Everyday as Roommates 2 (Emmakarin)
"Emma, I didn't know! Can you please open the door?" Karin pleaded for the fifth time, knocking on the door of their shared dorm. Behind it was Emma who watched the locked doorknob try to twist open.
"No!" Emma said loudly, arms crossed her large bust. She puffed her cheeks, even though Karin couldn't see it, but she didn't care. Right now, she was upset.
Karin tried the door once more. Despite her silent wishes that the door would swing open, it didn't. "I should've asked you! I didn't know it was a gift from your family!"
"But you still ate it!" Emma fired back, stomping her foot. Her exile was because of the unprovoked aggression against her family's gift: Local chocolates from her home in Switzerland. She was last to return to their dorm due to her classes, so Karin was left alone. Emma was excited to eat it, but when she checked the fridge, it was nowhere to be found.
'Oh, that was yours, Emma?' Karin's carefree words sealed her fate, and now she was shut out to the cold. The sky turned a deep purple overhead, the day coming to an end. She looked down the hall of the dormitory, hoping she wasn't being too loud to warrant a noise complaint.
Karin sucked in a breath and tried knocking on the door again. "Please, what can I do to fix this, Emma?" She heard footsteps heading away from the door, then they stopped. Emma's voice was farther away, she suspected she was in their living room.
"Give them back!" It was an impossible request, but it showed how upset Emma was. She was normally lenient with her roommate, but this was a special case. The rule to label consumables in the fridge wasn't forgotten, so it wasn't her fault. Emma nodded in approval to her demands. It was Karin's fault, and a small while outside in the cold would be enough of a punishment.
Of course, she wasn't planning to leave her out there all night. Karin would catch a cold, and that would make her feel bad.
"I-!" Karin's words stopped abruptly, and none followed. Emma peered down to the slit beneath the door. A shadow obscured the hallway light, so she knew Karin was still there. She would have to do better than that to trick her into thinking she had walked away, only for her to open the door to check and get pounced on by Karin.
No, not again. Emma had learned. She stands up from the couch, walking to the fridge in their kitchenette. "I'll forgive you if you give them back!" She exclaims, peering inside their small fridge for a drink. She gently pushed aside the bottles labeled with Karin's name, and took one of hers.
Five minutes passed by. Silence persisted outside the door. She thought Karin was perseverant with her endeavor to fool her, but she knew better. Ten minutes after, Emma walked back to the door, peering down to the gap underneath the door. There was no shadow, no movement.
Reluctantly, she reached for the door, preparing herself for the jump. "Karin! I'm still-" She swung the door open to find nobody. No roommate, no daylight, no surprise. Emma looked to both ends of the hall. It was deserted. She went back in, the door clicking shut.
"She must've gone to stay with a friend..." She shook her head, convincing herself that it was all right. Emma returned to the couch, pushing away her thoughts about Karin. She'll make dinner and study before heading to bed. It wasn't the first time either of them would stay out, so it was fine. But, with those were for reasons like group projects and sleepovers. They had an argument, and she locked Karin out of their dorm.
Emma didn't know what felt worse. The fact that she threw her friend out into the cold or the fact Karin was quick to find another place. This all happened for a silly reason. Her family sends her gifts every other week, so she was never short with it. She was even planning to share it with Karin.
An hour passed. Emma sat by herself, holding her knees close to her chest. She had never felt this type of loneliness before. A loneliness tinged with guilt.
A ring of the doorbell dispelled the silence, and Emma jumped up from the couch, running to the door, her steps heavy. The doorknob didn't shake, so she didn't expect it to be Karin. Yet she threw the door open as fast as she could, her thoughts loud enough to spill from her lips.
"Karin, I-!" She stopped, the sight in front of her caught her off guard. Karin stood at the hallway, holding a basket filled with foreign chocolates. Some were brands Emma recognized, but she didn't pay attention to that right now. Her eyes found Karin's who spoke out first in the tense silence.
"I forgot what brand they were, so I looked around for shops that sold foreign chocolate!" She balanced the basket with both hands, holding it forward to Emma. "Hopefully one of these are the ones. If not, at least they'd be similar..."
Emma reached forward, inspecting one of the chocolates in the basket, turning it over in her hands. It was a Belgian brand, the flag of the country on the packaging being a dead giveaway. She looked over the rest inside the basket, reaching a quick realization. "...These are all German and Belgian brands."
"Shoot, really?" Karin glanced down, unable to tell the difference. She placed the basket down quickly, stepping back out in the hallway. "I'll keep looking, Emma! Don't be upset, I'll try the baking store Kasumi goes to-"
Her words were stolen away by the sight of tears in Emma's eyes. It sent Karin into a panic, who stuttered her words in a hurry to ease her. "Don't cry! I can run there. It shouldn't be too far. Please, wait for-" She nearly stumbled when Emma rushed at her, enveloping them in a tight hug. Emma hid her face in Karin's chest, who could only hear her quiet sobs. "Uhm... Emma, honey?"
It was an embarrassing nickname. One she wouldn't wish to be heard by anyone else outside their dorm. A nickname she loved, only if it was from Karin's lips.
"These are fine, Karin..." She whispered against her chest, pulling away to look up at her. "Though you bought a bit too much."
Karin laughed nervously, her hands trailing down the familiar path of Emma's waist, meeting at her back. "Well, I didn't know which one it was. So, I uh... Bought everything I could." Her wallet was sure to complain, but she silently thanked the surprisingly lucrative hobby of being a model.
Emma hummed at her words, their breaths mingling in the gap between them. A chill breeze made both realized that they were still outside. It seemed Karin hadn't noticed, but she did from the heat that crept up her cheeks.
"Uh... You can come inside now. Sorry for overreacting." Karin tried to speak but was cut off by a firm shake of the head from Emma. "No, I wasn't being fair." She mumbled, apologetic. An idea struck her, bringing a smile to her face. "Will you eat these with me? I'll make us some tea."
"Ah... I really shouldn't," Karin explained softly, her eyes glancing to the small mountain of chocolates. Her words trailed off into the cold when she met Emma's sad expression. She sighed, caving in. "I suppose I can help myself to a few."
Emma chirped, a bright grin on her face. Karin smiled back, lifting her up from the floor. Emma made the endeavor easier for her, holding tight as she laughed against Karin's neck. They walked in the dorm together, kicking the door closed. Karin settled her down on the couch with a heave. Emma was reluctant to let go until she realized something.
"Ah, Karin! The basket!" They both blinked for a moment until the realization hit. Too focused on each other, they left Karin's apology outside in the hall. The reason why they were in this situation in the first place.
"Oh, right!"