For me, going on a jog or doing any type of workout was never enjoyable. Exercise, according to every depression and anxiety book or website, is the best approach to help reduce unpleasant sensations since it releases dopamine in the brain. To be honest, that's a bunch of nonsense in my opinion. Being out of breath and sweating all of the time is not my notion of happiness.

With that being said, I decided to comply with those norms. When I reached the pavement, my leisurely gate was nearly silent on the cobblestones. Warm and welcoming recollections are evoked by the cobblestones in the sun-drenched alley. The brown colours of the deep atmosphere resonate like visual artistry. They told of inner gold, gritty forest walks, wintry fire pits, and pale sunrises.

With the chilly weather fading, Bristol was nearing Spring. I was taken aback by the city's stunning architecture, which was enhanced by the sun's warmth and brightness.

I stopped to regain my breath as I jogged up to a church. "This is why I despise jogging," I exclaimed aloud as I wiped the sweat from my brow. As I stood there with my hands on my hips and breathing heavily, I studied my surroundings.

"Come on, you haven't even run one kilometre," someone behind me chuckled.

When I turned around, Bryan was completely clothed in his athletic gear. As I ran my hand through my hair, I sarcastically replied, "I absolutely just adore jogging."

He looked me up and down and remarked, "It's all about managing your breathing. And it could help if you wore better shoes," he added, pointing to my worn-out sneakers with a chuckle.

I instinctively rolled my eyes at his comment as I looked down at my sneakers. "To be fair, this is probably the first time I've gone for a run in seven years," I admitted. "Do you go for runs frequently?"

"If you can't play sports anymore, you might as well stay in shape and go for a jog," he added, frustratedly exhaling. "Looks like you're done for the day; care to join me for a jog back?"

"Don't expect me to keep up," I said as we jogged back together.

My room felt cold and empty, contrasting the beautiful day outside. I immediately noticed the change in surroundings as I looked over at Ben's side of the room. The colourful posters were gone and his bedding and decor had vanished as if our room was robbed. With a closer look, I saw a little note attached to the back of his bed's poorly designed bed frame.

I don't want anything to do with you anymore. You're a bad person and you hurt the person I loved the most. Good luck with finding a new roommate.

I crunched up the piece of paper and threw it in my bin.

Is he serious right now? He's not even willing to talk to me about it. What a piece of shit.

I dismissed the situation and walked over to Bryan's room. I took a position in front of Bryan's dorm room. I never expected to get along with someone like him, despite the fact that we have many common interests, such as the fact that we're both from America, faced traumatic events, and are both fearful of love, we also have a lot of things not in common, like his love for Hawaiian shirts.

With three strong knocks, he swiftly opened the door and greeted me with a smile.  This time, taking in his place of rest. The bedroom was just tidy enough to demonstrate that he was concerned about the area but just messy enough to show that he was free to express himself. He had a really creative imagination for someone who was studying Engineering. On his side of the room, there were rock band posters as well as several bikini-clad chicks. When God created him, he simply threw all the scraps into the grinder.

"What's up?" he asked as he closed the door behind me.

"Not much, I guess," I lied as I gazed upon his room. "I knew you would have one of these somewhere," I sad as I picked up his ukulele.

"Really? How?" he chuckled.

"I don't know, maybe the Hawaiian shirt and your free-spirited personality," I pointed out as I neatly placed the ukulele back on his bed.

"Oh shut up! I like my shirts!" he proudly said as he turned around slowly, showing off his shirt. "Anyways, want to come with me to a get-together tonight?" he went on.

I guess a get together is smaller than that god awful party I went to.

"I'll think about it," I replied with a low voice.

"Well I'm going out to eat, come and join me," he said as he pulled out his wallet from a jacket he has worn previously.

"Where?" I asked as I followed him out of the room.

"There's this coffee shop down the road. I'm meeting some of my friends there," he explained.

More people? God.

"Oh, I'm okay," I softly said as he locked the door.

"Nah, bro. You're coming with," he insisted.

He gave me an unexpected jolt of confidence. I've already been at this university for three weeks and have yet to make any friends, other than Ben who hated me. Of course, I preferred being alone, but Bryan encouraged me to venture out.

Aromatic dreams float across the coffee shop air. The aroma of coffee beans filled the cafe like a fog of smoke. The coffee shop wasn't elegant, but it was reasonably priced, making it a popular hangout for university students. As Bryan gestured to a group of other guys, I followed him. They appeared to be as relaxed as a snuggle of sloths.

Bryan took the time to introduce each of them before we sat down. He grinned as he identified them from right to left, "Adrian, Jared, and Dante."

"I'm Wolf," I introduced myself as I took a seat next to Bryan with my face contorted.

"Where did you pick this one up?" Adrian said as he let out a chuckle. "He looks quite intimidating."

Well, he isn't wrong. I scare most people off with my intimidating demeanour.

"He's cool. We have algebra together," Bryan smiled as he looked over at me, giving a slight punch to my arm.

I wanted to snap but didn't want to seem rude in front of his friends.

"Tonight's party is going to be epic!" Jared let out with a beam of excitement.

"I thought it was just going to be a get-together," I remarked with a puzzled expression on my face as I looked across at Bryan.

"It's not going to be huge, don't worry," Bryan reassured me as he grabbed one of the menus. "Have you guys ordered anything yet?"

"Just some drinks," Dante mentioned as the waiter placed their drinks on the table.

"Anything for you two?" the waiter asked, grabbing her notepad out of the pocket of her apron.

"I'll just have a coffee," I said as I nodded my head.

"What kind? We have macchiatos, lattes-" she went on as I cut her off abruptly.

"Just coffee."

I hated this new trend of extravagant coffee that doesn't even taste like real coffee. What happened to a simple brewed coffee?

"You can bring me a green tea," Bryan quickly added before my rage boiled over.

"You appear to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed," Jared observed. "What's up?" he asked with his remark delivered with an unwelcome seriousness.

I paused for a moment before snapping. "It's my fucking roommate," I groaned.

As a frown developed on Bryan's face, he asked, "Ben?"

"After my fight with Arlo, he moved out of our room," I snarled with my wrath increasing.

"That guy is a jerk, man. Arlo has him under his control like a puppet," Dante sighed as his laid-back demeanour shifted grimly.

I was curious about their thoughts on Arlo, so I asked, "What's his deal?"

As he swirled a sugar sachet into his coffee, Adrian scoffed, "I'm pretty sure he smokes crack."

Bryan continued, placing his hand on his cheek, "Since he and Ben got together, he's been infatuated with him."

"And he despises everyone who interacts with Ben; believe me, you're not the first person Ben has sent running back into Arlo's arms," Dante grinned.

"Why doesn't he just share a room with Arlo?" I wondered, perplexed by the rumours of his departure.

"Not really our concern, as long as they stay away from us with their craziness," Jared sternly said, gesturing for the waiter to come over.

"I thought you two were pretty close," I mentioned as I looked over at Bryan.

"I mean, I think he's a good guy, but the fact that he's not paying attention to what Arlo's up to makes me wonder if he actually cares for his friends. We've all told him that what Arlo is doing isn't good for him many times, but he simply doesn't see it that way," Bryan stated, letting out a heaving sigh.

When the waiter arrived, we all placed an order for a lunch to satisfy our appetite. We drifted away from Arlo and Ben's conversation and continued to discuss other topics. For the first time in my life, I didn't feel left out or need to roll my eyes at inane talks. With these people, I felt actually connected and included, which I didn't expect.