An American in Worcester

'Oooh-oh! I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien! I'm an Englishman in New York!'

'You like Sting then?'

John stopped suddenly, now completely aware that he had been singing perhaps a little bit louder than necessary. Quickly, he pulled his earphone out so as not to be rude and smiled in embarrassment, 'Not really,' he admitted sheepishly, 'I just like that one.'

Aaron stood from the sofa he had been sat at after placing his book on the seat next to him, 'Ah, I did wonder when most of the music that I hear from your room is more modern.'

It was true. John rarely played any music after his birthday 20 years ago. Aaron, on the other hand played everything from Sting to Pink Floyd. There was a kind of charm to it that he felt but all that went when John realised his house mate had been eavesdropping.

'It's not difficult to,' Aaron mused, 'you tend to play your music rather loudly.'

'Not my fault. Back home you could play your music at any volume and rarely be told off.'

'I see. You are from America aren't you?' Aaron's eyebrow rose slightly as he scrutinized John before filling a mug with water.

John nodded. He was one of the exchange students between the twin cities of Worcester England and Worcester Massachusetts. He thought it would have been a good idea to go and see another country and get an education at the same time. Pity it was only for a year though.

'So you are more in the country of Worcester then?'

John shook his head but Aaron had already turned to his seat and started walking, 'No,' he said, 'there are a lot of houses that don't have another on the end. Which you seem to have a lot of,' he mused.

'Nice. I used to live in a terraced house myself. Two houses on either side. You have to be very quiet in those.'

'Sounds dull,' John thought aloud. He started to wonder why he had gone into the kitchen in the first place. Aaron had already dismissed him and was back to his book.

Apparently he hadn't, 'Doesn't really. I couldn't imagine living anywhere where the prospect of no background noise was high.'

'So why complain about my music?' the snap in John's voice made Aaron put his book into his lap and fix his housemate's gaze with his own azure stare.

'I wasn't complaining. I am sorry if I was but I was merely pointing out that you play your music loudly.'

A slight tension built in the room but not your angry kind of tension, more your embarrassed tension that tends to build when one side has apologized and the other doesn't follow the usual convention of apologizing also. John caught onto this a mere moment after realizing there was tension in the first place, 'No, it's my fault, I shouldn't have snapped.'

Releaved, Aaron smiled and picked his book back up, 'Quite alright.'

'Say,' John decided to find out, 'are you going out later?'

There was a bit of silence before Aaron answered still fixed to his book, 'No. I have never liked the crap they play these days.'

John tutted to himself, 'Come on, you'll like it.'

'No I won't.' He still refused to look from his book.

'Have you actually been and listened to it?'

Another pause, 'No.'

'Then how do you know you don't like it?'

'Because I dislike the music you play.'

Drat, John thought, 'But what if you go with friends?'

'Who else is going?'

'Me, Elise, Jen and Alex from floor 2, and half of the LGBT.'

Aaron snorted a laugh, 'I know, they keep trying to make me go.' He could still remember the exasperated looks on them as he kept refusing their invite out. Sometimes, he wondered how he became Chairman of the University LGBT with his level of social skills.

'Maybe you should listen to them?'

The book still remained the sole focus of Aaron's attention but his gaze was locked on the binding between the two pages. Maybe it was time he went out. He looked up to John who was standing facing the kitchen work surface now making a cup of coffee. Quickly, Aaron scanned his housemate and smiled, maybe there were perks to nightlife after all. Of course, he wasn't going to go quietly, 'Will you stop pestering me if I go?'

'Of course,' John said genially, trying to cover up his grin. His plan had worked as it always did when it involved close fit jeans and a t-shirt.