The Loving Silence

Chapter 36

Arlo was confounded, his eyes unable to turn away from the woman standing there in the doorway. The person whom had looked like a middle-aged woman, or older still, at first glance, turned out to be a very attractive and fairly young woman. Younger than she had seemed to be, at least.
It was no wonder he'd thought her to be older. Her strained, confining hairstyle and the stuffy, matronly way she was dressed would have suited a woman over sixty living half a century ago. The whole ensemble truly aged her.
He glanced over at Rick and he stood there frozen, his face blank as if he was still piecing things together. Arlo couldn't wait for him to snap out of it. If they didn't say something soon, she would surely slam the door on them, and rightfully so.
"I am sorry to intrude. This is Rick and my name is Arlo. We are looking for our... friend." He cleared his voice, "He is the landlord here. His name is Rue and he is supposed to be living in this apartment."

A feeling of dread bubbled up inside of him as he said the words, "He does still live here, doesn't he?"

The woman blinked and then smiled warmly. "You're friends of Rue? He does indeed still live here, though I am afraid he is not here right now. Why don't you two come in and I'll make you a cup of tea? He wouldn't want me to make any friends of his stand on ceremony like this."

Rick blinked and smiled, a little amazed by how just hearing about Rue made him feel calmer. "He wouldn't, you're right."

Arlo exhaled, relieved that Rick had recovered and glad that he would not need to do this alone. He followed her in and Rick soon followed.
He was still nervous about being in Rue's home. Not just after what happened last time, but because he liked it so much. Being there in his space felt oddly comforting. Safe. Warm. And also a little exciting. He wouldn't want to leave. "We happily accept."

As they took off their shoes in the entrance and looked up, they were met with an array of art supplies, paint, paintings and even building tools and a drill. Both men looked at each other and smiled.

Rick felt a little bit odd being in his best friend's apartment when he wasn't there. Not because he felt intrusive. It was more that his absence from his own home felt like a threat that he would not return. It made Rick anxious and he felt lonely being there without him.
While there were art supplies all over the place, it didn't feel to him like Rue had been there recently. It didn't matter to him if others assured him that he had. His gut told him otherwise.
The more he thought about it, the more he panicked. His breath hitched and the stinging sensation, as if claws were wrapping around his heart, quickly intensified. Something wasn't right and he knew it. It wasn't just that he missed his friend terribly. He knew Rue would not disappear. Not without a reason.

The woman went behind the counter and fetched a couple of mugs. A beautiful young woman, to be sure, albeit an unconventional beauty, was now standing in his friend's apartment. Not just that, she was comfortable enough to be opening the door and inviting people in on Rue's behalf.
It felt almost as if the Universe was gloating as it was showing him yet another thing that he did not know about his friend. Did he not know him as well as he thought he did? Were they not as close as he thought they were?
No, it would do him no good to think like that. Yet... He thought he was the one person who could always get a read on Rue. The person who was the closest to him. And this woman's presence before him made it painfully obvious that that was not the case.
Who was she and what did she want with Rue?

Rick had had to work hard for Rue to let him into his world. It took years before he began to trust him enough to feel safe with him. In the beginning, it always felt as if Rue had one foot out the door. He had to be so cautious around him so that he wouldn't scare him away. It was somewhat similar to someone trying to gain the trust of a wild animal.
He took pride in the fact that he had managed to get to know Rue, managed to enter his world. Therefore he could not help but wonder if this woman had had to struggle in the same manner. Had she also had to gain his trust over time, or was she different somehow? Was she special?