Raelyn's world is black and white. Shades of gray and dark shadows lurking in her dreams. She only ever sees the color blue. Blue in the eyes of her sick little brother. Blue in her own eyes staring back at her from the mirror. Blue in the sadness o...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Raes finger is turning a deep shade of red, twirled tightly inside a strand of her hair she's been curling around it for a while. She's bouncing her foot anxiously, and so fast the movement makes the small kitchen table wobble. It's a big deal, is the thing, asking - or more so, telling - Angelique she would like to bring Louis by the dark room.
"Lovey." Angelique breaks Rae from her nerves, gently halting her bouncing leg with a hand on her knee. "Why are you so nervous about this?"
Finally uncurling her finger from her hair, Rae simply just shrugs.
"D'you think I'll say no? Or is it just because it's Louis?"
"It's just," Rae begins quietly. "He's just...I've never brought anyone to it. It's my safe haven, y'know? It's a part of me. Personal, almost sacred to me, and bringing Louis is-"
"Allowing him into your heart?" Angelique inputs with a small smile.
Rae fixes her with an unimpressed stare. "I'm ignoring that comment."
Her friend laughs, and pats Rae's knee with the hand still on it. "You know you don't have to ask to bring anyone to the room, Raelyn. It's been yours for years now."
"Maybe, but it's still in your home."
Angelique stands to get the kettle that's been brewing their tea since before Rae showed up. Rae watches her go about the kitchen, making the tea to their own liking and pulling out the homemade pastries she brought over. She gets settled again, serving Rae the tea and pastry before speaking again.
"I'm leaving for Thailand tomorrow, anyway." She reminds Rae, "I'll be gone for three weeks as you know. You're welcomed to invite whoever you'd like. Just as long as they don't steal my clown mask."
"Babe," Rae says seriously, "no one wants to steal that."
A crumpled up napkin hits Rae square on the forehead and lands in her mug. She mumbles inappropriate things as she carefully fishes it out.
"Listen, Rae. You've got to stop over thinking, yeah? Just let him in. You've been doing it since you've met him. This isn't any different."
Rae remains silent, just sipping her tea cautiously, thinking. Despite her friend's advice.
***
It's a Saturday afternoon when Rae pushes open the heavy doors of a small loft after unlocking them. She looks back at Louis, jerking her head for him to follow her.
"Angelique lives here," Rae explains quietly, "I check up on it once in a while when she travels, just to make sure everything's good and nobody's broken in. Plus, she lets me use her Dark Room. Well, it started out as hers, ended up as mine basically."
Louis nods in wonder, slowly taking in the loft. The walls are covered in paintings and photographs, ranging from abstract and cute to haunting and dark. Small sculptures line tables and the dark wooden bookshelf in the corner. Fairy lights wrap around the railing above of what Louis assumes would be her friends room- or rather open place to sleep. The loft faintly smells of cinnamon and something else Louis can't quite put his finger on; oil paint probably.
