happy endings are for fairy tales // kiani au

NINE: JORDAN

2 march 2016

i knock.

at first, nobody replies, or even seems to be home. maybe it's the wrong time, i think before turning back. but then the door swings open.

"yes?" it's a young female voice.

her eyes catch me first. i'd seen that colour before, when i was gazing at a large grass field at the peak of dawn. they're the exact same: green, radiant and beautiful. they're perfected with long lashes and a line of eyeliner.

"oh hey, does will live here?" i ask, walking back to the front of the door.

she subtly heaves a sigh of relief, as if a tight rope around her body had been loosened. she disappears into the warmly lit home and murmurs echo around the hallway before will appears in her place.

"hello..?" he half questions, half demands, "what's going on?"

"can i come in?" i give my best smile, my you-won't-be-able-to-reject-this-face smile.

"um.. sure," he gives in. again, the smile proves triumph over everyone.

i follow him into the house. it has a happy vibe, but with a tinge of suspicion and confusion tingling the air. like the sweet taste of wine with a pinch of sourness.

the rooms are painted different colours for each room. it's fascinating, and i start to wonder what's will's deal is. as if there's something more to his basic black ripped jeans, someone underneath that tight dimply smile. it never occurred to me that he was someone, with a complex past and future, with a web of connections and jokes and events. he was always just there, like a piece of furniture in our chemistry class. not this.

will leads me through the living room (creamy white), passing by the bedroom (baby blue) to the kitchen (sandy yellow). i take the seat opposite him on the dining table. it's cold; nobody's sat here in a while.

"ok, now that you're comfortable.." he gives me a tired smile, resting his head in his hands, "please enlighten me. what's going on?"

i'm just about to open my mouth when the green-eyed girl enters. i follow the grass-coloured jades surrounding her pupils from me then to will.

"i'm going to bed, ok?" she says. i notice her australian accent saturating her speech.

will mutters an agreement and she turns to me one last time, nodding and dismissing herself.

"a.. sister?" i ask out of sheer curiosity. i thought will was the kind of guy to live with his parents until he was kicked out.

he chokes a little on the water he's holding, "do we look similar at all?"

one look and i realise will's eyes are hazel brown. whoops, "then.. a roommate?"

"getting closer," he says.

"a friend?" I suggest a little impatiently now, but in a playful way.

"close enough," he shrugs and takes another sip. he puts the cup back down and says quietly, "my girlfriend."

girlfriend? will kiingtong having a girlfriend? the thought had never crossed my mind, and even if it did, i always thought it was a figment of my imagination, not reality. i always just assumed he was single. in my mind, that's what he was. single. quiet. reserved. untouched.

"oh.." i try to cover up my surprise, but then again, since young, i've found it hard to hide my emotions from forming on my face, "what's her name?"

his smile falters a little, "does it matter?"

"come on, we're neighbours now, right?" i give him that smile again.