Shatter Me

Bradley's P. O. V.

After Eoin leaves I sort through my wardrobe, looking for something presentable I could wear to Colin's. I finally settle on a plain black t-shirt and faded jeans. I run a comb through my hair and then head out the door, waving my hand in the air for a taxi. One pulls over and I step in.

"Where to?" the driver asks.

"118A Hillcrest Avenue," I answer. I watch the city go by as we meander through pedestrians and car holdups. I can see the frost curl from peoples' lips as they walk in the brisk winter air. For some reason, a strange feeling of melancholy settles over my and I sigh. I'm so deep in my thoughts that I don't notice when we stop.

"We're here," the driver says, not unkindly. I hand him a few crumpled dollars and step outside into the cold. In front of me are some concrete stairs leading to a deep red colored door. I take a deep breath and slowly climb the steps, trying to mentally prepare myself before knocking on the door. There's a long silence and I'm about to knock again when the door opens and Colin is there. He looks drastically different than he did at the restaurant. For one, he's dressed in a dress shirt and jeans, not the uniform for La Mesa Rotunda. For another, he looks considerably calmer than he had at the restaurant. His eyes lingered on my face a bit before he spoke.

"You're here," he states. I nod, not sure what else to say. He opens the door a little wider, a clear invitation, and I step across the threshold. There's a distinct smell of spaghetti sauce cooking, with just a hint of something else, something oddly familiar. Before I have time to try and figure out what the other smell is, Colin offers a hand.

"May I take your coat?" he asks. It seems so natural to be around him that I find myself handing him my coat and hat, and stepping farther into the living room.

"You have a lovely home," I say, turning to face him. Suddenly I see Colin differently. He appears a bit younger, with shorter hair. He's dressed in baggy cotton clothes; a red shirt, brown pants, and a blue handkerchief tied around his neck. I blink and he's back to normal. My eyes widen.

"What is it?" Colin frowns.

"N-nothing. Sorry. You just looked...never mind," I stammer. Colin looks at me strangely, but then shrugs. I sigh, relieved.

"Well I guess I should show you around," Colin suggests. I look at him.

"Oh. Yeah. Sure," I agree and follow him into the kitchen.

"So this is a thing called a kitchen that I have, it's where I cook food," he says. I frown.

"I know what a kitchen is-" I break off. "You were joking," I notice. He grins.

"How perceptive of you." Then he leads me into a bedroom. "This would be your bedroom. That is, if you decide to live here. And that's the bathroom," he gestures toward a door adjacent to the bedroom. "That room at the end of the hall is my room, and you've already seen the living room." I nod.

"I like it," I say.

"So you'll accept then? You would be paying half the rent, of course, but I can manage the rest," Colin's words fall out in a jumble. I try not to laugh.

"Yeah. Yes. I think I'll be staying," I reply. Colin's face breaks into a grin.

"Great! I'm making some spaghetti if you want some...?" Colin's voice trails off and he looks at me with a vacancy in his eyes. I frown.

"Colin?" I say. Nothing. "Colin!" At this his eyes refocus.

"What? Oh, sorry. I just was...remembering something. Was that a yes then? To the food?" He asks.

"Um, sure," I manage, unwilling to let the incident go. Colin leads me back to the kitchen and shuts the stove off, stirring the noodles and the sauce a bit before getting out some plates and silverware. And then there it is again; Colin, but not Colin. This time he's wearing chain mail with a red cape and a golden emblem of a dragon on the chest. We're standing in trees, sunlight filtering through. Colin's face is twisted into a smirk. He's holding a sword, but he looks awkward with it, like he's not sure how to use it. A wave of dizziness consumes me and I fall to my knees. Suddenly Colin's concerned face is in front of mine. I'm back in his kitchen.

"Bradley? Are you alright?" he asks. I take a ragged breath.

"Did I know you? Before we met two days ago?" I ask the question before thinking it through. A pained look crosses Colin's face.

"Uh. No. No we just met," he says, but I have a feeling he's hiding something. I shake it off. No, I'm just being paranoid. How could we have met before? My mind wanders back to when I thought Eoin had had a black Maserati and suddenly I'm sure something is wrong with me. Behind my eyes a splitting headache erupts. "You sure you're okay?" Colin inquires as I get to my feet. I try for a smile.

"Yeah. Peachy," I answer. "Just a dizzy spell. That's all. Ready to eat?" Colin's gaze lingers inquisitively for a bit longer before he turns away.

"Sure. Here," he says and hands me a plate of spaghetti.

I leave in a hurry after that, assuring Colin that I'll be back in a day or so with my stuff. As I walk out the door, I glance back and see Colin gazing after me, lost in thought.