Laura and the Twins
Night 1:
She handed the cabbie his dues through the window with a small hint of hesitation.
This is it
,
no turning back now.
As the taxi drove off down the quiet neighborhood street she was left standing on the sidewalk with her luggage. Looking down at her folded piece of paper, she checked the street number for the fourth time and then glanced at her watch.
8:30 pm, I hope I'm not too late for them
. With one deep breath she pulled on her backpack, grabbed her battered leather suitcase, and headed for the front steps.
Laura had always wanted to travel, but she was never able to save up enough money to do so until now. She knew that by herself she couldn't afford to pay for plane tickets and expensive hotels. To make it easier she had settled on using buses and had recently joined a website for "couch surfers." At first the idea of staying in the home of complete strangers was a frightening prospect for Laura, but she had always been fairly quick at making new friends online. After spending only a couple days planning and posting in the forums, she found the Landons.
At first glance she had assumed that Ben and Rosie were just another cute couple. The pictures in their profile showed them in various exotic locations across the country, often hugging and smiling or wearing silly hats and making faces. When she read on, she was more than a little surprised to find out that they were actually siblings. Ben and Rosie were brother and sister, renting a small home just a few blocks away from their college. Apparently they were able to save a great deal of money by renting a place together instead of using the overpriced dorms on campus. After a few instant-messaging sessions Laura was pleased to learn that the two were very friendly and loved sightseeing. Since they were in the middle of a semester they had decided to give back to the couch surfing community by offering their couch for the first time. Laura was unanimously invited by the Landon siblings to be their first traveling guest, and Laura felt very flattered by the invitation.
Taking another deep breath she leaned into the door bell button. Moments later the door opened and she found herself staring up at a beautiful young woman.
"Laura! We've been expecting you!" Rosie said with a smile.
Laura quickly noted that this particular 21 year-old dirty blond girl's online photos didn't do her justice. Rosie looked slightly taller, and a little more developed than Laura had imagined in her extremely short pink shorts and tight "too cute" labeled t-shirt. Laura blushed for a moment,
"Um, did I come too late? You look like you're ready for bed."
"Oh no, you're right on time. Ben's home too. Come on in!". At that moment Ben arrived at the door wearing baggy shorts and a t-shirt that said "insufficient memory".
After a friendly hug from Rosie, Ben offered to take Laura's luggage and she followed behind him as he led her into the warm little house.
"This is the living room, and there's the kitchen." He led her down the short hallway with three doors. "That's the bathorom," Ben pointed to the door at the end of the hall.
"This is Rosie's room," he nudged to the left. Laura peeked in the open door and could easily tell this was the girls room. It was bubbly and happy, just like her personality with cute anime girl posters everywhere.
"And this will be your room" Ben swung open the door directly across the hall from Rosie's room.
"I thought I was going to get the couch?" Laura asked.
Rosie chimed in, "No no no, we can't have any guest of ours sleeping on that tiny couch!"
Laura looked in and saw that it was obviously Ben's room, with computer desk, blue colored sheets and a couple centerfold posters for good measure.
"Trust me," Said Rosie, "it's the most comfortable bed in the house."
"Ok, if you insist, but where will your brother sleep?" asked Laura sheepishly.
"Oh, don't worry about him, he'll sleep anywhere." Rosie chuckled in a strange tone, forcing Laura to make a double-take.
Ben helped Laura move her stuff in, letting her know where the empty dresser drawer space was in case she needed it.
"Thanks, but I doubt I'll need that. I'm only staying the night, not moving in" joked Laura.
"Well, you never know" he replied. "It's a beautiful city, you might want to stay a while longer." he smiled, "Go ahead and get comfortable, then come to the living room we've got some movies & popcorn for tonight"