Hearts In Hiding (Also called Rooming with Rosalyn)

Chapter Nine- Sympathize And Empathize

We fell into a routine in a few days. We alternatively cooked lunch and dinner and cleaned the house once a week. It had been two weeks since the fire had occurred and Kayden had been trying to find a new place but it was the middle of the year, so there weren't empty flats available.
After two days, he had offered to move onto his friend's couch so I took pity on him and offered to let him stay with me till he could find a place and he had agreed after being convinced that it wasn't a bother for me.
One thing I had figured out easily was that Kayden was obsessed with cleaning and being organized. I had a habit of throwing my bag and clothes wherever there was space, but the guy was always picking up things and putting them in their supposedly "correct" places.
It was exasperating sometimes, but usually it was fine because it saved me from the effort of cleaning. He also hadn't figured out until now that I wasn't sleeping in some hidden room, but was in fact, sleeping on the couch.

From the past week, I had something on my mind that I needed to ask him, but had been holding it in until today. It was a Sunday, so we sat in the living room with me on my laptop and him on his phone. I finally decided to get it off my chest and keeping my laptop beside me, turned to him and spoke, "I've got something to ask you." He looked at me and nodded questioningly.

I spoke again, "Okay, not to rub salt into any wounds, but I am genuinely curious, how did your flat catch fire?" He looked slightly embarrassed at my question and turned away saying, "I'd rather not talk about it." 

Maybe I should've dropped it, but sue me, I was really curious. I was also concerned if I needed to take any precautions to prevent the same from happening to me and decided to prod him till he told me, "Come on. Please tell me. I promise I'll sympathize and empathize and all other words ending with -ize. Just tell me." 

He shook his head, "No."

Oh, well. I had been polite until now, but if he was moving onto one worded refusals,I wasn't gonna back out anytime soon either.

"Tell me."

"No."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Tell me"

"No! Why do you even want to know?"

I rolled my eyes, " I don't know, maybe so that if it was caused by some problem of the building, I'll have to take precautions or speak to the landlord to avoid it happening to me?"

"Oh." Then clearing his throat, he turned away and spoke again, "There's no need to worry. It wasn't due to any problem of the house." 

I still wasn't convinced, especially because he was avoiding eye contact. So I said, "Look me in the eye and tell me that. Then I might believe you." 

He turned to look at me and I was slightly surprised to see that his face had taken on a reddish tint. If that wasn't suspicious, I don't know what was. I gave him my best poker face, along with narrowed eyes until he looked distinctly uncomfortable, before I spoke again, "Just tell me how it happened."

He raised his eyes towards the heavens as if asking for help before turning back to me and saying, "I left something on the stove and forgot about it, okay? The fire started there and progressed." 

As he spoke, he looked extremely flustered and I voiced this to him, "Okay, you seem way too flustered for it to be just that. Also, as far as I've observed, you aren't that careless about things. So, I'm gonna ask one last time. What. Happened.?"

He definitely blushed this time, covering his face with his hands and speaking, "Fine. I'll tell you. But you gotta promise not to laugh."

I gave him an amused look, " I'll try my best."

He took a deep breath before speaking, "I put something on the stove to cook while I waited for a….. friend. After my um, friend came we both got distracted, I guess. Next thing I know, after she leaves, I go to grab a drink only to see my kitchen covered in flames. There was a door in front of it, so we hadn't realized that a fire had spread. I quickly ran out and called the fire brigade, and the rest is history."

He had told me the how, but there were still a few loopholes, "Wait, wait, wait. What were you and your friend doing, that you were too distracted to notice a goddamn fire?"

He was definitely flustered now, "We were doing um, things. Very…..distracting things."

"What do you mean very distr-" and then it clicked, "Oh. Oh my god."

I looked at him, "Tell me what I'm thinking is not what it was." A smile threatened to break free as he fiddled with the sleeves of his hoodie, "Depends on what you think it was?"

The smile came out, "You, had a girl or guy over. You were doing things, that is intimate things or something along those lines, and forgot about the food. Am I right?"

He had given up all tries to avoid it now and covered his face as he flushed a bright red and a muffled sound that sounded suspiciously like a 'yes' came out of his mouth.

I couldn't hold it back anymore and started cackling like a maniac. After a few minutes, I stopped and asked him, "So.."

He uncovered one eye and I continued, "Does this mean.." As I trailed off once again he seemed to pick up something from my expression because he groaned, "Please don't say whatever you're going to say. I don't think I'm gonna like it."

I ignored him and continued, "Does this mean that.."

"Please, no."

"You had.."

"Stop."

"A fiery hookup?"

He groaned, " Oh God. Save me."

I, however, was far from done and continued, "Do you give her a smouldering look? Was there so much passion that it felt that you would burst into flames? Was there fiery passion and you clashed like fire and ice?And finally, did she get you so hot and bothered that you felt your surroundings would simultaneously combust?" 

By the time I was done, I was howling like a hyena with laughter, while Kayden was holding his head on his hands, as even he let out a few chuckles.

As I paused to catch my breath, he asked, "I think you need a dictionary."

Still panting as I tried to regain my breath, I asked, "What for?"

He shook his head in humour, " You need to see the definitions of empathy and sympathy, because that is definitely not how you empathize or sympathize or any words ending with -ize."

I gave him a grin and said, "You do. You humourize." And burst out laughing once again.