This story is set on the Western Cape of South Africa about two polar opposite farm boys whose worlds collide when they become roommates at Stellenbosch University.
Character 1: Johan "Jo" van der Merwe
Johan and Pieter meet as first-year roommates at Stellenbosch University, assigned to a small res room with creaky beds and a window overlooking the vineyards. At first, they’re an odd pair—Jo’s loud, outgoing vibe grates on Piet’s more reserved demeanor. But they find common ground over shared farm-boy gripes: ornery animals, early mornings, and the smell of manure. Late-night chats over lukewarm coffee or smuggled beer reveal their curious sides—Jo pushes Piet to loosen up, sneaking them into campus parties, while Piet challenges Jo with big-picture questions about life beyond the Western Cape. There’s an unspoken edge to their friendship, a mutual pull toward the unknown that neither quite knows how to handle, making their time as roommates both thrilling and tense.
Chapter 1
The sun had just dipped below the horizon, painting the sky above Stellenbosch a bruise of orange and purple, when Johan "Jo" van der Merwe hauled his last duffel bag into the cramped dorm room. The place smelled faintly of old wood and disinfectant, with two single beds shoved against opposite walls and a rickety desk wedged under the window. The view wasn’t half bad—rolling vineyards stretching out toward the mountains—but Jo barely noticed. He dropped his bag with a thud, wiped sweat off his freckled forehead, and turned to survey his new kingdom.
“Ag, man, it’s not the farm, but it’ll do,” he muttered, kicking off his boots and flopping onto the bed nearest the door. The springs creaked under his lanky frame, loud enough to make him grin. He’d brought a faded rugby jersey to hang on the wall and a small tin of braai spice his ma had insisted he’d need—“For when the city food gets kak,” she’d said. He was already itching to test it out, though he doubted the res had a fire pit.
Across the room, Pieter "Piet" de Wet was unpacking with the kind of quiet focus that made Jo wonder if the guy ever relaxed. Piet’s stocky build filled out his side of the space as he methodically stacked textbooks on the desk—Viticulture 101, some dog-eared novel about wine estates, and a notebook already scribbled in. His blue cap sat perched on the bedpost, and a small pile of odd rocks—smooth, jagged, one shaped vaguely like a heart—lined up beside it. Jo squinted at them, curious, but didn’t ask. Not yet.
“First time away from home?” Jo ventured, propping himself up on his elbows. His blonde hair stuck out at wild angles, catching the last of the daylight filtering through the window.
Piet glanced over, his sunburnt face unreadable for a second before cracking into a half-smile. “Ja, pretty much. You?”
“Same. Malmesbury’s not exactly far, but it feels like a bloody continent away now.” Jo chuckled, then nodded at Piet’s rocks. “What’s with those? You starting a collection or just miss the dirt already?”
Piet shrugged, picking up the heart-shaped one and turning it over in his calloused hands. “Habit. Found this one when I was fixing a fence last summer. Figured I’d bring a piece of Robertson with me.” He set it down and met Jo’s eyes, a flicker of something—maybe amusement, maybe challenge—passing between them. “You?”
Jo patted the tin of braai spice on his nightstand. “This is my piece of home. Ma reckons I’ll starve without it. She’s not wrong—had some res food earlier, and it tasted like cardboard.”
Piet snorted, a dry sound that broke the tension. “Cardboard’s generous. I’m betting we’ll be smuggling a braai in here by week two.”
“Deal,” Jo said, grinning wider. He sat up, restless already, and glanced out the window. The campus was buzzing—laughter and shouts echoing from the quad below as other first-years milled around, some hauling boxes, some already cracking open beers. “You reckon we should go check it out? See what trouble’s brewing?”
Piet hesitated, then pulled his cap off the bedpost and tugged it onto his head. “Might as well. Beats sitting here listening to you whistle all night.”
“Oi, my whistling’s a gift!” Jo shot back, but he was already on his feet, shoving his boots back on. He didn’t know Piet yet—not really—but there was something about the guy’s quiet edge that made him want to push, to see what lay under the surface. And Piet, watching Jo with that same sharp, curious glint, seemed to feel the same pull.
The door swung shut behind them as they stepped into the humid February night, the dorm room left silent except for the faint creak of Jo’s bed settling. Outside, the world was loud and new, and neither of them knew just how much it’d change them—or each other—before the year was out.
Character 1: Johan "Jo" van der Merwe
- Age: 19
- Appearance: Johan is tall and lanky, with sun-bleached blonde hair that’s perpetually tousled from the wind on the farm. His fair skin is tanned from years outdoors, dotted with freckles across his nose and cheeks. His hands are rough and calloused, and he’s usually seen in faded rugby jerseys or plaid shirts, paired with scuffed boots.
- Background: Johan grew up on a wheat and sheep farm near Malmesbury in the Western Cape. He’s the youngest of three siblings, with two older sisters who’ve always kept him in line while teaching him the finer points of a good potjie. His family’s farm has been passed down through generations of van der Merwes, and while he’s proud of that legacy, he’s at Stellenbosch University studying Agricultural Economics to figure out if it’s really his path.
- Personality: Jo is laid-back and quick to laugh, with a knack for disarming people with his lopsided grin and self-deprecating humor. He’s a hard worker but still a bit green when it comes to life beyond the farm—he’d never been past Cape Town until uni. He’s straight, with a handful of clumsy high school romances under his belt, but there’s a curious streak in him he can’t quite pin down. He’s drawn to people who challenge his small-town worldview and secretly craves a taste of something different.
