Lovers of Yesterday

Chapter 19 • Late Lunch or Early Dinner?

I finished unboxing the last of Lynch's dinnerware as he walked in. The box of stuff that went of the countertops was still sitting in front of the fridge. I pulled it over and opened it again, beginning to pull things out. I just set them on the counter so he could figure out where he wanted to place them. Once the box was empty, I set it in the pile of boxes. I turned to him to see him looking around.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted the boxes broken Don or not. And I left that stuff on the counter so you can decide where it goes. I don't want to put something somewhere and it end up being inconvenient," I explained, gesturing to the cabinet.

He nodded and looked at me, "Thank you for the help. It means a lot."

I pulled out my phone, reading the time. It's only three oh six. I had no clue if Liam was going to be coming back and didn't want to go back to my apartment yet.

"Do you have any food here yet? I could make you something," I offered.

He seemed surprised by my offer but nodded and led me over to the counter. He pulled open several cabinets to show what he had as well as what he had in the refrigerator. I thought for a minute before going with something simple: beef and rice with gravy.

I found the ingredients and pulled out pots to cook the meat and rice. My mind narrowed down on what I was working on so much so that I forgot about Lynch. I danced around the stove, circulating between stirring the meat, rice, and gravy. My tunnel vision only broadened when I spun and realized Lynch was watching me.

He was leaning on the wall next to the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. His face was neutral as he stared at me. Once he noticed that I realized I was caught and wasn't going to continue, he broke out into a slow smile. My neck and face heated and I spun around quickly to continue cooking the meat and rice.

"Don't stop on my behalf," I heard him say behind me.

I shrugged it off, "It's ok. It's probably rude anyway since you invited me into your home."

"I could care less. I'd rather my guests be comfortable than be a stickler 'bout what is proper," he sounded closer but I brushed it off.

I only nodded, focused on moving the meat off the hot burner and instinctively began moving to find plates. Lynch, who had come up behind me, was already there and pulling two plates out of the cabinet. I recoiled, equally confused and shocked. I don't know why but I was.

He set them out on the counter next to the stove and I began splitting the food between the plates. He didn't seem to notice how I reacted so I didn't bother to mention it. The less attention brought to my reactions, the better it is for me.

Once the pots were set in the sink to be washed later, I picked up both plates and turned only to come to the realization that he doesn't have a table or anywhere to sit for that matter. I looked up at him while still balancing the plates. He seemed to look around to as if also coming to the conclusion that we have nowhere to sit.

In the end, he moved to the now box-free wall and took the plates from my hands so I could sit down next to him. Once I was seated as comfortably as possible, I took my plate from him. He dug in first and I follwed suit. He scarfed down half of his plate in a matter of minutes while I was still working on a quarter.

"This is good. Thanks for the early dinner," he said as I swallowed my bite of food.

"Your late lunch? You're welcome. I just wanted to make you something since you probably haven't eaten in in a while," I took another bite.

He snorted and I looked up at him, "We've come to a disagreement. You call it a late lunch; I call it an early dinner."

I smiled, "I've always called it a late lunch. That's what I was raised with knowing."

"Same with me. It's always been an early dinner back home."

I faltered at the word 'home'. I don't know why that was my reaction. I know what a home is but I haven't had one in the past five years. It seems like such a faraway term now.

"Ryder?" Lynch's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Yes?" I replied.

"You ok? You blanked on me for a minute," he was turned so he could face me now.

I nodded, then amended, "You just reminded me that it's been a little while since I've visited family. I'll need to make plans soon."

"Alright," he finished his plate of food and stood up, "You can head home now if you would like. Thank you for the help, it means a lot."

I stood up with my empty plate and met him at the sink to rinse it off. He set his rinsed plate in the sink andoved off to the side so I could do the same. When I turned the water off and spun around, he was looking around his kitchen.

"Is something wrong?" He looked over at me when I asked.

"Oh, no. I was just trying to make a mental list of some things I can get."

"Ok, well, if you don't need my help anymore, I'm going to head back to my apartment. I need to work tomorrow."

"Yes, thank you again. You helped with unpacking some of these boxes so it'll help me in the long run."

I nodded and he escorted me to the door, telling me that he'd be at work as well. When he offered to walk with me to work, I said I'd think about it. It would be nice to have someone to walk to work with but with Liam's interests in mind, that person would preferably be a girl.

We said our goodbyes one last time and I trekked back to my apartment. I couldn't hear the TV when I reached the door and it didn't look like any lights were on. As I stepped inside, all was quiet. I set about preparing everything for tomorrow so I wouldn't have to worry about rushing.

My uniform was clean so I just folded it and set it on my dresser. I portioned out more spaghetti bake into a plastic tub and left it in the refrigerator. I refused to look at the TV and remains of my coffee table. If I did, I feared I would start crying again. When did I become such a baby?

I walked back to my room to grab a change of clothes so I could go ahead with a shower. In doing so, I caught sight of my face in the mirror. I froze, just staring for a long time. My face seemed abnormally thin and there was already a large dark bruise showing on my cheek. The concealer I had put on to try to hide it wasn't helping much anymore.

I didn't look like myself. There were bags under my eyes as well. If I don't want people asking about it, I'll need to remember to bring my concealer. I hurriedly gather my things and headed to the bathroom. While the water warmed, I peeled off my clothes and revealed the underwear that I had put on earlier. I blushed crimson realizing that I had completely forgotten I was wearing it.

I managed to tamp down my embarrassment as I repeatedly told myself that there was no way Lynch could have seen what I was wearing. He has no reason to. I have a boyfriend and he seems to respect those boundaries. One deep breath to calm myself down and I stepped under the warm spray of water.