Through Your Eyes

Chapter 6: Reese

It seemed a little too awkward to ask my most pressing questions last night, so I mostly focused on getting Valarie to open up to me a bit more. Convincing her to let me share the bed was a big win, so I felt quite accomplished regardless.

I slept super well that night too since her bed was far softer than any I'd slept in so far on Earth. The only reason I woke up in the morning was from her alarm at 8 AM. I grumbled softly before slipping out of the bed and following her out of the room.

"Sorry I woke you."

I yawned before answering, "Don't worry about it. I actually slept fairly well."

She nodded softly before entering the bathroom to get ready. I took the opportunity to show off some of my cooking skills. While I didn't have much experience making human meals, I often cooked for my family back home while my parents were off at work. I'd tend to my hellish gardens and use whatever happened to grow in them to make some interesting meals, at least by human standards.

From my time already spent here on Earth, I had a general sense of what humans ate. I rummaged through her fridge and pulled out some eggs and vegetables to make some omelets. By the time I finished cooking, Valarie re emerged from the bathroom to start her day.

Her face lit up a bit when she saw the omlet waiting for her on the counter. "Oh! You didn't have to... but thank you."

"You're very welcome!" I flashed a bright smile back.

Each little thing I did for her would eventually add up so I could convince her to help me. Making a few meals here and there was the perfect way to start. We moved over to the table and ate our breakfast together.

"So what are you doing at work today?" I asked.

"More of the same. Just patrolling the city for a bit. Are you actually gonna go out today too?"

I quickly took a bite to allow myself more time to think. Of course I already planned my day out: I would memorize the path back to this apartment, then go out and rob a few stores. Maybe I'd even go around and terrorize a few humans too. But I obviously couldn't tell Valarie that, so I had to come up with some excuse to leave. I thought for just a moment before it came to me. Her fridge seemed relatively empty other than the few items I used for breakfast, so I could 'go grocery shopping' today.

"I noticed your fridge is looking a little barren, so I thought it might be nice to get some groceries. I don't really have a way to get back in though..." I let my voice trail off at the end and stared up at her expectantly, hinting for her to give me access to her apartment. It would be rude to ask directly.

She thought for a moment before setting her fork down. "Hm, I think I might have something. I'll be right back."

She went to her room and searched around for a bit before coming back out with a small key dangling between two fingers. She swung it around a few times before dropping it in the palm of my hand.

"I actually have a second key to this apartment."

I stared down at the jagged piece of metal in my hand and flipped it over a few times to examine its pattern. The entire key was covered in sunflowers, making it very bright and cheery. On each side the word "LOVE" was written in large, white cursive letters. I quirked an eyebrow, wondering if my soulmate had a previous lover.

She noticed my expression and quickly shot down any theories. "Oh sorry about the weird design on it. That used to be... well, my sister's."

"Neat. Thanks for giving it to me," I said with little care for its origins. "I'll make sure to keep it safe."

I twirled the key around my index finger before sticking it snugly in my pocket. Today was already shaping up to be quite productive. I secured an easy way into the apartment and learned that—for whatever reason—her sister was gone. The less people in her life, the better for me, so I was in a surprisingly good mood by the time I left the apartment.

Valarie already left for work earlier, so now I could do my job too. I calmly strolled through the city, shooting glares at anyone who dared to get too close to me. I searched my surroundings for a good store to rob, finally spotting one after about half an hour. I opened the bag I stole from the apartment and snuck in.

I promised to go grocery shopping, but never mentioned paying for any of it.

To blend in better I casually grabbed all my groceries like anyone else would, purposefully going out of my way to grab more expensive options. I meticulously snuck around the cash registers and then just casually walked out. I didn't grab anything special and knew from experience the alarms wouldn't go off. Humans made everything too easy. It's like they wanted to be robbed.

Still, this wasn't enough to really warrant me accomplishing much, so I secured the bag on my shoulder and started crossing the busy city street. Usually jaywalking wasn't considered a major crime, but on crowded streets with hundreds of cars speeding through the city, I almost always caused an accident while doing so.

Sure enough, as a few cars sped towards me, the drivers were forced to slam on their brakes and swerve to the side. I didn't stay to see if it caused an actual accident, but all the vulgar shouting gave a good indication of what happened. I chuckled softly and slipped into a small alleyway to avoid being followed.

I nonchalantly kicked over some trash cans on my way back to the apartment just to be a nuisance, never getting caught in the process. After dropping off the groceries inside, I left again to continue my perfect day of crime.