Free Room? Free Room!! (sensualist & MG)

[muscularguy4F]

The coffee shop is the same as the numerous others that pepper the local streets around the college campus. It's full of all walks of life; mostly students, socialising, working at their laptops, reading and getting some part of their daily caffeine fix.
In the corner a tall, broad shouldered man sits back in an arm chair, watching and studying the fellow patrons.
From the looks of it, he's in his early 30s, with short dirty-blonde hair, a short thick beard and blue eyes. A rather well-muscled athletic physique fills out a plain grey t shirt under a brown leather jacket, blue jeans ending over brown boots
He thumbs through one of the applications for tenancy in his spare room. It's a stand out from the rest. By far the most interesting application he had received in the 3 years that he had been offering out his room. Never before had two girls made a joint application. He read it again

Hi there! My name is Hannah Westbrook, and my friend Aimee Chandler and I are new students at Riverdale College! We're both freshmen; I'm majoring in photography, and she's in pre-med. We're childhood best friends, share everything, and always dreamed on rooming with each other at college. We tried getting a dorm room together, but for some silly admin reason we couldn't get one. So we've been looking at apartments near campus, but the rents are CRAAAZY. So your ad sounds too good to be true! I know it said one lucky student, but we don't mind getting a futon or an IKEA bunk bed and sharing the room.

Hoping to see you at the interview,
~ Hannah and Aimee

The possibilities were almost endless, unfortunately the risks were also increased. He would have to be careful and ensure that he judged this meeting well. If he got carried away and allowed his imagination to get the better of him, he could end up with a couple of tenants that weren't suitable.

 

[Sensualist]

To coeds hurried down the pavement towards the Neural Grounds cafe, dodging their fellow students and random pedestrians ambling along too and from class or browsing the shops. “C'mon, Aimee!” the blonde said to her redhead friend, who was lagging behind a little as she stuffed biology textbooks into her bag. “We can't be late! An apartment that's – rent free – is going to get snapped up if we don't hurry!” She dropped her voice to a whisper midway through the sentence, as if afraid some other poor student would overhear and seize on the too-good-to-be-true deal.

“I”m coming, Hannah!” Aimee replied, slinging her bag over her shoulder and stretching her legs to catch up with the other girl. Aimee wore a loose, airy peach-pink blouse with a light knit sweater open over the top that hinted at her slender, feminine curves; rich auburn curls tumbling around her fair-skinned face to compliment her pale blue eyes. Hannah was dressed in a long-sleeved black and white striped top that left her shoulders bare and clung to her bustier figure nicely, while her long wheat-blonde hair contrasted with her tan skin. She had to keep one hand on the camera hanging around her neck on as trap to keep it from bouncing as she sped along.

The girls reached the cafe and Hannah pushed open the door, triggering a soft brassy jingle from the bell. She looked around eagerly, eyes wide, peering at the people who sat reading, drinking their coffee and chattering in groups, or buried in their phones and laptops. “Do we even know what this landlord looks like?” Hannah asked over her shoulder as Aimee stepped in, also looking around uncertainly. “I don't know... maybe ask around while I get us some drinks?” The redhead went up to the barista, while Hannah wandered between the tables and booths of the cafe.

After a few moments, the blonde spotted a man holding a print out of a familiar-looking message. “Oh! Hi! Excuse me...” she chirped, slowly coming up to his table with a warm by shy smile. “Are you, um, the guy who posted the tenants wanted ad? I think that's me,” she pointed one french-tipped nail at her name on the letter.

 

[muscularguy4F]

Very slowly; as if he couldn't really care, or as if the paper was somehow more interesting and important than the girl stood in front of him; he lifted his head from the paper to look at her. He took a moment to study her, her well maintained nails, he hair that had obviously been the result of a rather expensive hair cut and required salon quality care to look after. He enjoyed studying people; especially ladies; getting in their heads and working them out. But what struck him most was her overall looks. She was very attractive. Anyone could see that from a mile off, but her clothes suggested that she was as a student - they were nice, but not as nice as she would have worn living at home with mummy and daddy. He eyed the camera and then looked back to the paper. "Which would make you Hannah, the photography major"

He stated it as an obvious fact, before referring to the application once more. "So where is Aimee then?"

