As soon as they arrived back at the house, Derek ushered Adette into the living room and demanded she stay put. So, a rather bewildered Adette sat in the lounge with a book while Derek disappeared to the kitchen.
A good hour later, Derek returned looking dishevelled and frustrated. When she gave him a questioning look, he just crooked a finger.
She followed him into the kitchen and looked around. Though it was obvious he’d made an effort to clean up, the kitchen was still pretty messy. There were two plates on the table that held some sort of food that appeared only half-edible.
“I tried to cook for you,” he offered feebly.
Adette stared for a moment; then, burst into laughter and hugged him tightly.
“What?” he grumbled defensively.
“Oh, you’re just so lovely.”
He blushed and looked at the burnt food, frowning.
“Maybe we should get some Chinese.”
“Agreed,” she giggled.
As they walked to the Chinese takeout down the road, Derek was burningly conscious of how close Adette was walking to him. Her hand kept brushing his, and it was driving him crazy.
Adette handled the communication with the lady running the shop. Derek knew he wouldn’t have the same patience Adette appeared to; the foreign woman clearly struggled to speak English.
After their order had finally been established, Derek and Adette sat in awkward silence and waited. Though neither said anything, they both knew the other was racking their brains for a conversation starter.
“You’re pretty patient,” Derek commented eventually.
“Me? Patient? Where did you get that from?” she laughed.
“I would’ve got annoyed with that chick a lot quicker.”
“She’s trying her best, it must be very difficult to live in a country where few speak your language,” she said gently.
“See? You’ve got all that compassion and shit. It’s almost freaky.”
Adette smiled and rolled her eyes, but didn’t reply.
“Order one,” the Asian lady announced, setting a plastic bag on the counter. Adette paid the lady, took the bag and exited the store with Derek in tow.
“It’s been years since I’ve had Chinese, I don’t even remember if I like it,” she admitted eventually.
“Same here, actually. I guess this’ll be an adventure for both of us.”
Adette giggled. “Yup.”
Once they got home, they quietly settled down at the dinner table and started eating.
“This isn’t so bad,” Adette observed.
“Eh, I’ve definitely had worse.”
Adette suddenly looked up, grinning.
“What’s the worst meal you’ve ever had, crackhead?”
Derek groaned. “Don’t make me think of that, I’m eating.”
“Come on! Spill the beans.”
Derek eyed her for a long moment before reluctantly saying, “One time when I was really low I fished a mouldy sandwich out of a dumpster.”
“Ouch!” Adette laughed. “How long did that give you food poisoning for?”
“Three days.”
“For real?!”
“Unfortunately.”
“Must’ve been even worse having food poisoning and living on the streets.”
“I think that’s why it lasted for so long.”
They both finished their meal and went into the lounge. They talked many hours into the night.
“I think I should probably let you rest,” Adette smiled.
“No- well, you should rest, yes, but first, there’s one last thing I want to give to you.”
Adette looked puzzled and opened her mouth to question him, but he lightly placed a finger on her lips.
“Shh. Wait here.”
So, she waited. He returned holding a guitar. A million questions filled her brain, but she kept quiet and watched him as he nervously sat down across from her, looking her in the eye. He cleared his throat and began to sing.
“Shadowed faces, they turn a blind eye
None of them want to see the man ruining his life
No kindness, everything is so cold
Everything you owned but the clothes on your back has been sold
Before you saved me, I was a goner
You picked me up, dusted me off, believed in me like no one before
She ain’t got wings or a halo
So nobody sees the beauty inside of her but me
She is my hero, she is my sign
So no matter what I do for her
What she did for me will always be way more
She’s crazy, but she’s smart
Mysterious, a work of art
Beautiful, inside and out
And when it comes to her, I can’t go without
Because she is my new addiction
She is my angel.”
Adette stared, mesmerized, as his fingers easily found their place, playing the strings with what seemed like no effort at all. His voice was what shocked her most; he had the most beautiful voice, she couldn’t even breathe while he sang to her.
When his song ended, she looked up at him, and for a moment, their eyes met and for the first time, they both felt something unlike anything they’d felt before. Adette got up abruptly.
“Thank you. Thank you so much, Derek, but… I think I should go to bed now, it’s late,” she flashed him a smile and then ran from the room.
