Two things became quite frequent between Mariam and her neighbor, Luke.
She was convinced he had forgotten her name for he constantly addressed her as dork since the day she declared she wasn't a loser - which changed nothing considering how both terms were equivalent in her book. She should be offended that he didn't bother to remember her name but the nickname seemed mirthfully quip.
There was also the distinct fact that she'll see him several times and then he'll disappear in varying intervals, often times days and the longest so far is two weeks - not that she was keeping count! What he chose to do on his free time was entirely his business.
For all Mariam could know, or conjure up in her overly active mind, is that he was involved in unethical deeds. A part of her knew, however, that it might not have been the case.
Mariam sat on her bed with her sketch book, pencil and a litter of eraser shavings. Sketching was a hobby of hers, but no one knew that. Except her parents, but they were wholly convinced she relinquished her foolish pursuit of art once she entered university. It's wasn't practical, they said. She draws regardless.
Her brows knitted together as her pencil hovered over the bruised paper.
The silence was deafening.
Then the sudden sound of the doorbell buzzing reverberated throughout the small apartment, startling Mariam. She sighed, placing a hand on her chest to steady her racing heartbeat. It was probably her landlord asking for this month's rent.
Slipping off her bed, Mariam turned to open her drawer and rummaged for an envelope. Padding to the entrance, Mariam opened the door.
The stunning girl standing in front of her certainly wasn't her landlord. She had bright pink hair and was dressed in black, from her leather jacket to her faded ripped jeans and boots.
"Uh, hi." The female greeted her politely, with an amiable smile.
Mariam stared at her dumbly.
"You must be Luke's neighbor." The girl continued, shifting awkwardly.
Mariam nodded.
"I'm Winona," the girl introduced herself. "I was uh, Luke's girlfriend."
Mariam blinked, suddenly recalling the incident several weeks ago. "You're the girl... from before."
Winona's face fell, her eyes averting to the ground. "Yeah..."
They stood there in awkward silence.
"Sorry." They both said in unison.
Mariam felt her cheeks redden, while Winona laughed softly.
"Awk. I was apologizing for our fight that other night," Winona explained.
"I uh, meant his s-stupid man jacket... He lent it to me in a... neighborly way." Mariam scratched her cheek, feeling guilty. "We're not even friends..."
"It's not your fault," Winona assured her. It came to Mariam's attention that Luke had said the same words to her before. "He's like that, you know? He might look intimidating at first, but Luke... He's a nice guy." Mariam can discern based on the congenial way Winona spoke about Luke that she still cares about him.
"Then what happened?" Mariam inquired, surprised at her bluntness. She let her curiosity get the better of her. "I mean, that night..." Winona sighed and ran a hand through her pink hair.
"I'm going through some personal issues I still need to get over, er... I let my temper get to me, I guess."
"Oh."
"Yeah..." Winona trailed off. "Oh, right. Before I forget, here." Fishing out a key from the pocket of her leather jacket, Winona handed it to her. Mariam held it with her palm up, hesitant. "Can you do me a favor and give this to Luke? I don't... Well, I don't really need it anymore."
Curling her fingers against the cool metal, Mariam brought her hand to her chest. Why couldn't she give this to him in person?
"I can't face him... Not now." Winona gave her a forced smile and turned to leave. "Thanks."
"He likes you a lot." Mariam didn't know what obligated her to say what she did. She didn't know Winona's situation with Luke. It's wasn't any of her business. She did know that Luke hadn't played his music for about a week after that night, and perhaps it was the melancholy in the other girl's eyes. "W-well, I think so."
Winona turned to give her a sad smile and walked away.
Mariam ignored the constricting sensation in her chest.
That night she had planned to slip the spare key underneath Luke's door. When she opened her door, she found Luke had returned and was already opening the door to his apartment. He gave her a curt nod in acknowledgment.
"W-wait!" Mariam stopped him from disappearing inside. Luke gave her an inquiring arch of his brow.
Walking over to him, Mariam gave Luke his spare key. He looked at it blankly before stiffly taking it from her, fisting it in his hand.
"Where did you-"
"Winona c-came by and..." She trailed off. He shut his eyes and sighed. "Yeah... Good... goodnight."
She hurried to her apartment.
"Mariam." She stopped suddenly and met his tired blue eyes. "Thanks."
She nodded and disappeared into her home. It was the first time she heard him say her name. He hadn't forgotten after all.
