Where The Shadows Rise

~ Chapter 3: Friends? ~

I placed the mixing spoons on the counter and walked towards the front door.

Usually when I'm nervous I tend to caress the area under my neck but above my chest, where my locket sits. So instead of caressing my skin, I would caress the locket.

Slowly walking up to the front door I noticed a few heads. I walked behind my dad's back to take a peek as to who it is at the door when I noticed something...

I noticed someone, my heartbeat started to race, I wanted to head back to the kitchen but my dad got a hold of me. "Oh and this here is my daughter", my dad introduced as he pulled me to the front of him.

I didn't pay attention to anyone else other than him. He gave me a half-smile as his hair shined like a star under the moonlight. I couldn't think about anything else other than the fact that he was the person looking out of the window the first day. He is the person who lives next door to me, he is the person I was so curious about.

It was none other than the guy who I bumped into and who tried to comfort me in that wretched moment. I could hear my dad and the mom and dad of him talk to each, who I suppose are his parents.

"Oh, we thought we would welcome you in so we brought you some homemade tuna casserole", said the lady as she faced me.

"May I just say she does cook a good casserole, and there is a great aroma coming from your house", said the man smiling wide.

My dad replied, "Oh yeah, My son and daughter are cooking up quite a meal" he then called Mikey over. Mikey stood next to dad and greeted the family. The family was made up of five. Two babies, a mother, father and him.

"You know what, how about you guys come in and have dinner with us! I think we have enough food to feed all of our bellies", my dad said in a jolly tone.

"Well we would be delighted to but wouldn't it be a hassle?", the lady asked.

"Oh no, not at all! Please come in", dad replied while stretching his arm out while opening the door fully.

"Dad you go and settle them in", Mikey stated as he walked towards me. My heart was still beating fast, I didn't want this, I didn't want any of this... I saw him walk through the door and smile at Mikey. I closed the door behind him and pulled Mikey to the side.

My heart racing I explained to Mikey that was him. The guy who tried to comfort me when I was a total wreck. "Hey, if he does anything weird just let me know, okay? I've got your back", Mikey replied with confidence.

I nodded and headed back to the kitchen. It took around 15 minutes to get everything ready. Mikey began to set up the dinner table while I placed the food in nice dishes. Mikey then called in the family to the dining room to start eating.

I was known to host any sort of party or dinner as I would be a great waitress. I did have a job as a waitress in this 4-star restaurant in New York, so I assume that's where I get that talent from.

Mikey got everything ready while I stepped into the dining area taking a deep breath in. I calmed myself and tried not to think about anything that happened earlier. My mind was clear, it was set to a blank canvas. A canvas that could be painted in colour but was painted in darkness, though darkness that was hidden in a layer of colorful paint.

The description that explains the fake smile put on top of a depressed soul, a soul known as me... I stepped into the room and smiled a little.

"Hi, it's great to have you here!", I said as I avoided making eye contact with that boy. "Now, Mike and I have prepared a three-course dinner tonight, we weren't planning on having guests but I guess we will have enough for everybody. Now, I hope none of you are vegetarians..", I paused for and answer but everyone shook their head, well everyone excluding the adorable, drooling babies.

"Well, that's good. So today we have potato sliders for starters. It's basically stuffed potato with oregano, bits of meat, cheese, tomato, and some spices. Then we have Chicken Lasagne for the main course, with lovely tuna casserole made by this lovely lady sitting there", I pointed towards the lady that was sitting across from an empty chair next to dad.

"And lastly for dessert, well how about we keep that one a secret!", I smile widely and walk back into the kitchen.