The Look Of Knowledge

14. And I'll Be There

Julian

I was so fucking nervous, I changed my clothes as fast as I could. Why did I say half an hour?

"Guys, my other shoe? Any ideas?" I asked leaving my room as I waved the one I found. They were playing some sci-fi videogame but they were kind enough to turn their heads off the screen.

"In the kitchen" said Fab.

"In the ki...?" I sighed and went to look for it there. Why did nothing make sense in our apartment? Don't ask, nobody knows.

"Are you going out?" Albert asked from the living room.

"Yeah, I'm.." Is that my shoe under the oven? Fuck this "I'm going to Mika's"

I sat on the floor to put my shoes on. Cold as fuck. I don't know why we never bought furniture. Like a proper table or maybe a chair? No.

"Hey can I go?!" Fab asked but Albert whispered something to him.

"Really dude? That's awesome, say hi from us" Nick added.

"Are you guys staying in tonite?" I asked grabbing my jacket from the rack by the door.

"Probably, yes" Nikolai said.

"Nah, dude! Drew's coming over later so we're definitely going out" Fab stated. "All of us brothers" he added with a creepy smile putting his arms around Albert and Niko who were sitting by his side on the couch.

"Right.. Ok, let me know" I said making my way to the kitchen counter to grab a box of cigarettes and my phone.

"Yes, honey, we'll text you" Albert replied and I headed out the door.

•••

I arrived. It was a nice house, you know, Parisian like. I spotted her smoking on the window from where, I supposed, was her room. She was sitting on the frame with her boots hanging. They were the same she was wearing the day I met her.

From the angle I was watching her it looked like the smoke she was blowing from her mouth was coming out of her knee. I thought it was funny until she looked down and found me staring creepily. Ok, man, go hide under a rock and never come out.

"Julian?" She kinda yelled.

"Yeah. Hey" I waved awkwardly. I mean, it wasn't supposed to be awkward, it was actually a pretty firm wave, but usually every time I do it, it comes out that way.

"Did you ring?" She asked flicking the fag to the street.

"Uh.. Yeah" I lied.

"Oh, sorry.. I'll be right down" she got inside and closed the window. Then I walked to the door and waited for her to open up.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to the left, where I found Mika standing.

"Hey" She smiled, probably because of my confused expression.

"Where did you.. came from?" I asked looking at the front door again to check if my eyes weren't fooling me.

"The garden" she said heading back there, me following behind. She made me go through a weird gathering of bushes.

"What are you, a magical little creature that, like, appears and reappears in gardens and that sort of mysterious stuff?" I joked looking around, there were a lot of trees. The grass was really tall, it looked kind of like of local jungle. I liked it.

"No," she laughed moving a few branches that covered a blue door and then opened it. "I'm just a silly girl who's lost the only set of keys to her own house" I entered behind her.

"You should have seen the face of the delivery guy earlier when I popped out of nowhere. Hi-lar-ious" she added closing the door behind me.

"Hey" I said extending my hand to her. "I'm Julian, and you are?" She looked at me squinting her eyes.

"What are you doing, dude?" She asked still confused but sort of smiling.

"Um, I'm starting fresh?" I explained. I kinda felt a desperate need of knowing her, this little woman, girl, mystical creature or whatever she was, who had me wandering everything about the silliest stuff.

"That's so lame" she laughed but still shook my hand. I noticed hers was, like, cold and damp. I looked at her and she turned quickly, letting go of my hand. "You want a beer or something?" She asked entering a dark room.

"Sure.." I followed her again as she turned on the light of what I discovered was the kitchen. "Home alone?"

"Yeah," she opened the refrigerator and handed me two bottles of beer. "You already ate right? Cause I ate everything..."

"You did?" I laughed sitting on a chair as she did the same but on the kitchen table. My eyes landed on her baggy pants, military green and full of pockets, and her boots still full of mud from the festival. She looked like a hot soldier and I thought I would totally join her army if she fought beside me.

"Yeah, you made me nervous, so I kinda ate everything" Wait, did she just say I make her nervous?

"I make you nervous?" I asked completely serious, no teasing at all.

"Yeah, dude. I find it hard to tell what you're thinking, and I noticed you do that a lot" she took one of the bottles I placed next to her on the table and took a long sip. "You know, you kinda stare into space and don't reply. Like you're looking for a deeper meaning in people's words... or maybe you're all like 'hey, this dude's boring or an idiot, I'm just gonna pretend I'm listening', you know what I mean?"

I laughed at the final part of her hypothesis. But I knew she was right, I've been told that several times. That I think too much. But then again she didn't say it like that. She just pointed out that I think a lot, but not that I shouldn't do it.

"I have moments.." I started but had to take a sip of my beer before I continued. "I have moments when I listen, and others I'm really just pretending. It's like people usually think I have a perfect ear and a shitload of great advices for them"

"Well, people want someone who takes the time to be there. It's not like we really take their advices, do we? Maybe you do have a perfect ear, who knows..." She said and we stayed silent for almost a minute, sipping our beers and not looking at each other.
We were both thinking though, I don't know what she was thinking about but I had her words spinning around in my head.

"Anyways..." She exhaled. "Can I ask a question?"

"You just did" I joked but felt stupid right I said it, no need to point my embarrasment out "Just kidding, sorry" I chuckled. After a few seconds her face lightened preciously and smiled.

"Right, okay... I'll just ask you" she said hiding a lock of her messy hair behind her ear. "Is it possible that I'm liking you so much even though we just met?"

My first thought was: 'Is it possible that you exist even though you look like nothing I've ever seen before?'