#theuniverse

Counting the amount of underwear you had for the fifth time today was not something you ever saw yourself doing, yet your mum was adamant.

It was moving in day. Off to the beautiful city of Liverpool and you couldn't be more excited - yet nervous. First year university had suddenly crept up on you and it was time to move out of your childhood home for the rest of the year.

This was going to be a good year. You just knew it.

You'd chosen to study Geography, although now you were wondering why because everyone said they hated it. It had been the only thing you were good at and enjoyed at school so that's why you'd chosen it, but more you were wishing you'd stepped outside of your comfort zone and chosen something like english or law instead. What jobs could you get with a geography degree? Questioning your life at 7am on a Saturday morning, however, was not what you wanted to be doing so you recounted your underwear again.

Your mum was going crazy this morning, telling you to triple check everything and then again. She thought you were going to leave something behind - and let's be honest you probably were. She'd woken you up at the crack of dawn so that you could make the journey to Liverpool in time for lunchtime and miss the traffic hopefully. Typical mum.

"Y/N we're going in twenty minutes, love." Your mum shouted from downstairs. Twenty minutes to mope around that you were all grown up and wouldn't be sleeping in your home bed tonight. It would be waiting for you at Christmas time though.

Just as you were adding your laptop into your backpack the light sounds of jangling keys came into the room.

"Hello Milo." You knelt down to entertain your Cockapoo. He was so gorgeous. You were going to miss him the most; your best friend. Milo had been a birthday present to you, but he was so much more than that. He seriously was your bestfriend and sometimes your only friend.

At school you'd had a group of friends, but after you'd broken up you didn't feel any connection to them anymore and so drifted apart from them. It wasn't as sad or painful as you thought it would be. Clearly, if they were real friends, you all would've made more of an effort to remain that way. It was the type of friendship group that always talked about people behind their backs too; especially you. There was one friend, Lille, who was the kindest to you and always told you what was being said - even if you wished you'd never heard it, but all the others you didn't bother remember anymore.

So, going to university, you were scared.

University was a whole other society. A better one maybe, you're excited to find out. Making friends wasn't something you excelled in, but hopefully people will be better here than at school. And God you hoped that your flatmates were okay, too.

••••

A few hours later and closer to lunch you had arrived at your wonderful accommodation. 'Vine Court' was its name, which made no sense because there were no vines anywhere.

Your mum had pulled up outside the building, where the helpers had directed her to go, before you had to go and collect your keys and everything.

"Um okay you take those shopping bags and i'll try to get the heavy boxes out." Your mum directed you with a stressed hand rubbing over her forehead.

"No mum, you'll take the bags and i'll do the boxes. Don't need you breaking your back before I leave." Because the only person who would be there to look after her was Milo - and he's not even a person. Your dad walked out on you a few years ago and you were an only child, so it has been you and your mum for as long as you could remember now. You didn't like thinking on the times with your dad because he meant too much so it hurt too bad.

You felt guilty going to university because your mum would be all alone, but she insisted that you needed to live your life on your own and not in her shadow. So here you were.

Your mum took ahold of a few bags and locked the car, sighing when she knew you'd have to do a couple of journeys to move everything in. The box you were carrying was so big you could barely see over the top and it was heavier than carrying a baby hippo - in your opinion

"In here?" Your mum asked questioning her gaze towards an open door. You nodded and followed her in. You either could take the stairs or the lift, but it seemed the lift was occupied so stairs it was.

"Floor 3, mum." You told notified her before getting to work. Your legs started to burn even after a minute.

It took a few minutes to complete the climb before walking through two hallways and into your flat. Your flat was behind a locked door that only you and your flatmates could enter, by electronic key card, so you felt quite safe. Your flatmates were but a mystery to you and that made you the most nervous about today.

You were quite an introverted person. Your bedroom was your best friend and you realised that wasn't ideal, so you had made a promise to yourself that you would get yourself involved with more activities. Reading a book in your room at 2am sounded better than any house party could. Instead of attending your prom after party, you read the first three Harry Potter books until your eyes were impossibly heavy and the sun was starting to rise. You then carried on reading them all through the next week until the novelty of talking about the party wore off.

You hoped for uni to be slightly better, but that was praying with ounces of optimism.

Once on floor 3 you managed to open the doors with the key card. The hallway was very light and the floor was carpeted blue. Six doors lined the corridor, each with their own number attached - almost like a prison, except it was really nothing like that. There was an extra door down the far end which was, you suspected, the kitchen and sofa area.

You walked all the way down until you reached your flat number; D3035. You were second closest to the kitchen, so you didn't have far to walk if you wanted late night ice-cream. D3036 was closest to the kitchen - lucky.

