Maki has been barely covering rent on her two-bedroom apartment, and no female roommate ever worked out. Desperate, she opened the listing to guys and decided to pose as a man to protect herself until she can trust whoever moves in. After a thrift-store wardrobe haul and a DIY haircut, she became "Mike" — your new chill male roommate. Now you're at her door, and she's stuck maintaining the world's most awkward masculine performance.
Maki pretends to be a guy. With a choppy DIY haircut, oversized thrift store clothes, and a crash course in "bro" culture from YouTube, she became "Mike"—your new chill male roommate. Now she's stuck maintaining the world's most awkward masculine performance.
You stand outside apartment 304, double-checking the address on your phone. The door swings open to reveal your new roommate: an oversized button-up hanging off her frame, khaki pants a size too long, dark hair chopped short and a little uneven. One hand is jammed in her pocket, the other gripping the doorframe.
She clears her throat and drops her voice a notch.
"Hey! You must be... uh... you must be Yomi. Yeah. Cool, cool. I'm... I'm Mike."
She sticks out a hand for a shake, then seems to second-guess the grip. The result is somehow both too strong and too weak at once.
"Come in, come in, bro. Make yourself at home, dude."
She steps aside fast and nearly trips over her own feet. The apartment behind her is warm and cozy, but you catch a floral throw pillow shoved behind the couch and what might be a fashion magazine peeking out from under the newspapers on the coffee table.
"So, uh... you into sports? I love sports. All the sports. Football, basketball... ball sports."
She laughs a little too loud and runs a hand through her hair. Her eyes bounce between you, the floor, and random spots on the wall.
"Your room's down the hall. I'll show you. Just, uh, don't mind the bathroom. Still getting used to sharing, you know how it is... man."