of time. "You have to tell me everything about that proposal!"



"Well," she begins as we sit back down, "he took me out for dinner, then we went for a walk, and there was moonlight and mosquitos, and it was soooo romantic!" She sighs dreamily, and I almost see her eyes shooting sparks.
"Did he kneel and everything?"
"Yes! I thought he was going to tie his shoes," she muses, "but then he pulled out that ring, and he was so cute!"



Her excitement makes me smile. "I'm so happy for you!" I say, and indeed, I'm glad she's with someone who treats her well, and loves her, and she loves him back with her whole heart. And now they're going to get married! I still can't seem to wrap my mind around it.



"I wanted to ask you something, though." She spoons some cream from the top of her coffee. "You're my best friend, Ollie, and I really don't know anyone else more suitable, so... would you be my best man?"
"Oh, Watcher!" That's all I manage to blurt out, and my heart wants to jump out of my chest, because heavens, there isn't a single thing I want more right now than supporting Lainey on her wedding day.
"Is that a yes?" She chuckles and I start nodding vigorously. "Thank you!"



"No, thank you for thinking about me!"
"I wouldn't think about anyone else."
Now that the thought of being a best man settles in my mind, I start to realize that I have absolutely no idea what best mans do. I'll probably need a proper suit. Do I need to make a speech too? I take a hesitant sip of my coffee, which is getting lukewarm by now.



"So," she says, and I snap back to reality. "It was probably the best change of topic you've ever made, but you still haven't answered my question."
"W-what question?"
She shots me a glance. "Is your Rhett handsome?"



I feel the heat rising in my cheeks, but I know there's no use of lying to Lainey.
"Yes." I sigh.
"Any chance he likes guys?"
"Lainey!"



"What? I'm just curious!"
"I don't need you to play matchmaker," I grunt.
"But you've been alone for so long!"



"It's only been... a year?" Damn, that sounds long out loud. "I'm not dependent on relationships."
"I know," she says, pouting. "I just want you to be happy."
"I am happy. You just got engaged, and I'm gonna be your best man, and you look so happy, and I'm very very happy for you!"



"Aw, Ollie." She smiles at me while she pats my hand affectionately. "My sweet, sweet Ollie."

***





"HULLO OLIVER!"



I startle so gracefully, I drop all my notes, and almost fall off the bed.



"You've never heard of knocking, have you?" I ask, still panting.
"I have." Rhett trots in my room, still uninvited. "But I don't practice it." He snatches the headphones out of my hand. "What are you listening to?"
"Music." I sigh, while I try to reclaim them, without success.



He places the headphones on his head, then makes a face and quickly puts them down.
"Is that some kind of trash metal or what?"



"It's called thrash, not trash, but this is metalcore."
"Whatever. Still garbage."
I roll my eyes. "Did you really come here to scare the shit out of me, and mock my music taste?"



"Oh, no!" He flops down on my bed. "I came to ask... how are you? You've been living here for a couple days. Did you settle in well? Do you like it here? Do you like your bed?" He turns to face me with a grin. "Do you like me?"
I feel the heat rising in my face.



"Yeah, everything's fine." Damn, his smile is radiant. "Although I would've preferred if my flatmate learned how to knock."
He shrugs. "Guess I need to practice then."
Somehow I feel like he's not going to practice it very eagerly.



"Anyway!" He jumps to sit on my bed, cross-legged, almost kicking me in the process. "Would you like to grab a drink or something? Just, you know... to get to know each other better!"
"Dunno." I hesitate for a moment. "I was kinda studying."
"Ah, I see." His smile fades a little. "Well, we can do it later, then."



"No." I say way too quickly. "I mean, no, we can go now, it's okay." Oh my Watcher, I'm just embarrassing myself.
He lights up again, and I swear it's contagious. "Amazing! I'll go change my pants!" he announces, then bolts out of my room.



I shake my head. Damn, these pretty boys are the bane of my existence.

***



We end up in a small café near our block. Me with a lemonade, and Rhett with, well, a huge ice-cream, with a lot of whipped cream and strawberries, and I'm already dizzy, just from looking at it.



"So, Oliver," he begins, spooning a mouthful of cream from the top of his dessert. "I know that you're nineteen, you're studying IT stuff, and you have atrocious taste in music." I hardly manage to keep myself from another eyeroll. "What do you like doing in your freetime?"



"Nothing extra," I admit, and I wish I could say something, which would make my life look more interesting. "I read, play games, stuff like that."
"You like watching sports?"
"Not particularly."



"I do!" he beams, flailing with his spoon. "I hope the Llamas will win the championship this year! The Gnomes won the last three, and it's getting really boring! And they have the best lineup this year anyway. I mean the Llamas."
I nod, without having a clue which sport is he talking about.
"Sorry, I'm blabbering," he laughs. "It's your turn, ask something!"
Watcher, I'm not ready to ask anything.



"Um... what kind of music do you like listening to, then?"
"Classical!"
I almost choke on my drink.