- Quirks: He’s a braai (bbq) purist, always preaching about the “proper” way to season meat. He whistles old Afrikaans folk tunes when he’s anxious or deep in thought.
- Age: 20
- Appearance: Pieter is shorter than Johan, with a stocky, muscular frame built from years of farm labour. His light brown hair is cropped short, and his pale skin carries a faint sunburn that never quite fades. He’s got a jagged scar on his left forearm from a barbed wire mishap as a kid, which he shows off with a smirk. He dresses simply—jeans, plain T-shirts, and a faded blue cap he’s worn since he was 16.
- Background: Piet comes from a cattle farm near Robertson, where his family has been raising livestock for decades. He’s an only child, brought up by his mom and grandfather after his dad died young. The farm’s been hit hard by drought lately, so he’s at Stellenbosch studying Viticulture and Oenology, hoping to bring winemaking skills back to diversify their income.
- Personality: Piet is quieter than Johan, with a dry wit that sneaks up on you. He’s dependable and fiercely loyal, the kind of friend who’d drop everything to help you out. He’s straight and always assumed he’d settle down with a girl from back home, but he’s got a restless, curious side—he’s fascinated by the wider world and isn’t afraid to question the life laid out for him. Johan’s free-spirited nature both intrigues and unsettles him.
- Quirks: He’s a natural mechanic, always tinkering with engines or tools. He collects odd-shaped rocks, claiming they’ve got “character,” and keeps them lined up on his dorm shelf.
Johan and Pieter meet as first-year roommates at Stellenbosch University, assigned to a small res room with creaky beds and a window overlooking the vineyards. At first, they’re an odd pair—Jo’s loud, outgoing vibe grates on Piet’s more reserved demeanor. But they find common ground over shared farm-boy gripes: ornery animals, early mornings, and the smell of manure. Late-night chats over lukewarm coffee or smuggled beer reveal their curious sides—Jo pushes Piet to loosen up, sneaking them into campus parties, while Piet challenges Jo with big-picture questions about life beyond the Western Cape. There’s an unspoken edge to their friendship, a mutual pull toward the unknown that neither quite knows how to handle, making their time as roommates both thrilling and tense.
Chapter 1
The sun had just dipped below the horizon, painting the sky above Stellenbosch a bruise of orange and purple, when Johan "Jo" van der Merwe hauled his last duffel bag into the cramped dorm room. The place smelled faintly of old wood and disinfectant, with two single beds shoved against opposite walls and a rickety desk wedged under the window. The view wasn’t half bad—rolling vineyards stretching out toward the mountains—but Jo barely noticed. He dropped his bag with a thud, wiped sweat off his freckled forehead, and turned to survey his new kingdom.
“Ag, man, it’s not the farm, but it’ll do,” he muttered, kicking off his boots and flopping onto the bed nearest the door. The springs creaked under his lanky frame, loud enough to make him grin. He’d brought a faded rugby jersey to hang on the wall and a small tin of braai spice his ma had insisted he’d need—“For when the city food gets kak,” she’d said. He was already itching to test it out, though he doubted the res had a fire pit.
Across the room, Pieter "Piet" de Wet was unpacking with the kind of quiet focus that made Jo wonder if the guy ever relaxed. Piet’s stocky build filled out his side of the space as he methodically stacked textbooks on the desk—Viticulture 101, some dog-eared novel about wine estates, and a notebook already scribbled in. His blue cap sat perched on the bedpost, and a small pile of odd rocks—smooth, jagged, one shaped vaguely like a heart—lined up beside it. Jo squinted at them, curious, but didn’t ask. Not yet.
“First time away from home?” Jo ventured, propping himself up on his elbows. His blonde hair stuck out at wild angles, catching the last of the daylight filtering through the window.
Piet glanced over, his sunburnt face unreadable for a second before cracking into a half-smile. “Ja, pretty much. You?”
“Same. Malmesbury’s not exactly far, but it feels like a bloody continent away now.” Jo chuckled, then nodded at Piet’s rocks. “What’s with those? You starting a collection or just miss the dirt already?”
Piet shrugged, picking up the heart-shaped one and turning it over in his calloused hands. “Habit. Found this one when I was fixing a fence last summer. Figured I’d bring a piece of Robertson with me.” He set it down and met Jo’s eyes, a flicker of something—maybe amusement, maybe challenge—passing between them. “You?”
Jo patted the tin of braai spice on his nightstand. “This is my piece of home. Ma reckons I’ll starve without it. She’s not wrong—had some res food earlier, and it tasted like cardboard.”
Piet snorted, a dry sound that broke the tension. “Cardboard’s generous. I’m betting we’ll be smuggling a braai in here by week two.”
“Deal,” Jo said, grinning wider. He sat up, restless already, and glanced out the window. The campus was buzzing—laughter and shouts echoing from the quad below as other first-years milled around, some hauling boxes, some already cracking open beers. “You reckon we should go check it out? See what trouble’s brewing?”
Piet hesitated, then pulled his cap off the bedpost and tugged it onto his head. “Might as well. Beats sitting here listening to you whistle all night.”
“Oi, my whistling’s a gift!” Jo shot back, but he was already on his feet, shoving his boots back on. He didn’t know Piet yet—not really—but there was something about the guy’s quiet edge that made him want to push, to see what lay under the surface. And Piet, watching Jo with that same sharp, curious glint, seemed to feel the same pull.
The door swung shut behind them as they stepped into the humid February night, the dorm room left silent except for the faint creak of Jo’s bed settling. Outside, the world was loud and new, and neither of them knew just how much it’d change them—or each other—before the year was out.