"So what do you think?" Craig asked with the air of a showman, gesturing around him. "Ta da."
I shrugged. "It's nice."
"Nice?" Craig said incredulously. "It cost me a bomb."
"Very nice." I corrected. He gave me a look. "It's certainly better than the storefront of Noah's." I said finally.
He rolled his eyes. "You're impossible." he said, grabbing my hand. "Come on," he pulled me towards one of the rooms on the far side. I dragged my feet a little, glancing around at the living room skeptically.
"This is my room," he said, throwing open the door. Craig had spent the best part of two months decorating the flat but I hadn't seen it yet. I eyed the room, wondering how he'd managed to make it messy already.
"What the fuck is on your walls?" I asked, gesturing to the horrible green walls.
"Um, paint." Craig said, frowning.
"It's looks like someone shit diarrhoea everywhere." I said, laughing.
"It's Lime Green actually." he said, giving me a little shove. "And if you don't like it, then stay out..." he glanced around, his eyes fixing on the wall paint. "It reminds me of nature."
"Yeah, if nature spent a hundred years smoking fifty a day." I scoffed. "What did they do to get you to buy that paint? Offer you free doughnuts?"
He shrugged, grinning. "Stop bullying my room. C'mon, I'll show you yours."
I rolled my eyes. "If the walls look like shit I'm going to be really mad." I joked, following him to the room directly opposite.
"Ta da!" he said, throwing open the door and letting me go in first.
The walls were thankfully a shade of white, the furniture neat and modern, and (best of all) the bed looked really comfortable. I turned to him, hesitated for just a moment, then threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly.
He grunted. "Chill, I think you're breaking my ribs."
I loosened my grip and then let go of him. "Thank you, Craig." I said, turning and throwing myself at the bed. I bounced on impact, rolled over and collapsed onto my back. He came over and sat on the edge of the bed. "It's great."
"I told you it was." he replied, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, well..." I hesitated. "I don't know, I guess I didn't really believe it. I'm not used to relying on people."
"Well, as long as you don't piss me off, this flat is as much yours as it is mine." he shoved me over and laid back on the other half of the double bed. "So... you like it?" he asked eventually.
"Yeah." I said. "It's maybe a bit posh for me though."
"Well, sorry, I'm not used to slumming it." Craig replied.
"Mm hmm." I replied. When Craig's dad had kicked him out a year ago, he'd ended up sharing Noah's shopfront with me, despite the shop having long ago closed down. Since he'd turned eighteen, he'd been working on getting an apartment, and quickly decided that I should move in with him. It had taken him a long time to get any of his inheritance off his dad, who'd disowned Craig after he proposed to Arvy. At first I was cautious, but Craig's easygoing nature provided me with friendship like I'd never experienced before.
"Where do you want to go for dinner?" he asked. I shrugged.
"Maybe we could just stay in tonight?" I suggested. "Watch a film or something. It's been so long since I've watched TV."
YOU ARE READING
Noah
General Fiction"You can't rely on other people's kindness in this world. It don't exist." Normal people are like oblivious little ants, just working their way around, carry food, part of a bigger picture. People are so bland and mundane, each of them trying to be...
