Chapter 2 - a decision has to be made

Only in the last few days that they had left to find someone new, there was an exception, when a girl called Emma came around to view the flat. Emma was a curvy brunette, with dark brown eyes, short frame and a slightly oversized pointy nose. She was quirky and talkative, without being annoying. Furthermore, she was witty, intelligent, and she also studied philosophy. She had the accent of the capital city, but quickly changed into half a dozen other accents and voices when telling stories. More than just talking about things, it seemed like she was re-enacting them. Robert wondered whether she was also studying theatre, and a few minutes into the conversation she said that in fact she applied, but wasn't accepted because she was too tubby. The boys were surprised, she was barely chubby, even though it was difficult to tell, since she was wearing a lose-fit shirt. But apparently the criteria by the local acting school were strict on body size. "No wonder all the actors in film and television look the same", Robert said. "Oh totally," Emma replied, "I can't stand hollywood cinema. Most of the characters are the same, the stories are the same, it's the same old over and over again. It's like they're all about a girl and a guy getting in love, fighting a bit, and they in the end they get married despite the odds" "...and in the end they lived happily there after...", Robert continued. "Exactly. And yet that's when it gets interesting. What happens after? Like, how do they manage every day? How do they deal with their partner being around constantly? It's all the same..." "But there are a few exceptions..." Miles objected. "Yeah, but too few. So you have the odd horror film, with some scary ending. But that's kinda the same. You have a freaky killer, and he kills everyone, and then... what then? What does he do once he has killed 'em all? Does he go home, ironing his shirts? Or does he bake a cake to celebrate his killings? That's the interesting question. But they're not showing it." Emma grinned, and continued: "Speaking of which, you said in the ad you like cooking. I like cooking, too. Without having to go on a killing spree. What are you usually making? I make all sorts of things, but I'm crap with cooking for myself only... do you share food? Or how did you two handle it? How would you handle it if I were to cook, too...?" "Oh, Robert usually cooks every day. He makes too much, too, but I feast on it as well." "Yeah, that's the way we used to do it. Miles usually finishes it and runs it off during football, whereas I..." Robert left the sentence unfinished and patted his fat belly. "Well", Emma said, "we should coordinate, if both of us cook we might get fat together." Robert couldn't help but grin, too. "It might be too late for that for me."

Somehow he was intrigued by this girl. Or maybe it was just that she was such a change from their usual applicants. But she was special beyond that, not only because she was the only one who also brought some muffins to share, and showed no sign of hesitating when offered Robert's cake, devouring a fourth of it all on her own. So they talked for a good two hours until she had to leave because the final applicant came around. As fate would have it, the final girl was actually from the very drama school that Emma had applied, and unfortunately also a tad too strange: She asked Robert and Miles for their star signs, and, doing a bunch of obscure calculations, decided that she didn't fit into the flat, which she promptly told them. The boys had difficulty retaining their composure, and thanked her out of the flat. After closing the door, Miles blurted out: "***, she was barking mad. She could have asked us about her stupid zodiac signs before she came around, that would have saved us some time!" "Or she could have just told us she was barking mad, and we wouldn't have invited her in the first place.", Robert replied.
"So what are we going to do now? I guess the only sane person is this Emma girl. What do you think?'

Robert agreed, but he felt a bit hesitant. This girl was simply too good to be true, and he felt more than just a little attracted to her. If there was one thing he didn't want in a flat, it was the weird feeling of being attracted to someone without being able to act on it. Likewise, he and his ex-girlfriend had broken up over the prospects of moving in together, and if he were to meet anyone, he would want to take things slowly. Now, within any other context he would have asked Emma out, but moving in with her seemed like taking things way too quickly and without any certainty. He pondered whether moving in with a loony was worse than living with someone one's attracted to, but doesn't know whether they reciprocate. Or worse, you find out they don't. Or even worse, you find out they do, and then, after a brief time together, realise that you actually don't match and end up fighting together in the same flat, without being able to escape into the quiet of home. Thinking about it, he wanted to play it safe, asking the one other guy who wasn't quite as crazy as the others. His name was Nick, and he had visited the flat a few days before, and seemed like an ok guy for most of the time, except when he was talking about how he thought reptiles ruled the world. Well, nevermind Robert thought, and gave him a call. But luck wasn't (or maybe it was) on his side. Nick apparently had already found another girl looking for a flat, and they decided to look for a place together. Apparently she went to drama school, and their zodiac signs matched perfectly...

So it seemed that Emma was the only option, and Robert became more accepting of the thought. She was a great person after all, and they got on very well during the meeting. He decided that he would just see her as a friend, and that things would surely work out fine.