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So here’s the thing: Sana never intended to be friends with Isak Valtersen. If someone had told her even six months ago that they could be friends, she would’ve laughed and rolled her eyes. In their first year she knew him very vaguely as the best friend of Eva’s ex-boyfriend, and the first few conversations they had gave the impression he was a bit of a fuckboy, and a stoner. She really never intended to work with him in Biology, either - she just wanted to blackmail him into coming to Kosegruppa and then move away again, but just sitting next to him in class had really helped with her understanding of the subject. He’s defensive, grumpy, occasionally ignorant, and tired 90% of the time, but he’s getting her a 6 and after she gives him back his weed and he calls out the teacher for not knowing what a hijab is, she starts to like him a little better. After they resolved their disagreement about the role of homosexuality in evolution, he warmed up to her too.
The thing with Isak is that he’s oddly easy to get along with. Sana doesn’t have any particularly close male friends, has never had many close friends in general until she met Noora, Eva, Vilde and Chris. She doesn't get along with most boys, and knows she isn’t always easy to like. But Isak is nearly as sarcastic as she is - their banter is fantastic and their debates are terrifying for bystanders, but great fun for the two of them, and their topics range from feminism to science to which The Weeknd song is the best. After the Kosegruppe Christmas party at Isak’s flat, the two of them got closer and sometimes study Biology together at his place. She would never, ever admit it, but underneath all the grumpiness and weird teenage boy behaviours, Isak is actually pretty endearing.
His boyfriend, however, clicks with Sana straight away. She had always liked him when he used to hang out with her brother but like most of Elias' friends, she didn’t really know him that well. She had expected Even to once again be a background character to her - just “Isak’s boyfriend” as opposed to becoming a friend. But Even is always genuinely interested in what she has to say, and he won’t let anyone talk ignorant bullshit in front of her, even their own friends. He obviously adores Isak, and she always seems to catch him doing the most extra shit in between classes.
Somehow, Sana finds herself spending more and more time with Isak and Even, especially at parties. Even doesn’t drink at most parties, tries to actually follow the advice of his doctors these days, and Isak doesn’t usually get hammered if Even isn’t drinking. (That’s not to say that he won’t sometimes disappear into a bathroom with Jonas, Mahdi, Magnus, and a bag of green, but we all have our vices.)
Even if Isak does drink, he’s not a particularly obnoxious drunk - he’s a very cuddly drunk and tends to attach himself to Even’s side. Drunk-Isak’s favourite place is wedged in between Sana and Even while they debate politics and religion over his head, and it’s kind of cute. He doesn’t get trash-nasty drunk like Eva and Chris do, and he doesn’t start crying at random like Vilde. So she sticks with those two, because knows that they won’t question why she still comes to parties if she doesn’t drink, and they won’t annoy her. Sometimes they get so into their conversations at parties that they completely forget to socialise with other people. It’s a good system.
She and Isak don’t immediately become the kind of friends who hang out at each other’s houses - usually, Sana would come to the Kollektiv to visit Noora, but somehow they would always end up in the living room, Sana and Noora on one sofa and Isak and Even tangled up together on the other one, putting the world to rights via debating social justice issues over bowls of ice cream. On one memorable occasion, Eskild wandered through and stopped to listen, then just stared at them all.
(“What the hell is all this! You’re kids, it’s a Saturday night, you’re supposed to be getting wasted in some gross apartment and gossiping, not having actual conversations!”)
But they can all see the pride on Eskild’s face, and if he refers to them as his “woke adopted babies” nobody complains too much.
Once January rolls around, Isak and Sana stop using Noora as an excuse to hang out in his apartment together, and start to meet up to study every so often. One time, the pair are revising together at Kollektivet for an upcoming biology test, and Even comes in. Immediately Sana feels awkward, and a little frustrated - she just knows that she’s going to start feeling like a third wheel any second now. But she never does. Even takes off his coat and scarf, hangs them up, and walks over to Isak and Sana on the sofa.
“Halla,” he greets Isak, and brushes a kiss across his temple. He puts a hand on Sana’s shoulder, too, smiles at her. “Hey, Sana!” he says, and looks genuinely pleased to see her. “What are you guys studying?” he asks.
“Mitosis and meiosis,” Isak says, pulling a face. Even chuckles, and straightens up.
“I think that calls for tea. Sana, do you want some too?” he asks, and Sana smiles.
