Apathetic and Affectionate

7. A Silent Flight

The airport with its soaring ceilings and wide space contributed to the lonely silence in both Armondri's and Fay's hearts. The two of them sat next to each other as they waited for their airplane, Fay sitting at the end of the row on her wheelchair while Avery and Sophia sat on the opposite side behind them. The two sisters glared at the people who forced them to take the empty seats two rows away from Armondri, and they could only watch the back of Fay, and Armondri who had gone somewhere.

"Don't you think Fay is giving Armondri an awful lot of attention?" Avery said, staring at Fay who was silently crocheting.

"Really? I see it as the opposite, Fay looks annoyed whenever he's around her," Sophia replied.

"I wish I could talk to him more."

Sophia turned to Avery, grinning. "But I think it's interesting. I hardly ever see Fay make any other expression than her imitation of a rock with a drawn scowl."

The sisters stopped talking when they saw Armondri returning. They sighed with envy when they saw that he had brought food with him.

"I bought us sandwiches," Aromondri said as he sat down next to Fay. He held one out to Fay, waiting for her response.

Fay's repeated movements on her hook and yarn stopped. She glanced at the chicken sandwich in front and mentally sighed before she took it, ignoring the beaming smile on Armondri's face.

"The restaurant I got this from makes delicious food, I wanted to get their fried rice too but the sandwich looked good too. Plus," Armondri glanced at Fay, "I've rarely seen you eat rice. That first day I came here and ate with your family, you had the least amount of rice and even then you didn't eat all of it."

This time, it was Fay's turn to look at him. She lifted her head up in the same casual manner, but Fay was surprised. A little warmed even, because there had been no one else to be so attentive to her smallest habits as much as Armondri. Fay also immediately felt...something along with her confusion relating to the fact that Armondri was attentive, seeming to notice everything about her, and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. It all could be part of her mother's plan too, to hire someone who would know every small thing about her. Fay's heart turned back to the freezer. She hadn't forgotten Armondri, in the end, was still a man hired by her mother. And, Fay wondered about Armondri's next course of actions.

Armondri could tell as quickly as Fay's gratitude came it burned out swiftly and she went back to her aloofness. The boy sighed, both troubled and admiring the girl's stubborn iciness. However, as he admitted defeat and thought to spend the rest of the waiting time in silence while enjoying his sandwich, he heard Fay speak.

"I do like rice,"

Armondri looked back at Fay. She didn't return the gesture this time, focused on her crochet.

"I just don't have the appetite to eat them."

"Maybe a new environment will bring back your appetite," Armondri said.

"That's stupid."

"No it's not."

Fay gently scoffed as if she meant to roll her eyes instead. "Of course it is."

"How could it be?"

"Because it is—" Fay stopped, and she sighed out loud this time and looked away from Armondri's smiling face.

The next couple minutes were spent silently eating, Armondri patting himself on the back for choosing the sandwich. It was indeed delicious and satisfied most of his bored hunger. Soon, it was time for Fay and Armondri to board the airplane.