He raises his eyebrows. "You don't believe me?"
Is there a good answer?
"I believe you, it's just... surprising." To be honest, I'm not sure if I believe him.
"I'm full of surprises," he grins, and takes another spoonful. "My turn! I've seen you with a pretty girl on Simsbook, is she your girlfriend?"



Damn. Of course he checked me on social media, just like I did. I feel the heat rising on my neck. Hello, coming out time. Incredible how nervous it still makes me, even after all these years.
"No. She's my best friend. I could only have a boyfriend, but no, I'm single." His eyes widen, and my self-preservation instincts kick in. "If you come up with some homophobic bullshit, I swear-"



"Whoa, chill," he interrupts me, hands in the air. "Nothing's wrong with that, boys are nice. In fact, I like them too."
Now it's my turn to make a surprised face.
"Are you... bi, then?"
"Probably. I don't discriminate," he contemplates, while picking his ice-cream.



"Ah, okay, sorry for snapping." I take a quick sip of my lemonade, trying to hide my embarrassment.
"Nah, don't worry, I know how it is," he says, understanding. "Your turn."
I've almost managed to forget about this weird ask game we're playing. My eyes wander to his ridiculously fluffy ice-cream.
"Are you sure you're going to be able to eat that without getting a sugar overdose?"
He starts laughing.



"Yes, of course! I have the worst sweet tooth!" He smiles, and puts some more ice-cream into his mouth. "Do you have any siblings?"
"Nope."
"Well, good for you, I have an insufferable older brother."



I really need to figure out a question that he can give a lengthy answer to. He starts sucking on his spoon, way too suggestively.
Heavens, his eyes are beautiful.
"Still waiting." His voice pulls me out of my haze. I break the eye contact, and stir my drink.
"Sorry, I just..." I trail off, unsure about how I can finish this sentence without looking like an idiot. "Cats or dogs?"



"Dogs for life."
"Oh, wow, something we agree on? Incredible!" I note sarcastically, to which he snorts.
"We have a dog at home. I mean, home home. She's very friendly!"
Oh my, I wanna see her. Would it be weird to ask for pictures about... a dog? He doesn't let me think about it for long.



"My turn. You wanna come clubbing with me tonight?"



Goodness gracious. Thinking about going to a club makes me freaking nervous.

---

Sooo, here we are! Should Oliver go clubbing with Rhett? You tell me! You can
VOTE HERE! I'll close it in 2 weeks (18th of January)

Okay, so you probably know that I'm not a native speaker, so feel free to shout at me about my errors XD (my best friends read it through, but, well, they're not native speakers either, so)
EDIT: Wonky grammar is now fixed! Thank you so much Anachronisims for the help!
Also, I got really out of practice in taking story pictures, so it took me a few scenes to re-figure out lighting (sorry about that)
I'm also sorry for the creeper aw man joke - in my defense, it was popular when I wrote this scene (also, Oliver is a Minecraft addict, so it seemed fitting)
But anyway, I had fun making this, and I'm really excited about the voting thing as well! You can't go wrong with it, I assure you (also most of them don't change things dramatially, it's just for fun!) So please vote above!

I would politely ask you to not wcif special-looking things from my story pictures, I've made a bunch of stuff just for the story, and I'll try to clean up and share as many as I can, but honestly, most of them are wonky af, and only the sheer power of photoshop saves them on the pictures lol

Anyway! Thank you for reading, and tell me what you think so far! Does Oliver blush enough? Are Rhett's fashion choices questionable? How much will it take for Lainey to restart her matchmaking career?
(and don't forget to vote!)

Comments

[nixed_sims]

Yay, story! :D I love Oliver, I think he's adorable, and Rhett is... well, I think he's going to be an interesting room-mate (with interesting sweaters), that's for sure, knocking or no knocking. ;) I'm very much looking forward to seeing where these kids are going next and what they're going to do when they get there. :)

[deedee_sims]

Yay! I love both of them, and I can't wait to share more of their story! It'll take a while for Rhett to learn how to knock, haha! I'm glad you enjoyed it so far! :D

[simsterlyrock]

I am LOVING this! Can't wait for the next chapter. :) Oliver is the cutest and I think he blushes just the right amount.

[deedee_sims]

Thank you so much!!! Oliver will continue blushing, I promise! :D

[celebkiriedhel]

Rhett has the most interesting taste in clothing! LOL

English wise - you're doing fine.

Love the story so far - poor Oliver - I feel his nervousness.

If Oliver is an introvert, clubbing is going to be a torture for him. However, if his shy/outgoing points are greater than 3, then I'd say go for it.

I've never played Minecraft - but I liked the creeper ref. :) Suits him!

[deedee_sims]

Haha, I'm glad you "appreciate" Rhett's taste :P
I'm happy to hear you're enjoying the story so far! I can't wait to share the next chapter! (I just need to take a bunch of pictures, uh)
Oliver is definitely an introvert, and would feel weird among lots of people!
I admit, I've never played Minecraft either, I just watched others play Minecraft lol

[(Anonymous)]

Hey! Just diving into this! Enjoying both characters so far! Opposite personality roommates!! Definitely hooked!! -NikkaSimms

[deedee_sims]

Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the characters so far! I had fun coming up with them, hehe! ❤