Shhh..... I can hear you

Voice 3

Silence drowned them. Both of them couldn't sum up the courage to speak to each other after what recently happened. Josiah paced around his room, a bottle of water that his mother left in his room before she left for the groceries grasped in his hand, squeezing it ever so often when he felt slight discomfort.

Tiwa was left in confusion with what happened to her new neighbour. She sat on his bed, thinking about what might of just happened while trying .  A panic attack? Psychological misfire? Hard-core drugs? She could never know unless she asked.

"So... if it-" she was interrupted by the young boy.

"You were going to ask what happened. Weren't you?" Josiah stopped walking and turn to face the young girl as she gave a strong face and nodded.

"And why would you want to know, hm?" his voice quiet but full of demand.

"Because-" he interrupted her again, his previous awkwardness masked by fear of thoughts and serious emotions.

"Because you are worried? Because you are scared of what you saw?" he continued, looking at her with his sunken hollow dark eyes.

"Yes." she answered level-headed. "Is it too much to ask?"

The young boy started to laugh, or of what is supposed to be a laugh. A hoarse, dry sound echoed in the room and filled her ears, suprising Tiwa.

He stepped forward and knelt in front of her and looked into her eyes, furrowing his eyebrows. From the close proximity, she can see his under eyebags were more prominent and deep.

"You don't know me." he simply said, quiet again.

"And yet you speak to me. And accepted my help." she responded in similar volume.

"Well thanks for your help. If that's what you want to hear." he concludes.

"Wait."

"What is it now?" he asked one more time.

"Please just listen. I will be patient but if you step on the wrong tile, I will lose that patience and it will end badly." She sternly speaks with her eyes full of seriousness.

Josiah hardly ever took lightly on that calm 'threat' but he didn't want to pour his problems to the strange he just met less than hour previous.

"Now is not the right time... I think it's better if you leave." He paused, "Please?"

Tiwa looked at him and for a second she wanted to retaliate. But the look in his eye reflected his tired face and she realized that it was her queue to leave.

"I'll take my leave. Uhm... goodbye then." She waved awkwardly from he bedroom door, disappearing from the room. Her footsteps could be heard and the front door opened and closed with a following silence.

"Son? Are you there?" His dad's voice ring from the ground floor. He stands onto his feet and shuffle to the edge of the stairs, slightly looking aver to look at his father.

Pushing the glasses behind, his dad had a worried look on his face.

"Is everything alright? I heard the front door and I thought you decided to go out. You know what your mother and I discussed about with you." His father's worried voice vibrating upwards to him.

"It's nothing to worry about dad. The new neighbour brought some baked goods and then I had a slight.... problem," slurring the word to less emphasise it, "and she helped me."

His dad's eyes widen. He could hardly ever think of a time that his son opened their front door, let alone go allow from the help of a stranger.

"Wait, something happened?" His voice quickened.

"No dad, I'm fine now." Josiah assured him with a slight  crooked smile.

At times like these, he had to trust in his son and believe that he is alright, despite all his doubts and concerns.

--

Laying in bed, Josiah had his hands cross across his chest, watching them go up and down as he inhaled and exhaled. The encounter he had with the girl was still buzzing in his brain. She had the balls to enter a stranger's house. What an invade of privacy. But still, she was too daring. It made him wince at the thought. Another headache shot right through his brain and he yelped in pain. We flung himself forward and fell onto the hard floor of his room.

Rolling around on the ground, reaching for something to cling unto until the pain subsided, he grasped the curtain that he was able to reach and fling it wide open, welcoming the luminious moonlight.

The headache didn't stop. They didn't falter a bit. Tears spew out of hids tear ducts, rolling down the epidermis of the skin. He felt lost. In pain. Distressed. Tired. It was a heartache and breaking sight to see.

A strong grip was felt around the shoulders of the young boy. In terror, he turned in fright, thinking of the worst but soon calming down when he saw sincerity in her eyes. Tiwa put her finger to her lips to signal the boy to not make a sound and pointed to the window that was now wide open.

He nodded, still confused though on how she get into his room. Tiwa had her handds wrapped around his head now, cupping his ears, protecting them. After a while in the same position, the shrieking terror had subsided.

He breathed in sharply and turned to the girl who was now plonked on his disarranged bed. She had a black shirt that read 'Adidas' across it and plaid pajamas. Her hair was hidden under her black bonnet and her she had black, rectangle-rimmed glasses.

Her eyebrows dipped in a 'm' shape with an intense stare.

"How did you get in here?" he outbursts, sucking in his hollow cheek.

"Wow, not even a thank you. Yeah, you're welcome." she sassily fires back with an eyeroll.

"Sorry...." he voice trails quietly, "thank you."

"See? Wasn't that hard was it? I now know you have basic mannerism." she retorted with a heavy amount of sarcasm.

"Seriously though, how did you get in?" he asked one last time.

She pointed. "The window."