'I look handsome, right?' she asked. She was wearing a dark suit with slightly glossy lapels, a white shirt underneath, and no tie. She pursed her lips and smiled in a startlingly arrogant way. Her cheeks deepened and so did her dimples.

A pause. I felt like my brain was buzzing for a moment before I croaked out, 'Sure.' Standing in the doorway, I instantly felt ugly and uncomfortable in my ratty jeans and knotted tee.

She was more than handsome. She was breathtaking, just to be clichéd about it. That's the way she was - startling. Let me rewind, and explain.

Samantha is her name. Well, she goes by 'Sam'. Sam is my roommate in college. I'm not sure whether this is a good or bad thing. Let's just say it can be a tad distracting. When I first met her I couldn't believe that was her name. I was convinced that it had to be something as exotic and mysterious as she was.

The first time I met Sam was after I had climbed four flights of stairs carrying all my luggage. As I stumbled along the corridor I read the scratched numberings on the doors, some ajar and some sternly shut 401… 402… 403… finally 404. I stepped into the room excitedly, grateful to be relieved off my load.

I noticed a skinny figure, clad entirely in black, sprawled lazily across the bed breadth-wise, long legs slung casually over a rather small (compared to mine, at least) luggage. Whoever it was seemed to be sleeping soundly. I cautiously stepped closer to the bed to take a closer look, only to see her eyelids flutter open, revealing a pair of shiny brown eyes staring up curiously at me.

She sat up nimbly, rubbed her eyes a bit and asked in a bit of a drawl, 'Are you my roommate?'

'Uh… I guess so. If I didn't get the number wrong, that is. It's um… ' I turned my head quickly to the open door. 'Yup, 404.' I've always been awkward with people I didn't know very well. It was a trait of mine that I really disliked.

'Cool. I'm Samantha. Well, call me Sam. Hey, nice jeans.' She, Sam, seemed friendly enough. Her relaxed demeanour I looked awkwardly down at my ultra worn, acid washed jeans and mumbled, somehow sounding a little startled, 'Um, thanks. Yeah, I guess we're going to be roommates. I'm Natalie.'

I'm not sure why but I suddenly felt a little nervous and had to turn away. I looked around the room. This tiny space was going to be my home for the next few years of my life. It seemed decent, a bit boring and lacking in character, but I decided that in no time, with things unpacked and it becoming more lived in, I should grow to like it. There was a huge window between the two beds, almost floor to ceiling length and sunlight was pouring in liberally.

'Mind if we shut the blinds?' I asked, hoping she would not think it a strange request.

'Sure.' Sam was still sitting on her bed, legs crossed now. She reached over and closed them. Immediately the room got significantly darker.

Despite the relative dimness of the room, I noticed her extremely lithe frame, and felt tinge of shock when I realised she was not wearing a bra. Not so much at the fact that she wasn't wearing one, but that I even noticed it in the first place. Actually, she didn't seem like she really needed one. She was extremely skinny and flat breasted. I stared at her a little bit more. She had thick, mussed up brown hair that just touched her shoulders. She was so unconventionally gorgeous; it took me a bit by surprise. Her features were sharp and bold and piercing, almost model-like. She had beautiful, intense features and a strong jaw. She really had a gorgeous face - it simultaneously exuded ease and intensity.

'Thanks.' I turned away again, trying not to stare though I felt like I could keep staring. 'You're not going to unpack?'

'I'll do it later when I get back, probably. I'm heading out for dinner with a friend soon. Didn't bring much, anyway.'

I decided to busy myself with unpacking.

'So, uh, what are you majoring in?' My lame attempt to start a conversation was cut off by a raven-haired girl bounding into the room practically leaping onto Sam.

'God, finally!' Said raven-haired girl began kissing Sam all over. I couldn't tell if they were together. You know, like together-together. I couldn't really read their body language. Were they overly-affectionate friends or were they… dating?

Sam didn't seem to mind the total invasion of her personal space. Instead she smiled, causing her dimples to deepen, heavily accentuating her cheekbones. 'Red bull, huh.' Her voice was such a careless drawl.

'Come on…. I'm starved. I need some pizzas in here... stat.' She pointed to her stomach and glanced at Sam meaningfully. Frowning at Sam's non-movement and arched brow, she grabbed her arm and pretended to be struggling to pull her slender friend to her feet. Which seemed absurd, Sam could not possibly be that stubborn a weight. As Sam languidly rose to her feet, the vivacious girl suddenly noticed me, with piercing green eyes through thick blunt bangs.

