Confinement Without Sin

Contemporary

I was outside. With someone keeping me company as they call it. Is it bad that the presence of the sun is blinding me? I haven't seen it in years.
"Are you alright?" She asked. I nodded my head as it was the only thing I could do.
"You've never been outside in a long time have you?"
Speak. Make a sound. Respond.
"You don't speak much." I looked down at her and noticed her face completely covered by her thick, blonde hair. She was disappointed.
"It's alright, I'm sure you'll get over it and become confident."
She said it with a smile on her face as if she had hope  for someone like me. We reached a place where I could see many people dining indoors; a café.
"I hope you don't mind eating around people." I stopped. Something was wrong with me. My only instinct was to hold her hand and tell her that I wanted to go home.
"It's fine if you don't want to, I'll cook something at your place if you'd like but we need to go shopping." She kept on suggesting ideas but it's clearly intended for me. I let go of her hand and proceeded to walk into a direction to where I could see a huge supermarket.
"Then shopping it is!" She hurried next to me and was suddenly in a good mood; and so was I. As expected, the place was a rush hour. I just so happened to follow her wherever she went and we finished up momentarily.
"We'll head over to your place as I don't have much installed in my home so far."
As we headed upstairs, the landlord was staring blankly at both doors with another man next to him.
"Good afternoon, what's going on here?" Grace asked.
"He's just taking a look at the place. You haven't put anything in there yet have you? Can he look around?" The landlord asked.
"Sure, I'll be with him." Grace replied. The landlord gave me a cold stare before allowing the man to enter Grace's apartment.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure he won't sell it off me." Grace smiled.
I entered my passcode to the door and opened it gently. The world must be thankful I am a clean man. Grace walked inside and placed the shopping on my counter; instead of getting straight to it, she began to wander around.
Do you like what you see?
"It's wonderful, I'd like to live in a house like this." For the first time in my life, someone was appreciative of my work. Grace turned around and clapped her hands; she headed towards the counter and began assembling the ingredients in a specific order.
"I won't tell you what I'll be making, it's a secret."
Since it was my home, I sat down on my couch and watched her do her thing.