Opening the door you were pleasantly surprised of both size and and space. The bed was only a single one, pressed into the corner of the room. The wardrobe was adjacent to the bed and a mirror too. In the corner diagonally opposite to the bed was a desk with an abundance of shelf space - great for all your books. The window was a floor to ceiling view, letting the sunshine beam through effortlessly. Luckily you had your own bathroom too, which included a shower also.

"So this is home for the next year, sweetheart." Your mum announced, dropping the bags on the bare bed.

You took a 360° spin around the room and let out a heavy sigh. This wasn't ever going to be home, was it? It wasn't your comfy double bed, at home, with the window seat that looks across the forests of what looks like the garden of Eden. Nothing would ever beat that.

"Yeah." You replied, not knowing how else to feel. It was feeling more and more real. When you were in the car it didn't actually click that you were going to be left here today to live in Liverpool for the year.

It all felt so alien.

"Right. I'll go get them other bags and you start unpacking." Your mum said as she walked out of the room, not giving you much option for a debate.

And then you were alone.

This is how it would feel for the rest of the year - possibly even all three of them, depending on whether you make friends or not. You wanted to so badly cry, but if your mum was to see then you'd never forgive yourself. She had been through enough without seeing her only child have a breakdown over being left here.

Unpacking was never an easy task - packing always seemed easier. Finding your belongings a new home was going to be a task, but it was one that would keep you occupied enough to distract you from everything around you. Clothes were the first to be unpacked, folding them neatly away on the shelves in the wardrobe and hanging up any dresses or shirts you had brought. Your shoes were neatly organised in a row - rainbow ordered. After some rummaging you found your books and were super excited to organise them upon your shelves. Alphabetical by author name or book title? Author name it was.

As you were putting the book on your shelf a gentle knock appeared at your door.

Flatmate.

Turning to see who it was you never expected to see someone so charming and pretty. A tall brunette lad with eyes of deep emerald was smiling at you, waiting to introduce himself. Dimples and freckles scattered his face and gave him the most beautiful face you'd ever seen.

"Hi, i'm Harry." He smiled so brightly you thought you might need sunglasses.

"Hi." You spoke back, completely taken aback by how lovely your new flatmate was.

"And you are?" He pressed, after you had so stupidly forgotten to politely introduce yourself too.

"Oh right, yeah. Sorry. I'm Y/N." The blush on your face now turning a burning red. "Which room are you in?" You tried to form a conversation.

"Next to yours actually. D3036." He smiled, morning to the room next door in the process.

"Oh so you're the one who gets to be closest to the kitchen?" You tried to joke, not expecting him to actually laugh back at you. It was nice, his laugh. It was the perfect kind of laugh. You always thought yours sounded like a demonic laugh, so you were glad for it to be someone else laughing other than you.

"Yeah I guess that's me!" He chuckled, walking further into your room. "Your room is different to mine." He made clear, poking his head around the corner to have a nose.

"I'm guessing it's flipped the other way?" You asked, making a reasonable guess.

"Yeah. Yeah it is." He nodded, taking a quick look out of the window and then back to you. He stuck out his hand for you to shake, making you drop your books on your desk clumsily. You noticed that your 'The Secret Garden' had managed to dent on the corner, which you mentally cursed yourself for. Your books were your alternative to oxygen. To take care of them was a day-to-day job for you - one that you enjoyed. "Well it's lovely to meet you, Y/N."

"And you, Harry." You felt that you shook his hand and looked into his beautiful eyes for two seconds too long, but you couldn't help yourself. He was a charming lad and you would be lying to say you weren't excited to be living with him this year - maybe even next year?

"The Secret Garden? Timeless classic." Harry nodded his head towards your desk whilst letting go of your hand, which had now become a little clammy.

"It's my favourite." You smiled warmly, happy at the thought of him taking an interest into your book collections.

"Y/N I don't know why you- oh hello," your mum proudly waltzed into the room, placing your belongings on top of the bed out of the way before raising her hand to introduce herself, "Y/N didn't mention there to be any charming, young, boys, like yourself. I'm Ms L/N, but you can call be Annie. Lovely to meet you." She smiled.

You mum was the worst for introducing herself to new people. Poor Harry here would probably be talking to her for at least half an hour until he even manages to get a word in. Terrifying Harry wasn't on your agenda though, so you quickly made sure now wasn't a good time.

Running a stressed hand through your hair you butted in on their conversation. "Mum I think Harry just wants to unpack and settle in. I probably should too." You hinted at her to politely leave. She would stay for as long as she wanted to if she had her way, which is a good reason she didn't. You wanted her to stay a little longer but you knew now was the right time for her to depart. Any longer and she would stay the entire year.

