Epoch

VII

   Evelynn stood at Michael's door later that evening, balancing a plate of double fudge brownies in her left hand as she knocked. She felt a knot of excitement form in her gut as she waited, this time expecting to see Michael but when the door swung open she was greeted by a dark haired woman. It was easy to infer that this was Michael's mother, her long curls and big smile mirroring her son's. However, while his eyes were the color of rain clouds, her's were the color of honey and Evelynn couldn't help but stare at the beautiful woman.
   "Hi! You must be Evelynn, Mikey told me to expect a visitor. I'm Mariana." Mariana grinned at Evelynn, holding the door open for her to step in. She smiled shyly at Mariana as she took the plate out of her hands and set it on a counter identical to the one in Evelynn's kitchen. Mariana thanked her, explaining how brownies were her favorite, and Evelynn smiled in satisfaction.   
  Mariana gestured for her to take a seat on the other side of the counter and Evelynn obliged, looking around at the apartment. It was crowded with half empty boxes, things stacked and stuffed into corners, waiting to find their rightful place. The space was so empty and full at the same time.
   Evelynn felt something soft brush against her feet, and she looked down at the fat black cat from earlier, its soft meow breaking her train of thought. "That's Gerry, he acts like he wants attention but will only let Michael pet him for longer than two seconds," Mariana chuckled, leaning against the counter. Evelynn smiled with her and played with the hem of shirt, the awkwardness making her squirm. "So, um, does Michael happen to be around?" She asked quietly, her cheeks heating up. "He should be dressed, you could go check on him if you like. His room is the one at the end of the hall," Mariana nodded towards the hallway, picking up another brownie.
   Evelynn thanked her and stood up, taking her time as she worked her way to Michael's room. She noticed that on the wall by the bathroom a picture of Gerry was already up and she couldn't help but a laugh a little at that. Soon enough she came to the last door, and just stood there, hesitating to knock. She had never been in a boy's room and she didn't really know what to expect. She could hear the faint sound of music and Michael's muffled voice telling her to come in after she knocked.
   She opened the door and immediately noticed a cage in the corner of his room where she assumed his rat was living. His room was fairly empty, a couple articles of clothing and pairs of shoes scattered on the floor. She turned to see Michael searching a box, his back turned to her. "Hey," she said softly, causing him to jump a little. "Evelynn! Hey, sorry. I thought you were my mom. I was just trying to find the laser pointer. I thought you might want to play with Gerry." He let out a bashful laugh and stood up, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets. "So..." he said, "where's the dessert you promised?" Evelynn laughed, her shoulders relaxing. "The brownies are in the kitchen. You better snag one before your mom eats them all." Michael immediately started towards the kitchen, putting his hand on Evelynn's lower back for her to walk with him. "Thank God you brought brownies. I was starting to worry about that bundt cake."