Lockdown | Conor Mason

With This Awkward Smile

Right, so I love this wee man and want to write a story where he gets the love he really deserves. Is anybody reading fiction about Conor on Wattpad? If so drop a comment! Thanks for reading! 

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I didn't know what to do about the knock at my door.

We'd been in a lockdown for a week. People were wearing masks everywhere. Everything except grocery stores was closed. Nobody knew what was happening or what would happen next.

Fortunately I was used to working from home sometimes, so being home was still pretty ok. I was young, no kids, no elderly relatives to take care of. I was a little worried about my sister, who was already starting to lose it with her kids at home. I called her every day to check on her.

Plus, the view wasn't bad. It was never bad. Gazing out the window at the sea was always lovely and calming. I had lived near the sea most of my life, and often tuned it out. But just a few weeks ago I had moved into a flat that looked directly out on the Channel. I had started to hear the water again.

As I stared at the door uncertainly, the knock came again. I jumped up. I suppose I should answer it? I thought. Even though contact with people is sort of forbidden?

I fumbled with a mask, looping it around my ears - how could anybody wear these for lengths of time, I remember naively thinking.

Whoever this is better stay two meters away, I thought, as I turned the knob and swung the door open.

It was still sort of a shock to see other people in masks. So I don't think I looked very friendly as I regarded the man with thick tousled hair and a grey oversized t-shirt.

I noticed two things about him. One, that he wasn't a lot taller than me. I have to crane my neck up at a lot of people. But he was pleasantly closer to the ground.

And, two, that his mask said something on it. It said 'Nothing But Thieves.'

"Hello," he said awkwardly. I watched him start to reach out his hand to shake, then realize what he was doing and pull back. I smiled slightly beneath my mask. This was still so weird for us all.

"Hi," I responded. He shifted his weight from one foot to another.

"I'm Conor. I live next door."

"Yes," I replied, guarded. I'd passed him in the hall exactly twice since I'd moved in, and we'd nodded at each other.

"Well, welcome! I'm sorry I haven't stopped by sooner, to introduce myself, but well, you know..."

He gestured to our masks, grinning. Later I would realize that only a smile as brilliant as his could somehow shine through even beneath a mask. My face relaxed a little.

"It's ok," I replied. "It's nice here. You, um, been here long?" Why was I making small talk? I didn't want to stay and talk to him. I was worried about catching a fucking globally pandemic virus.

"Eh, not that long," he said vaguely, and I saw a cloud pass over his eyes. But as quickly as it came, it left. "Moved from London a few months ago. But I'm not home a lot, so..."

He ruffled a hand through his hair and cleared his throat.

"So um, yeah. I'm sort of...in a band and we're getting requests to do like, some music over Zoom. And I wanted to let you know that I'll be singing a little. It might get um, a little loud." He looked down, shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"I'll keep it to during the day, don't worry. And I brought you, um, this."

He pointed to the ground, where a brown paper bag sat to the side of the door. What a weird world we were living in, where people didn't even feel comfortable handing each other things. I looked up at him curiously.

"Just some things to say thank you and I'm sorry that you have to listen to my awful singing." He smiled again, sheepishly this time. How is it that I could already tell so easily when he was grinning?

I hesitated, then picked up the parcel. "Thanks," I said bluntly, unsure of what else to say.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, um...?"

I looked at him in confusion, then realized. "Amelia," I said. "Conor, right?"

"That's my name." He smiled again, and suddenly my stomach leaped.

"Yeah, well, nice to meet you, Amelia. See ya again." He lowered his head bashfully and started down the hall toward the lift.

A sudden thought hit me. I stepped into the corridor and called after him. "Conor?"

He whirled, surprised. "Yeah?"

"Is your band Nothing but Thieves?"

The grin again, and a bashful nod. "You know our tunes, then?"

"No, it just says that on your mask."

The words came out and I immediately wanted them back. Fucking hell, could I be any more of an ass?

"Ah," he said, and what I could see of his face went red. "Guess I ah, need to keep this big ego of mine in check."

Despite his embarrassed words, he seemed genuinely amused with himself. I allowed myself a small laugh, and his grin broadened.

"See ya around, then." And he was gone around the corner.

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