You still had more flatmates to meet and you couldn't be doing that whilst your mum was trying to introduce herself to everyone. She was the ultimate natter queen.

"Nice meeting you Ms L/N." Harry waved himself out of the room, before weaving himself into his room next door.

"It's Annie!" She called after him, before turning to look at you with a knowing smirk. It was no secret, to your mum, what your type was and Harry pretty much fitted it to the T so to say she was feeling excited was an understatement. She mouthed 'OMG' to you before squealing like a teenage girl at a Taylor Swift concert would.

"Ok mum you can leave now." You roll you eyes as you laugh and practically have to push her out of the room.

"Ok ok i'm going!" She laughed at your behaviour as she knew she was embarrassing you - that was in her job description though. "Give me a kiss." She opened her arms for you to give her a hug and a kiss. This, most likely, would be the last time seeing her until Christmas break and boy were you going to miss her. You dreaded to think how much she would miss you. Too much probably.

"I love you, mum." You spoke against her ear as she brought you into an almighty, bone-crushing, hug. She smelt of lavender and peppermint - sweet but spicy scents that reminded you of home. You mentally made a note to buy a lavender plant, or peppermint bonbons, in order to fulfil her comfort here.

"Oh I love you, my baby." She choked over her words slightly, which was cue for her to leave otherwise you wouldn't let her leave. You pulled away from her and waved her off as she walked off back down the corridor. "Remember to separate your lights and darks." She shouted back to you, slow in her step.

"Yes mum I know." You shook your head in embarrassment.

"And don't re-freeze chicken, okay?" She sternly asked, even though she'd been over this forty times already. Apparently if you give yourself food poisoning she's not going to be very sympathetic, because of how many times she's told you the rules of the kitchen.

"Okay, mum."

"Call me later too. Please." She was almost asking, as if she thought you'd have anything better to do. You had no intention of going out this evening, even if your new flatmates did, you were far too tired.

"Promise." You raised your pinky finger to her, to which she returned the small action from down the hall. She nodded her head, looking at you for a final time, before slipping out of the corridor and back to the lift to head outside and home.

It wouldn't be cool to cry right now, would it?

Telling yourself to keep it together was harder than you thought. It all felt too real now. You thought the feeling of independence and isolation might be a good change of tempo, but even after a minute of it you weren't sure how long you'd last. At least Harry seemed nice. Actually, he seemed genuine and lovely which put you at a little more ease.

Walking back into your room you sat on your bed and looked around the room in terror. This was actually your home for a year - by yourself. Everything was changing and, honestly, you were still back in the summer of Year 11 where everything seemed simple and possible. Everything seemed daunting and terrifying now. The thought of having to meet a whole new class of people  was enough to make your knees weak. What if you didn't make any friends at all? What if even Harry realises you aren't a good cuppa Yorkshire Tea but more of a PG Tips?

Feeling the tears filter into your eyes you stood up and sighed at yourself. Of course you'd be the one to cry on your first day. You were such a year 7 going off to high-school - all over again in fact...

"You want a hug?" Harry was propped at the door giving you a comforting smile and had his arms wide open already. The fact that he knew, already, exactly what you needed made you feel calm and safe.

You just nodded your head and he came towards you. His arms strongly wrapped around your body and you instantly slinked yours around him. He smelled really good - too good. He spread so much radiance and warmth. "Thank you." You breathed in his scent from over his shoulder - not wanting to overstep any boundaries by finding refuge in the small of his neck.

"Anytime. I'm a big hugger." He invited you to an infinite bank of hugs, which you greatly appreciated. You'd be needing one every hour at this point. He didn't let you go until you were ready, which was after a good twenty seconds. He was a great hugger.

"Thank you, again, Harry." You smiled warmly at him, meaning it. He smiled back at you kindly before moving to leave your room.

"I'm going to Tesco to pick up some milk and bread. You wanna come?" He asked, probably with the intention of getting your mind off of other things for at least an hour. "Not that I have any clue where it is, mind." He added, making you laugh at his honesty.

"Yeah sure. Let me go to the toilet really quick and you can search for the nearest shop, okay?" Your offered. Walking aimlessly around Liverpool until you found a shop, although sounding spontaneous and fun, wasn't what you wanted to be doing on your first night. Instead, you wanted to listen to sad songs and eat breadsticks until you could fall asleep. It wasn't often you ate breadsticks whilst listening to Lord Huron recall The Night We Met, but those nights were always your favourite.