For a job, he got to delve into wild and impossible worlds that people could only dream about. It was the perfect escape from reality. Yet, he still found himself looking forward to getting off of work.

He shifted his laptop bag up higher on his shoulder, ruffling the sleeve of his black, short sleeve button down as he took a step toward the parking lot. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice call out to him from somewhere in the surrounding darkness.

”Hey, roomie.”

Liam turned his head, his heart immediately starting to race as his eyes fell on the one reason that made his reality far better than any video game world he could ever bring to life.

”What are you doing here,Ying Sheng? Isn’t your operations management class meeting right now?”

Liam asked her, expecting her to be in her night class back at the university. His eyes automatically swept over her, taking her in from her long black hair to the slightly smudged eyeliner to the scuffed up combat boots that she paired with her black hoodie and denim shorts. It seems she has changed her hair again.

Ying Sheng tilted her head at him with a small smirk, her shoulders lifting and dropping in a careless shrug.

”I got bored just thinking about that class. I think sushi and Blame Lane’s newest album sounds way more important,”

Ying Sheng quipped as she strode over to him and looped her arm in his to tug him away from the building and down the sidewalk. A snake tattoo adorned her right hand, the black and red ink appearing bold against her skin.

Liam found himself smiling uncontrollably, despite the suddenness of her plans. He had grown used to it over the past few months of knowing her. When they became roommates a couple of months ago he had become even more familiar with her spontaneous behavior and bold attitude.

Plenty of people thought that she had a hard edge to her because of her resting face and sharp tongue, but he saw beyond that mask.

Deep down, she was kind and thoughtful. She always asked about his day, brought him coffee or a smoothie when she went to go get her own, and made him feel special than he has ever felt in his life.

She was the closest friend that he had, but his feelings for her had spiraled out of control. Now, he was wrestling with an intense crush on his roommate with no end in sight. He was too nervous to ask her out, and he doubted that he’d get over her.

”You’re trouble,” Liam mused teasingly, his brown eyes meeting her brown ones.

Ying Sheng cracked an amused smile and shrugged in response, taking his words as more of a compliment.

”But you love me,” she replied in a joking manner.

If only she knew how much he cared for her.

”Yeah, yeah. Let’s get dinner,” Liam replied as he nudged her, letting her lead him down the sidewalk farther into the downtown area.

The streets were filled with headlights as cars sped down them, tall buildings lining the sidewalks. People still ventured through downtown to grab dinner or a drink, chatting actively as they went from place to place. The city was alive all around them, but they stuck to their own little world as they talked about their day as they walked.

It didn’t take long for Liam and Ying Sheng to arrive at their usual sushi shop to grab a few rolls to go. They had gone so much that the owner knew their names and their usual orders.

Once they had their takeout bags in hand, they found their way back to Ying Sheng’s 2014 Corolla to eat and listen to Blame Lane, a band that they both enjoyed listening to.

”We have to play that song again!” Ying Sheng exclaimed before popping one of her spicy tuna rolls into her mouth, the last thrum of the electric guitar echoing throughout the car.

”You’ve said that about every song,” Liam laughed out as he fumbled with his chopsticks, having to resort to jabbing at his sushi rolls to try to pick them up. He still hadn’t gotten a hand on using chopsticks, and he was too embarrassed to try to learn at that point.

Ying Sheng watched him struggle with a small laugh before reaching out with her own chopsticks to pick one of his shrimp tempura rolls up. She offered it to him with a smile that nearly made his heart burst out of his chest.

How could a mere smile affect him so much? It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to people being nice to him. He had a great family and nice friends, but something about her attention nearly dizzied him. She was like fire, warm and captivating, and he wouldn’t mind getting burnt by her.

”You know, I should be doing this to you,” Liam commented before biting into the sushi and taking it from her. As much as he wanted to charm her into liking him, he doubted that he could have that sort of effect on someone as beautiful as her.

”I would let you, but you’d probably poke me in the eye with your chopsticks,” Ying Sheng giggled as she turned down the music and then settled back in the driver’s seat, the lights of downtown glowing in the windshield of the car.

Liam smirked and shook his head at her joke, shifting his feet through the pile of crumbled up notes and empty protein bar wrappers on the floor of her car. He even liked her flaws, and they both had plenty of them. They were young, and she was even younger at the age of twenty-one. They watched each other make mistakes, but they never judged each other. He felt safe with her.