 

[Sensualist]

“She's right here,” Aimee smiled, coming up to the table with a cup of vanilla mocha latte for Hannah, and a green tea for herself. The redhead looked the man over as she handed her friend her drink. He was tall, well-built, tough looking; kind of hunky, to be honest, more like a biker or a soldier than a student or anything. She seemed a little put off by the way the man almost ignored them and didn't invite them to sit, and she and Hannah shared a glance before they both reached for chairs, placed their cups on the table and sat opposite him.

“So, um, Mister...?” Hannah asked, not sure what his name was. The ad hadn't listed it. She rolled her cup around between her palms, feeling the warmth as she gave him a nervous smile.

 

[muscularguy4F]

He didn't answer, it wasn't important - not yet. Instead he smiled politely at them, not wanting to seem entirely closed off.
"Aimee, Hannah" he nodded at them individually as he said their respective names. "It's good to meet you both. I have to admit, I was a little surprised when I received a joint application. It's very rare. Especially from two friends. I assume you're not a couple?" He asked; it wasn't rhetorical, but he barely gave them enough time to answer before continuing

"But you two seem happy to live together. It says here you've known each other practically all your lives. So I guess sharing a room should be ok. It's a double bed so there's no need to sleep on the floor, which means the room is suitable for you. But I want to make sure you two are both suitable for the tenancy. That is to say, that you two will be able to hold up your end of the agreement." He paused, thinking how best to explain himself
"What makes you think you can pay your way? After all I have more enough applicants with the suitable skills and qualities"

 

[Sensualist]

Hannah giggled when the man asked if they were a couple, and Aimee's creamy cheeks reddened. “No, we're not,” Hannah assured him. She pursed her pink lips, blowing across the surface of her coffee then took a sip, licking the light brown crema from them. The coeds glanced at each other as he mentioned the sleeping accommodations. A double bed? It would be like having a sleep-over. Hannah quirked an elegant blonde eyebrow and Aimee tilted her head minutely, letting a strand of auburn hair tumble across her ear. It could work, for the moment, at least.

They looked back at the prospective landlord as he continued. “The advert mentioned cooking and cleaning?” Aimee asked, lifting the teabag from her cup, squeezing it with a spoon and setting it on the saucer. She licked the drops of green tea from her fingers and said: “I volunteer at the hospital, so I'm very familiar with hygiene. I can certainly keep an apartment spick and span.”

Hannah rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and gave Aimee a playful slap on the arm. “It's true. She's a total neat-freak. And I work part-time in a diner, plus I've been cooking with my mom since I was old enough to tie an apron.”

Aimee nodded. “She's an amazing cook. We can definitely do what's you need of us, we promise.”

 

[muscularguy4F]

Reaching out for his bottle of water that sat on the table, he passed the information over in his head, contemplating their answers and weighing them up against what was required. He unscrewed the top and took a short swig, placing the bottle back on the table, the cap still in his hands.

“Hmm.. “ he almost thought out loud, running the tip of his fingernail over the grooves in the bottle top. “You both seem quite..” he paused for the right words, “diligent.. meticulous” he added, deciding they both worked. “Two good traits for this particular agreement. As is being a neat freak” he smiled at Aimee.

“You see, I wouldn’t ever want to take anyone in and have them think it was charity. It isn’t fair on me and neither is it fair on them. They should not feel that they have been given something rather than having earned it. Obviously, as a student it is difficult to pay you way with money, but time or duties can easily make up for that. Since I have no need for the rent money, that suits me. Especially as I have plenty of other needs. Now, would you like to see inside the house?” As he asked he turned his head towards the window, looking through it to a rather plain-looking family house across the road

 

[Sensualist]

Hannah beamed, and Aimee smiled gently at the man's comments. Diligent and meticulous? Those sounded like good qualities in prospective tenants. He must be leaning towards them! They watched his finger toy with the top of the bottle and both nodded earnestly as he continued. “Of course. We understand. We definitely want to earn our keep,” Aimee said.