“I would, thank you.” she replies. She and Isak have added another two branches to their mind-map poster by the time Even comes back in, holding three mugs of tea in one big hand, and the strap of his backpack in the other. Sana’s irritation rises again, knowing that he’s going to distract Isak and their study session will be useless, but he just sits down next to Isak and pulls out a sketchpad and starts to draw. He sits quietly, one leg pressed along Isak’s, and doesn’t distract him once.
It becomes a thing, after that - Isak and Sana study together, and Even shows up midway through their study session and sits with them. If Even shows up during their study sessions at school, he and Isak always go out for lunch or coffee afterwards, and they never fail to invite her along. She never accepts, but she never stops appreciating their offers either. Sometimes he helps them study by reading questions from the textbook for them to answer, but mostly he draws or studies his own subjects, only speaking up if what they’re revising sounds interesting. Even almost never shows Sana what he draws, but one time he forgets to close his sketchpad when he gets up to make tea, and Sana catches sight of a cartoon of her and Isak studying.
(“Is that a drawing of us?” Sana asks, trying and failing not to look at the book. Isak pulls it towards him on the table, and grins at the drawing.
“Yeah, he draws these a lot.” Isak says, a fond expression on his face. “Hey, Even!” he calls, and said boy comes back in from the kitchen.
“Hm?” he hums. “Oh, my drawing! Do you like it?” he asks her, a wide smile on his face. Sana nods, and he makes her a copy of it for her to stick up on her wall, above her poster of the human anatomy, and she smiles every time she sees it.)
Their study-sessions start to peter out as Isak moves out of Kollektivet and into his new apartment with Even, until one day it’s Friday night and Sana has left all of her biology textbooks, notes and homework in her locker at school. There’s an assignment due for Monday, and he's probably at a party but she has no choice but to text Isak.
To: Isak fra Biologi (18:07)
Hei Isak, I’ve left all my biology notes at school. Can I come and borrow yours?
He responds much faster than she’d expect from him on a Friday.
To: Sanasol <3 (18:10)
Yes, come over! Let me text you the new address, you can borrow my books.
It doesn’t take long to get to Isak’s new home from her house, and Sana can hear the familiar sounds of Jonas and Mahdi roasting Magnus from inside the apartment when she arrives. She checks the time - she figures they’re probably having pre-drinks before going to a party, but when Isak opens the door he’s wearing what looks like pyjamas - a hoodie that’s so big on him that it has to belong to Even, and soft, worn, red flannel pyjama trousers. His hair is a veritable disaster, he’s wearing fuzzy stripy socks, looking very soft and definitely not like he’s going to a party tonight. There are a few cardboard boxes visible in the hallway behind him and a pile of shoes in the corner.
“Hei Sana!” he greets warmly. “Come in, my books are in my room somewhere. Sorry I didn’t grab them before you came over, the guys are here.”
She follows him through the apartment, taking it all in. It’s not very big and there are more cardboard boxes than furniture, but as they come into the living room there’s a thick rug on the floor and bright yellow curtains on the windows. There are two sofas and a coffee table in the living room, and a big cardboard box labelled in Eskild’s handwriting with “EVEN’S SHIT” that is being used as a footrest. Jonas and Mahdi are occupying one sofa and playing a vicious game of Mario Kart, and Even is stretched out on the other, and all three of them are wearing similarly comfortable, pyjama-like clothes. Magnus isn’t there, presumably out with Vilde. For a pre-drink, there’s not a beer can in sight. Isak smacks Jonas’ feet off “Even’s Shit” and starts rummaging in it for his biology books.
“Sana!” Even cries excitedly once he sees her.
“Hey, Sana,” Mahdi says, waving at her (and subsequently gets nudged off Rainbow Road by Jonas, who gives her a distracted greeting before turning his attention back to the game.)
“Aren't you guys pre-gaming?” she asks them. Jonas shakes his head.
“Nah, Even wasn’t feeling it.” he says. Sana is struck momentarily by that - Even didn’t want to go out so not only Isak, but all of his friends stayed in too. She scans Even’s face quickly - he’s holding a book of poetry and looks a little tired, but otherwise fine. He smiles at her and waves her over.
“Come sit with me, Sana, Isak’s left me all alone over here!” he says, and she can practically feel the force of Isak eye-rolling across the apartment. He swings his legs off the sofa, sitting upright, and she joins him. He wraps an arm around her, hugging her to his side, and damn. If he’s always this good at cuddling, Sana completely understands why Isak sometimes seems glued to his side.
