Housemates can often be your best friends or your worst enemies. You never really know someone until you live with them, so sometimes living with your friends can expose some strange, unsettling behavior.
Over the years, I’ve lived with several different people and have had many uncomfortable moments with my housemates. Here are 5 of the most unforgettable things that my housemates have done:
1. The Shadow
In one of the houses I shared, the bathroom had a door with a decorative window. The window was high enough so that no one could see directly into the bathroom. The glass was also rippled so that you would have to get up close to it to see through it. The setup of the bathroom wasn’t too much of a privacy concern, but all of that changed one day after I got out of the shower and (thankfully) wrapped myself in a towel. As I inspected my face in the mirror, I saw a dark shadow rise in the mirror’s reflection. I turned around and saw my housemate staring at me through the glass! As soon as I caught them, though, they quickly scurried away.
2. The Box Stabber
I once had a housemate who decided to buy a new couch, so they also had to deal with all of the couch’s packaging. That day, I walked downstairs because I heard strange noises coming from the basement. At first, I could only make out my housemate holding a large kitchen knife and violently lashing at something. When I took a few more steps, I realized that my housemate was actually stabbing the large cardboard box the couch had come in and was trying to break it up. When they realized that I was standing there watching them, they stopped and awkwardly locked eyes with me. Naturally, I silently backed away.
3. The Toilet Paper Hoarder
At one point, I was living with 2 other people, and we had a huge issue with running out of toilet paper. We went through toilet paper rolls so frequently that I started to question how much toilet paper my housemates used.
After a few weeks, we started running out of TP so quickly that I started bringing my own toilet paper roll with me every time I needed to go to the bathroom. At that point, everyone else was going through more than one toilet paper roll per day!
I thought that I was losing my mind until I witnessed what was actually happening to our toilet paper stash. Because my room shared a wall with the bathroom, I could hear when my housemates used the toilet. Since the toilet paper holder was attached to the wall, I could hear a loud rumble through the wall every time someone used toilet paper.
It turns out that one of my housemates in particular seemed to have an affinity for collecting toilet paper. Every time they used the toilet, I heard a loud continuous rumble through my bedroom wall. I could hear the TP unraveling again and again and again as one loud, continuous rumble. I then had to have an awkward conversation with this particular housemate about buying their own toilet paper. Sometimes I think about the toilet paper hoarder and wonder how they’re doing with all the toilet paper shortages the world is facing right now!
4. The Towel Thief
In one of the bathrooms I shared, we each had our own designated bath towel. My towel was new, so was extra fluffy – to the point that the towel’s lint would stick to me every time I used it.
One day, I was waiting for my housemate to finish using the bathroom so that I could shower. When it was my turn to use the restroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. To my absolute horror, the mirror was completely covered in the lint from my bath towel. I realised that my housemate had used my towel to clean the mirror, then hung it back up where I always kept it like nothing had happened. As I threw my towel into the wash and grabbed another towel, I noticed my housemate watching me very intently. They awkwardly asked me why I got a new towel, to which I hesitantly replied, “My other towel was dirty.” They realised that I knew what they were up to, and I remained completely shook.
5. The Couch Ghost
One night, I arrived back at the house I shared very late. All the lights were off, so naturally, I assumed that my housemates had all gone to bed. I walked into our completely dark living room and fumbled around for the light switch. When I turned on the light, I saw my housemate lying on the couch, wide awake and staring right at me. They had just been quietly resting there in the dark, staying completely silent as I walked through the room. I quickly realized that my housemate looked frustrated, so I asked what was wrong. It turns out that my housemate had gotten into a bit of a dispute with their partner over a fart and had retreated to the couch. Awkward!
Living with housemates can teach you how weird people can really be. You’re sure to have to deal with some strange and unsettling situations, and sometimes your housemates will have you shook! Just laugh those creepy moments off and remember that you won’t live with the same housemates forever.
Featured Photo by Jaroslav Devia on Unsplash
