Unravel // Van McCann

13. Opening Up

I was dreading going home. It was my stop so I got off, dragging my feet. Perhaps I should eat dinner? No, I've eaten out too much this week. I have to go home and cook. I took the stairs up, the long way 'round and next thing I knew, I was at my door. I curled my hand into a fist and knocked on the door. I could hear soft footsteps and a pause. She was undoubtedly looking through the peephole to see who it was. Well if she's still here, that means she hasn't been spotted yet. That's a relief. She unlocked the door and opened it.

"You're home early," she observed.

"Yeah, he left earlier than expected," I replied, bending over to take my boots off one by one. As I went to put them away, I noticed she had organized my shoes. They were neatly tucked away. She noticed I was confused so she quickly explained.

"I did some cleaning...."

I walked further into my flat. Everywhere I looked, everything was tidied up. Was I that much of a slob? I walked past my room not daring to look inside because my room was by far the messiest. But a quick glance at the bathroom, you could see everything was arranged neatly. I made it to the kitchen and saw she had made dinner. I thought she grabbed takeaway but she had made dinner! My attention went to the tiny living space and I saw she organized that space as well. My CD and vinyl collection was neatly stacked since I haven't properly bought furniture to store them away and my blanket was neatly folded, ready for my second night on the couch. Oh hell no, I'm sleeping on the floor. I was honestly at a loss for words. I wasn't expecting her to tidy up my flat nor cook.

"Thank you..." I trailed off.

"I hope that's okay. I didn't throw anything out," she said quickly. "Are you hungry? I'm just about done."

She walked back to the kitchen to chop the parsley she had abandoned when I knocked on the door. I joined her in the kitchen and saw she had made chicken Alfredo pasta. I swear to God I didn't even have half those ingredients. She must've went to the store.

Feeling completely useless, I began grabbing napkins and forks to set the table. The table I had wasn't big per se because my apartment is small but I hoped she was okay with the face-to-face interaction to come. I definitely wanted to hear what she's been up to all day.

She grabbed two plates from the cupboard as if she's been living here her whole life and put a healthy serving of pasta onto each plate. She sprinkled cracked black pepper on and added some parsley for garnish before bringing them to the table.

"D'ya want something to drink?" I asked. "I've got wine, beer, tea, and water. I'm not big on fizzy drinks so I haven't got one of those."

"I'll just have water," she responded.

I got her a glass of water and poured myself a healthy measure of wine. There was always something about pasta and wine, plus I've had a rough day and needed to unwind. I brought the drinks over to the table and sat down.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Although she was sat across from me, she refused to look me in the eye. Her eyes were downcast, watching her fork as she wrapped pasta around it. I guess she's not used to interacting with people. Ada could talk but she couldn't see. She could stay hidden with Ada, but with me, she had nowhere to hide. I cleared my throat which caused her to jump.

"This is delicious," I complimented.

She looked up and once she saw I was staring right at her, she quickly looked back down, her dark hair falling in her face. She made no attempt to move her hair. I've never talked to someone so shy before. I found it intriguing. A part of me said to stop. Stop trying to get her to talk if she doesn't want to. But my curiosity and stubbornness got the better of me.