“Traitor.” Isak grumbles when he returns, and this time Sana rolls her eyes. He passes her the books, and then sits on the other side of Even.
“We were about to get some food, do you want to stay?” Even asks. Sana hesitates, but Jonas perks up in the corner.
“I think I have the number of the pizza place that does halal pizza.” Jonas says. Sana just blinks at him for a second, before nodding and smiling at him. As much as she loves them, in two years of friendship her girls have never remembered her dietary restrictions without her reminding them. Isak steals Jonas’ phone to order the pizza, and Sana surveys the room again. Jonas has lost horribly at Mario Kart by now, and Mahdi is doing a victory dance in his seat.
“So it’s sleepover night?” Sana asks them, grinning. Mahdi laughs as though it’s a silly suggestion, but Even grins back at her.
“It’s sleepover night.” he confirms.
“And what, pray tell, do boys do at a sleepover?”
“We do face masks, talk about boys, and paint each other’s nails,” Jonas deadpans, obviously joking, but Isak makes an indignant noise from somewhere.
“Oy, that was one time!” Isak shouts from wherever the fuck he is, and the boys crack up. He wanders back in and pokes Even in the ribs until he makes room on the sofa for him. “We play video games and eat shit food. I don’t own any nail polish and we definitely don’t talk about boys, what the fuck Jonas.”
“We do when Even isn’t here.” Jonas points out, and Even smirks where his face is buried into Isak’s hair.
“You didn’t deny the face masks,” Sana points out. This sets Mahdi off giggling, and Isak scowls, but it’s fond.
“I blame Jonas. But really, what do girls do at sleepovers? It can’t be that different.”
“We eat pizza and talk about boys, mostly. Or, Vilde talks about boys.” Sana says. She can tell they don’t miss the slight irritation in her tone, but nobody says anything. “All she talks about lately is her having so much sex with Magnus.”
At this, the boys all blink.
“That’s weird. Magnus says they haven’t had sex since the Kosegruppe party.” Jonas says.
“Yeah man, you know if they were actually hooking up, he’d be oversharing all over the place.” Mahdi says. “Why would she lie about having sex with him?”
Isak suddenly seems to stiffen, enough for Sana and Even to notice. The couple exchange a look, and Sana files this away for later analysis.
“Sana doesn’t want to talk about sex, you guys. Let’s drop it.” Jonas announces. “For real, though, Sana, what did you think we’d all be doing?”
“I don’t know,” she says. “I thought you guys were pre-gaming. I expected more weed and alcohol.”
Jonas smiles. “Nah, we’re chilling tonight. We don’t need alcohol to chill! And we don’t smoke around Even, since he’s not meant to. We’d be jerks if we were getting blazed in front of him.”
The doorbell rings, and Sana is struck by how thoughtful they are. The whole time she’s known them, Sana has been running off superficial judgements and some stories from Isak and interactions at parties. She realises that until this point, she had been assuming that Isak’s friends were fuckboys, but she couldn’t have been more wrong. They took her religion into account while ordering food, they’re not smoking because Even can’t, and even as she’s mulling over all of this, they’re turning off the XBox and putting on a film because they don’t have enough controllers for Sana to join in their game. They’re actually quite sweet.
Sana offers to get the plates for the pizza from the kitchen (or rather, the box labelled as such), the least she can do after Isak had lent her notes and bought her food, and when she comes back Isak has managed to wedge himself completely under Even’s arm. He’s not big on PDA unless he’s drunk, and instead of looking weirded-out by the affection, Jonas looks oddly fond, and Mahdi is too focused on trying to get into the pizza boxes to give a fuck. Even lets Mahdi choose the film they watch, and surprisingly, he chooses a nature documentary about rainforest animals.
Sana feels more relaxed than she has all week - the boys are just so easy to hang out with. There’s no expectations of her, no talk of Vilde’s sex life, or Noora’s ex, or Chris moping over her breakup with Kasper. She gets into an argument with Isak over plant biology, Even tries to steal her pizza toppings, and nobody says anything ignorant, accidentally or otherwise. It’s probably sad that that automatically rates this evening higher than the last time she hung out with the girls.
For once, she's not slightly relieved to get a text from her mother at 21:30 calling her home, and all four of them enthusiastically insist she comes to hang out with them again some time. She leaves with Isak’s notes, two slices of leftover pizza, some new knowledge about the behaviour of tropical birds, and a new view of the boys.