Time had passed and I was practically ready to sleep. Of course I couldn't because there was a burning smell of something in my kitchen. I walked in to see that she was using a fire torch to grill pieces of meat.
"This is completely normal. It's what chefs do." She shrugged her shoulders and opened some windows. If it wasn't for an audience I would have killed myself for not having a voice.
"It's done so you can take a seat at the table." I followed my way out as Grace placed two plates in front of me to try. I can't remember the last time I ate cooked food from someone else, I almost forgotten how nice it tasted. I cut a small piece of steak and put it in my mouth and began to chew; Grace was staring at me intensely which made me choke on my food.
"Is it hot! Open your mouth, I'll blow it out!"
And of course I did whilst also trying to maintain my ongoing itch in my throat.
"I'll get you a drink!"
I grabbed her arm and swallowed the huge pieces of steak and took a deep breath out.
"I'm fine."
A voice. One I've forgotten about. It's come out and it was mine.
"Oh!?"
I was just as confused as she was but I tried to ask myself to remember that it was me who spoke just a second ago.
"So you could speak?" Somehow her face was not disappointed but joyful to hear such a sound emerge from my throat.
"It's not like I could.."
There it goes again. My voice. I could hear it in my mind and I had control to stop it.
"I understand. Perhaps it's because you've take yourself away from others so that it consumed you too much enough to rid you of your voice. It's happened to me before and I found it again." I noticed I was still holding her arm and let go.
"Can you say your name?" She asked me.
"My name? Samuel."
"And do you know mine?"
It was as if the smell around me had stopped the only voice I could hear was hers and mine. Her dazzling, soft eyes cushioned into mine as if she was a little girl with many curiosities.
"Grace." I spoke.
"Yeah, now you've got it. Tell me about the food."
I looked at the smoking steak on the plate and the creamy sauce that lay inside it.
"It's something that I've never tasted before, in a good way."
"That's good to hear. I'll pop next door to see if the man is done with his world tour of my place."
A loud cackle came from my throat as I quickly covered my mouth and stared at her blankly. She looked at me for a seconds and then began to laugh; well, I couldn't resist. She stood up, took her hair down and left my house. For my own safety and for hers, I stood by the door to find her facing the landlord.
"He's done with the place but I suggest you start piling up on your decor because he really fancied it."
"Please don't sell it out, I came here for a reason and I won't move just because of a man."
"Suit yourself." The landlord began to walk away, finding me that cold stare once again as he jogged down the stairs.
"Thank you for the food." I said.
"It's really not a problem but I may have to start asking you for help more often." Grace giggled.
"What for?" I asked.
"You heard the landlord, I have to start looking for things to place in my house."
"Ah, that." I wasn't so sure she'd listen to him but agree to disagree.
"I hope I'm not a bother."
"You're not."
Grace smiled softly as her soft cheeks began to shine bright pink.
"You've gone pink." Should I even be saying that?
"Yes I have. I've never met someone who is so beautiful and kind to me before."
I was confused with her sudden compliment and brought my hair forward.
"Do you mean my hair?!"
"It's true, it's the eyes as well." Grace said.
The moment was so clear that I thought I was an important part in this scene. I came back to my senses and realised what she said about not having any furniture.
"If you haven't got a place to sleep, you can always nest in my place?"
"It's alright, I have a sleeping bag with me." She smiled again.
"Is it comfortable?" I asked.
"I've had it with me for years, I'll be fine since we'll go shopping together tomorrow." Grace said.
I caught myself smiling again and processed the words she said to me.
"Tomorrow!"
"Yes, are you busy?"
"No, I'm not normally occupied with anything." I found that my responses have become more clear and fast; my voice was taking control of me.
"Then you can have a good rest of your afternoon then." Grace smiled.
"Yeah, you too."
She went back into her house and as did I until I was stopped by the landlord's gaze at me from down the stairs. What would you do in this situation? I'm going down.
"I'm sure you're aware that you haven't paid this month's rent, right?" The landlord asked.
For some annoying reason, my voice stopped again but I tried to push it out.
"You have two weeks to get it to me or it's gone."
There was something else about this man that caught my attention; was it perhaps his grey eyes or his silky black hair? It's probably both.
"I have the payment with me but you're aware that I always pay at the very end of the month and it's never been a problem." I spoke.
"So the mute can speak." He said. "Then do it your way."
He turned around and walked back into his office and closed the lights. Something was definitely wrong; for all the six years I've spent in this place, he's never asked me let alone talk to me about anything. Who cares? I don't.

As he said it, my house did need some furniture because now I feel alone and empty. I enjoyed my experience today with Samuel. It was the first time someone had payed attention to my actions, despite the fact that he tried to throw away the flowers but I'll keep my promise of giving it back to him when it's fully grown. The blue light from the street outside were glimmering brightly against my window, which had not yet been concealed with a curtain. At least I had a light with me which could make me sleep. There goes my alarm. I tapped my phone off and sat up on the cold, hard floor. It was already noon and I forgot about my request to Samuel.
I got up as soon as possible and washed my face and got dressed; as I left my house, Samuel was standing in front of it with his hand up ready to knock.
"Were you waiting here this whole time?" I asked.
"I just came out now actually. You didn't exactly set out a time for us to go out so I thought now was a good time?"
I sighed and kicked my feet inside my heels; I noticed the landlord's office was open these days and it was my first time seeing other people apart from us. My mind must've been caught with the idea that there are others who live in this building as well.
"Will you be able to walk in those?" Samuel asked. I looked towards my heels and looked back up at him.
"It's just about the only shoes I have right now." I said, sheepishly.
"If you get uncomfortable, my shoes won't fit." He began to walk downstairs but it seemed like he was trying to clear out what he had just said. While I was walking down, I caught the eye of the landlord and quickly turned away; those eyes of his are so secretive.
"I told you you'd be slower." Called Samuel.
"I was just lost in thought!" I hurried downstairs and stopped by his side. We both paused for a moment but Samuel was looking at the landlord.
"Do you want to hold my hand?" He asked.
I was shocked by his question but I couldn't refuse so I slipped my hand into his and he started to walk.
"Why the sudden urge?" I asked.
"I don't know." He let go of my hand slowly and dusted his hands on his trousers. I knew what was going on, he's jealous.
"Is it to do with the landlord?"
"I assure you, I have no relationship with that man, let alone know him." He replied quickly.
"You're just walking but you don't know where we're going first." I said.
"Are we taking the transport?" He asked.
"Well, I wouldn't want to have to walk there in heels won't I?"
"Then I will carry you if you get tired."