Your Voice(please, I want to hear it again.) || TOMMYINNIT

11:

- Welp, this is it. - Nana mumbled to Tommy as she took off her shoes, her words almost sounding as if she were speaking to herself after finally moving into a new flat.

Nevertheless, Nana's little flat certainly did not have much as it was built for one person. Though, Tommy found her little place to be quite homey.

It was a studio flat. Surprisingly, Nana's little flat didn't have carpet floors but oak hardwood instead & her bed was pushed into a corner of the large room near the front door to the left. The bed's sheets were covered by two large red blankets & Tommy could also see a few pillows pushed into a corner.

Man, she really likes blankets, huh.

What was most notable to Tommy had been the small kitchen area placed at the far end of the flat in front of him.

A bowl or two lay in the sink as next to them, on the counter were neatly placed whisks, spatulas, spoons, plates, forks & many different types of knives.

A rectangular cutting board stood against the wall on the black counter, smudged with what looked like frosting. Piping bags with cookie cutters had been scattered near the far end of the counter. To top it all off, on a chair near what Tommy assumed to be Nana's desk laid an open spiral notebook. He squinted, seeing measurements written down & near the notebook, there was an unbuttoned white... coat? He could tell it was some sort of uniform, but that was the extent of Tommy's assumption.

On her desk too were a few plants & two of them seemed to be doing well while the other three were... dying. Tommy could see a few more flowers sprouting. He could also see polaroid pictures of what he assumed to be her friends. One he recognised. The girl with bright pinkish or red hair.

On the floor, there were a few canvases. The first two paintings were of scenery but done rather sloppily. Tommy couldn't see any visible paintbrushes, so he assumed they were either in her drawers, or Nana used other supplies.

The other looked... a little potent, but not powerful in a good way. It was rather violent.

Nana's walls didn't have that much on them, only a white floral wallpaper covering them & a poster about a film Tommy hadn't heard of.

- I don't usually have guests over all that much since I'm generally the guest, so I'm sorry for the mess. I tried to clean up in the morning before work.

Mess? What mess? Her entire kitchen counter had been cleaner than Tommy's desk

- By the way, I prepared some slippers for you. They are near the shoe rack. You can choose which ones you want.

Indeed, there were slippers. They had a light grey interior with either bright pink, yellow or blue decorating the outlines. Tommy chose the blue ones, matching them along with his blue jeans.

- Were you baking something here again?

- I tried making the milk bread Ela keeps talking about, but I didn't have enough time yesterday since I had some homework left I needed to finish.

- Well then, let's do it now! We have time. - Tommy exclaimed, rolling up his hoodie's sleeves as if getting himself ready.

Nana hadn't been expecting to bake today at all. However, she hadn't been against the idea now that Tommy had brought it up.

- Sure! I'm pretty sure I have everything I need for the bread.

...

- Oh my god, how do you do this? - Tommy asked as he watched Nana effortlessly slap a piece of dough onto the counter. - This almost feels like a fucking workout.

- That's artisan baking for you. - Nana responded, slapping the piece of dough again. - Just a bunch of arm workouts and long waits. Slap it around if you want to since we will be kneading this for the next ten minutes or so unless it becomes elastic enough.

Tommy attentively watched how Nana's hands moved in such swift motions - grasping, turning the dough around & sometimes just tenderly beating the air out of it.

Unknowingly, Tommy's hands had begun mimicking Nana's movements, yet struggling to keep up with their speed.

- So like, - Tommy struck his fist down onto the dough, - this?

- Oh my- nO! If you're going to beat it, then at least be gentle.

Tommy paused for a moment, trying to process Nana's words.

"If you're going to beat it, then at least be gentle." It's a beating. How can you be gentle with it?

- See, you're getting the hang of it! Just add a little more flour to the counter.

- You really had me come over to your place just beat some dough.

- You're the one who suggested this!

- And you could've disaGREED.

Nana laughed, hair that was tucked behind her ears falling back onto her forehead & eyes.

- We installed the baking mod into Minecraft, and it was just hALIRIOU-

...

- How about we try making croissants next time?

- Absolutely nOT.

- Well, why not? I've always wanted to know how they're made, and now I have you to teach me, but you're telling me nO?

Nana's hands had stopped moving in the dough before the girl exaggerated her distraught over such a question, remembering things she's seen back in school that no one else should've witnessed.

- I have- I have seen things, Tommy. I don't think you'd want to endure the experiences I had to go through.

Nana's feet twisted in place, her muscles jolting as Nana's lower body suddenly lost the strength it once held just mere seconds ago.

- Gosh, are you okay?! - Tommy exclaimed, letting out a breathy laugh. - Was it that bad?

Her heart hammered itself in her chest, the sound of it beating through her body. The air had been somewhere lost in her lungs. She couldn't breathe.

Nana shakily stood back up, supporting herself with the counter, trying to regain her lost balance & clear her unfocused vision.

- It was. - Nana blurted out, the drama in her tone convulsing.

- Oh my, I feel like you should go sit down. - Tommy responded, the concern in his mind finally reaching his voice.

Nana pushed the hair out her face with her forearm, continuing to knead the dough as if she hadn't almost collapsed a second ago:
- I'm fine. Don't worry, mate. I just don't really like croissants that much anymore.

- You sure? I mean, you almost just-

- Tommy, I said I'm fine.

The laughter in her voice had disappeared, seemingly vanishing into thin air.

The only thing Tommy could now hear was the sounds of cars driving by, splashing puddles on the sidewalk as the rain dropped down bit by bit. Though, he also listened to the melody of his heartbeat.

The weather had been grey like it was any other day. Nothing had been out of the ordinary besides rain during the nearing winter season.

- You know you don't have to keep beating the dough like that.

- But it's fun! - Tommy exclaimed.