Reckless. [TMNT 2012]

29. Christmas; Casey

Song: Silver Bells - Lady Antebellum

The next day, I spend the entire morning scrubbing the house. It hasn't been cleaned since my father was around, and that is evident by the numerous dust bunnies that fall out of the most peculiar places. I vacuum every nook and scrub every cranny. Cupboards and countertops get rags to them until they sparkle, and the pillows on the couches get fluffed until they resemble marshmallows. Many coughing fits later, the house has never looked better.

   In addition to cleaning, I also cook. It isn't anything extravagant; it's just one of my dad's spaghetti recipes that I found in a cabinet while rearranging the fine china. My inner desire to please my guest takes me over, so I follow the instructions to a T. I make some cheese bread to go with it, though that is made from my imagination and I'll probably end up throwing it away. However, it makes the table look full.

   At noon, I find myself pacing back and forth around the kitchen. My heart skips beats with excitement as I wait on Evelyn to arrive. After five minutes of these repetitive actions, I'm finally about to give up and assume she isn't coming. Before I can even finish that thought, however, the doorbell rings.

   I speed over to the door and skid to a halt, my socks nearly making me slip. I hastily fix my hair and inhale deeply. Once my racing heart calms down, I open the door.

   Evelyn stands in front of me, her cheeks a rosy red from the winter air. She doesn't have much on to protect her from the freezing temperatures outside; she just wears a beige trench coat. She gives me a white smile as her blue gaze meets mine.

   "Hi," she says quietly.

   "Hey," I reply with a tiny smirk. I have to play it cool- showing too much emotion is going to make me look like an imbecile. There's only one chance for me to fix everything between us, and I don't want to ruin it.

   I quickly step out of the way. "Come in," I invite.

   "Thank you." Evelyn slips inside. As I shut the door behind her, she removes her coat and seems unphased by the chilly air. When she places her coat on a coat hanger, I recognize a familiar charm dangling from her neck.

   "You're wearing the snowflake necklace," I point out.

   Evelyn gives me a weird look and laughs lightly. "Well, yes. That's normally what you do with jewelry," she responds as she removes her snowy boots.

   "Right," I fluster, feeling my face grow a bit hot. I better not start a trend of saying stupid things.

   I recover from my stumble and head for the kitchen. "I made some food," I announce, self-conscious of the way I talk. Does she think I'm weird for speaking the way I do? Or am I just overthinking things now?

   Evelyn follows me down the hallway. As she arrives in the kitchen, she raises her eyebrows in surprise at the food spread out on the dining table. "Wow," she comments, impressed. "You can cook?"

   I scratch the back of my head. "Uh, not exactly," I confess as I sit down at the table. "It was my first time."

   "So you're telling me that it might be tainted?" Evelyn asks as she takes a seat across from me. She does not offer smile to show she's joking, but I've known her long enough to become aware of her attempts at humor.

   "Possibly," I reply with an undisguised smirk. "I'll let you try it first. If you survive, then I'll dig in."

   Evelyn's lips curl into a tiny smile as she scoops some of the noodles onto her plate. It's strange to see her amused. She is always so stiff and polite, only doing what she has to in order to be nice. Her smile is a pleasant change of pace.