Living the Dream

The café smelled of freshly brewed coffee and cinnamon, the perfect blend of comfort and chaos. Thomas sat at their usual corner table, stirring his cappuccino with a tiny spoon. Across from him, Kayil scrolled aimlessly through his phone, his brow furrowed."Another passive-aggressive text from my landlord," Thomas muttered, glancing at his phone screen. "He's like, 'It's not my responsibility if the water heater's broken.' Excuse me? That's literally your job."Kayil smirked, placing his phone down. "Sounds like you need a new place."Thomas sighed. "No kidding. But with what money? Have you seen the rental market lately? I'd have to sell a kidney to afford a studio.""Or," Kayil said, dragging out the word dramatically, "you could move in with me."Thomas looked up, one eyebrow raised. "With you? In your shoebox apartment? Pretty sure that violates several fire codes.""No, genius. I mean, we get a new place. Together." Kayil leaned forward, his dark eyes alight with excitement. "Think about it. Split rent. Shared groceries. Movie nights on the couch. It'd be like old times."Thomas blinked, momentarily stunned by the suggestion. "You're serious?""Dead serious," Kayil said, grinning. "We've been best friends forever. If we can survive that disaster of a road trip last summer, we can survive living together."Thomas hesitated. It wasn't a terrible idea, but it wasn't exactly a simple one, either. "You do realize I'm not the easiest person to live with, right? I have... quirks.""Quirks like alphabetizing your spice rack?" Kayil teased. "I can handle it. Besides, you'd have to deal with my mess, so we're even."Thomas snorted. "Your 'mess' is a polite way of describing a natural disaster."Kayil shrugged, unbothered. "So, what do you say? Roommates?"Thomas leaned back in his chair, considering the offer. It was risky. But then again, when had Kayil ever let him down? He smiled faintly. "Alright. Let's do it. But if you leave your socks on the coffee table, I'm setting them on fire."Kayil laughed, raising his mug. "Deal."Their mugs clinked together, sealing the pact. Little did they know, their biggest adventure yet was just beginning.