Both their eyes lit up as he offered to give them a tour of the place. “That sounds great. We don't have any classes for the rest of the day, so we'd love to take a look,” Aimee said, glancing at Hannah who nodded eagerly. The girls both stood, grabbing their bag and camera and picking up their cups, waiting for the man to lead the way. “You, uhm, still haven't told us your name...” Hannah asked tentatively.

 

[muscularguy4F]

He stood up, picking his bottle of water off the table and finally screwing the plastic cap back on. "Follow me then" he started, taking two steps in the direction of the door before stopping. He turned to face them, looking from Hannah to Aimee and back. Taking a moment, to make them wonder whether or not he was displeased the question, he just looked at them. Finally, after what could only have been a couple of seconds, but what must have felt like a couple of minutes he answered. "Jon". That was it. One syllable. And with that he turned, making his way back out of the coffee shop and leading them across the road and up the driveway practically opposite the shop. The house wasn't anything special. It looked like most of the houses of the area, a medium sized family house with bricks that were slightly worn but in good condition. All the original windows had been replaced with double glazing.

As he stepped through the front door, the house opened onto a corridor with stairs at one end and two doorways on the right. The first doorway led them into the living room. Two large, comfortable leather sofas and an armchair sat around the room, a large TV and a couple of cabinets. The room was well lit, but decorated like a rental house - neutral colours on walls and carpets, paintings and pictures on the walls rather than photos.
“If you’d like, feel free to have a look at the bedroom and the kitchen. This is obviously the living room. The kitchen is right through there along with the dining area” he motioned to the kitchen and dining area that were in the next room. They were accessible from the living room through a large doorway that had been created by opening up the non-weight bearing part of the wall. There was also a door out of the kitchen that led to the main hallway.

“The room is just upstairs. Straight ahead is my room, on your right is the main bathroom, then the spare room that you would be renting. It has an ensuite, as well as plenty of storage.

 

[Sensualist]

The girls felt as if they were being dressed down by a professor as the man held their gaze sternly for such a long, silent moment. Instinctively, they held their hands behind their back, avoided his eyes, and stubbed the toes of their shoes against the floor. Quietly breathing sighs of belief as he at last told them his name and turned away, they shared a glance. Hannah adopted a grumpy expression and mouthed 'Jon' to her friend, which made Aimee cover her smile with her palm.

They followed him to his house, and entered with just a hunt of apprehension. It was... nice. Not murder-y at all. Well-furnished, spacious enough for three, without the sense that they were invading someone's private space. The two coeds took their time looking around, imagining themselves studying, sleeping, socialising in this house. The fact that it would be rent-free certainly increased it's already ample appeal. They climbed the stairs to check out the room itself, and when they were sure Jon was out of earshot conferred with each other in whispers.

“Does he seem... okay to you?”
“Kind of intense. Kind of, um, unfriendly. But not in a dangerous way, I think.”
“Kind of cute, too. Older guys are hot.”
“Hannah!”
“I'm just saying. So, what do you think?”
“Yeah. I think he seems okay.”
“All right, let's do it.”

They came downstairs again, and found where he was waiting. “Jon? We've had a look around, and at the room, and we like it,” Aimee said. “We'll take it.” She smiled hopefully, holding out her hand.

 

[muscularguy4F]

While the girls were looking around upstairs, Jon took a moment to relax. He wasn't tired, he very rarely was, but that was largely because he had learned to be able to switch off for short periods and conserve energy. He sat in the armchair, legs outstretched and hands in his lap with his fingers interlocked. Relaxing his neck he allowed his head to drop back onto the head rest and turned his head from side to side, loosening his neck and shoulders.

Hearing their footsteps approaching down the stairs, he sat more upright, bending his knees. He watched them walk into the living room and noticed with interest how it was Aimee that approached him. He listening as she conveyed their interest in the room. "You do, do you?" standing to his full height, his 6'4 frame towering over the redhead. He paused again, but nowhere near as intensely or for as long as he had in the coffee shop. "Good!" he replied, smiling sincerely and taking her hand, dwarfing it in is and shaking it warmly.