'Sam's roommate? I'm Irene. Down the hall.' She said, head jerking in the direction of the doorway.

'God, sorry. Natalie, Irene. Irene, Natalie.' Sam interjected, her voice smooth and casual as ever.

I smiled slightly with some amusement. 'Nice to meet you.'

Irene looked at me for several moments, her beautiful and exuberant face studying me smilingly. She had a playful yet genuine energy about her, while Sam seemed more laid-back and quiet.

'Alright, we're off.' Irene patted her stomach once again. 'See you, Natalie!' She slung her arm around Sam.

'Bye.' Sam raised her hand in an easy wave. Instinctively I waved back, rather stupidly, but they were out the door.

The rest of the evening was spent cleaning my wardrobe and organising my clothes- underwear, shirts, tops, (a couple of) dresses. I knew that it was bound to get messy later in the term, but I wanted to start out right. By the time I was done, my side of the room looked slightly lived in, albeit very neat. The worn, deep green sheets that I brought from home added a splash of colour to the otherwise barren looking room.

After a hot shower, I threw my tired body on the bed, enjoying the familiar smoothness and comfort of home. I was not too fond of change, but still somewhat hopeful about this new environment I decided to ambitiously throw myself into. Since the blinds had been left closed by Sam, I couldn't tell how late it was, yet did not care enough to check my watch or my mobile phone. Instead, I let fatigue take over naturally and fell into slumber quickly, glad to have changed into a comfy tee and loose boxer shorts.

I dreamt of home, and of Ray. Ray was my ex-boyfriend from senior year in high school. I dreamt that he had come to visit me here in my new dorm; he was laying down the next to me on the bed, touching my hair. I couldn't really hear what he was saying, but he seemed earnest and sincere. Bizarre.

Suddenly there was a flash of bright light and my eyes opened briefly. Being sensitive to light meant I was a pretty light sleeper. Then darkness enveloped the room once more with a click.

'Not the lights! My roommate is here.' It was Sam's voice. I could hear some stumbling and some giggling across the room.

'Guess we'll have to be quiet then…' came a playful and exaggerated whisper, not quite soft enough to escape my ears. They seemed to have collapsed on the bed, and then came the unmistakeable sounds of a very enthusiastic making out session, replete with moans and whimpers.

My heart probably started beating significantly faster right then. I wondered if that were Irene with Sam. I'd never been privy to such intimate… escapades before and I was torn between shutting my ears (which seemed futile) or simply lying there and listening. I tried to seem as asleep as I possibly could and turned on my side so that I was facing the wall.

'Shhh… babe, we don't want to wake my roommate up, do we?' Sam's voice came in between their soft moans, causing me to stiffen.

'God, Sam…' A clear, audible whimper. Were they absolutely oblivious to the presence of someone else in the room? Even if they thought I was sleeping? Part of me was surprised at their boldness. I know I'd have been too shy for anything like this. And these were two girls! I had no idea where my mind was going. My heart was racing, irrationally afraid that they'd discover I was awake. And then what?

I felt extremely foolish, lying there wide eyed and not daring to move an inch. I tried to shut out the (now slightly softer) sounds coming from across the room, squeezing my eyes shut so hard that I felt a bit dizzy. I had no idea how I managed to do it, but sleep returned to me once more.

Sunlight woke me for the second time. My eyes fluttered open reluctantly, and I noticed blurrily, that the blinds were once again open.

'Shit! Sorry. I didn't know you'd wake like that…' Sam was clad in a loose white tank, apparently no bra, and the bed-head of the century.

'It's alright,' I said, sitting up. I immediately noticed a slowly shifting bundle of blankets on Sam's bed and I was reminded of the events the night before. Expecting to see Irene emerge from beneath the mass of cloth, I was surprised to see a mop of blonde hair and a pair of pretty blue eyes blinking itself awake.

'Mornin' baby…' she muttered, obviously still sleep-addled.

My brain took awhile to process this and I might have sat there with my jaw hanging open a little bit. 'I'm gonna wash up,' I said quickly to no one in particular. Springing up from my own bed, I grabbed my toiletries and padded to the shared toilet down the hall. What a bizarre first night in my new dorm.

When I got back to our room, feeling calmer, fresher and much more awake, the blonde was gone. Sam was sitting on her still un-opened luggage, leaning against the wall.

'Breakfast?'