Control | Moon Knight

10

Knock knock knock

" Morning, love."

Steven hands Cleo a cup of coffee as they exit the building together. He opens the door for her, letting Cleo walk out first. She thanks him, and then slides her hand into his, instantly making him smile They walk down the busy streets hand in hand, taking turns making each other laugh, all the way to the grand steps of Steven's job and Cleo's former.

" Thank you for walking me," Steven smiles, " I-I  could pay for your fare back home... if you'd like."

" I'll be alright," Cleo says as she sips her coffee, " I think I'm going to head to the library today," Steven nods, " But, if you would like someone to walk you home... just give me a call."

Steven can't help but grin at her words. Hands still locked, he brings her hand up and gives it a quick kiss.

" See you later, love."

Their routine goes on for a little over a week. A knock on the door, a cup off coffee, a beautiful stroll, and a gentle kiss on the hand Steven always makes sure that the coffee is at the perfect temperature before he gives it to her. Not too hot, but not too cold. He wakes up earlier than he has to in order to get it, but he's more than happy to do so. And every morning in his voicemails to his mother, he adds more details with each day that passes.

Until one day.

One day, Steven doesn't show up at all.

No knock, no coffee, no stroll, and no kiss.

And yet, the next day, Steven knocks on the door and acts like nothing had happened at all.

" Morning, love."

Cleo wearily accepts the coffee. Her smile says she's fine, but her eyes tell a different story. Her brain does its best to figure why Steven would skip one day out of the blue, but ultimately decides to drop it. After all, it was just one day.

But then, a week later, it happens again. This time, Steven disappears for two days.

Day one, Cleo brushes it off. No big deal.

Day two, she begins to panic.

She gives him a call, but it goes straight to voicemail. She tries again, and gets the voicemail once more. Then, she walks down the stairs to his floor and knocks on his door. Maybe his mental health has gone down hill today. She waits patiently in the hall for a few minutes, and nothing happens. Absolute silence on the other side of the door. Nobody answers, nobody moves. Perhaps the flat is empty. Cleo lets out a puff of air as her mind travels down a dark path, thinking about how amusingly easy it is to pick a lock, but scratching from above draws her attention else where. Cleo makes it back up to her flat and opens the door. She sees freshly scratch marks along the edge of the wood, then turns her head to glare and Ana who sits perched on the arm rest of her chair.

She takes the hint. She grabs a scooper and a plastic bag and kneels in front of Ana's now full litter box. She combs through the litter into order to clean it. The litter is beige in color, and as it descends into the bag, it oddly reminds Cleo of the sands of Egypt. With each scoop her mind recalls more and more memories of the sand and how much she misses it. It reminds her of her longing to go back.

As she finishes with the litter box, Cleo throws the bag into the bin. She grabs her phone from the kitchen counter and dials a number she was truly hoping she never would.

" I knew you'd come around, habibati."

" I'd like to set some ground rules," Cleo states, not wanting to deal with his smugness.