"That's good news" he said, once again sincerely pleased but without the greatest amount of expression on his face. He offered his hand to Hannah, welcoming her as well. "When then girls, when would you like to move in?"

 

[Sensualist]

The girls smiled in relief, delight and a touch of nervousness, glad that they'd won out over the competition for the room – whoever that might have been.

“Well, we haven't really unpacked that much, since we were unhappy with our room allocations on campus,” Aimee said thoughtfully. “It's mostly still in bags and boxes, ready to move. If we went back and signed out, we could probably move in as early as tomorrow.”

“Or even tonight!” Hannah said brightly. “We could bring our stuff over and move into the room right now, and sign out of our rooms tomorrow. Why wait, right, Aimee? I mean, if that's okay with you?” she glanced up at Jon, her eyes wide and hopeful.

 

[muscularguy4F]

He noticed their body language, how they both seemed to relax a little when he offered them the room. They had really wanted it, he told himself. Their bodies had been tense, implying to him that they were slightly apprehensive at not getting the room. Not only did they want the room, but they seemed to feel happy here. That was a good sign.

Jon smirked slightly at Hannah's response. That was an even better sign than their body language. It amused him how enthusiastic she was to move in, even more so than her friend. That was interesting.

"Of course that's ok with me. I have no plans for this evening and I could do with a meal that's be cooked by someone other than me tonight." He hinted at them cooking for him, but decided to be a little more accommodating, since they had just agreed to move in.

"If you want to move in this evening, I'll help you with your bags and boxes so you're not struggling to get them up the stairs. We can work out the paperwork in the morning as well. How does that sound?"

 

[Sensualist]

“Tonight? Right! Of course!” Hannah slapped her palm lightly against her forehead in exaggerated forgetfulness. “No problem. Let me just check out the facilities and the pantry, and I'll see what I can whip up.”

The blonde hurried to the kitchen, and spent the next few hours bustling about to the clatter of pots and pans, singing snatches of county music love songs to herself. She seemed at home and adept in the kitchen, while Aimee and Jon returned to the campus and began toting the girls' possessions from their dorm rooms to his house. The redhead was shy but pulled her weight, and both the girls seemed to travel pretty light in terms of books, electronics and such – though they did have a couple of suitcases each for clothes and shoes. True to her part of the bargain, Aimee efficiently unpacked their stuff once it was brought in to the house, filling the wardrobes and drawers, leaving everything tidied away.

By the time they were done dinner was ready, and Hannah was setting the table for three. She brought out a dish of spaghetti bolognaise, the scent of fresh tomatoes and basil wafting to their noses. “I hope it's okay,” Hannah said modestly as she served the meal. “It's not very creative, I know, but the best I could do on short notice. There's home-made apple pie for after, too.” She sat down at the dinner table with her friend, both of them with faintly anxious expressions shading their pretty young faces. It was clearly the hoped Jon approved of the meal, as this was a large part of how they'd be paying their rent.

 

[muscularguy4F]

Jon comfortably lugged the suitcases and boxes down from the girls' old dorm and, after a short drive, up the stairs into their new room in his house. He was more than happy to do so, not only since it meant getting a home cooked meal that evening rather than the next, more so because it allowed him to spend a little more time with Aimee. He came to the conclusion that his instincts had been correct, while Aimee liked the place and wasn't put off entirely put off by him, it was Hannah that was the more interested of the two. Not only in the room, but he also felt in him too. He had got that impression initially from how they had acted at the coffee shop and then later when they had accepted the room, Hannah was the one that wanted to move in that day. While the redhead had interacted with him with the normal respect and demeanour that you would expect from tenant to their potential landlord, her friend had looked at him differently and he had found this, at least, promising.

As Aimee unpacked and tidied the room Jon headed downstairs, drawn by the welcoming smell flowing from the kitchen. He shook his head as she criticised her supposed lack of creativity. "No, no! It smells amazing. Please, don't be so harsh on yourself." He reassured her, even managing a warming smile and wink. "I'm certain it will taste delicious, besides, Spaghetti Bolognaise and apple pie are two of my favourites!"
He took a seat at the table, barely breaking eye contact with the blonde