What If

5. Red 23

The delicious aroma of food woke me from a deep sleep. I groaned as I rolled over in my bed, stretching out my arms and legs.

Lydia. She must be cooking. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and grabbed my cell phone to see what time it was. 2:37pm. Right on time. I refused to acknowledge the date. I wasn't ready to deal with that just yet. Or ever. 

A few minutes later, I was finally out of the bed and walked to my bathroom to do my morning routine. When I wiped my face with a towel, I tried not to notice the dark circles under my eyes. I didn't sleep well. At all. I've been having this recurring nightmare ever since they died. Alcohol didn't make it better. Sleeping pills didn't make it better. Nothing made it better.

I left the bathroom and headed towards the kitchen. Lydia had her back to me while she was mixing sauce on the stove. From what I could hear, it sounded like she was humming. I took a seat at the breakfast bar. "Morning."

She jumped and nearly dropped the pan. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

She smiled and let out a nervous laugh. "It's okay. You're actually right on time."

"For?"

"Lunch!"

It was very thoughtful of her to cook. And surprising. "You didn't have to do that."

She turned her back and fiddled with something on the stove. "It's no trouble. It's the least I could do."

As she put the noodles, sauce, and chicken on serving plates, I habitually started massaging my neck with my hand. Maybe I should see a chiropractor or something. 

"You alright?" she asked.

I dropped my hand and shrugged off her question. "Didn't sleep well."

"Well, maybe this will help." She finished making me a plate and set it in front of me.

It smelled fucking delicious. I loved chicken Alfredo. I still couldn't believe that she made this for me. Besides my parents, no one's ever done something this nice for me before. It was refreshing. "Thank you," I said as I took a bite. "Wow, this is amazing."

The corners of her mouth lifted in a satisfied smile. I could tell this meant a lot to her. "I'm glad you like it."

After a few minutes, I wiped my mouth with my napkin and took a drink of my water. "Were you able to get some clothes today?"

She met my gaze before looking back to her plate. "Yes. Thank you again. I promise to pay you back."

I had no intention of taking money from her, but I had a feeling if I pushed the matter, she would return the items or not allow me to help her further. "Okay, sounds good." 

She seemed surprised at my response, but also had a pleasant expression on her face. "I have a confession to make."

"What's that?" I asked absently, enjoying the food too much as I took a few more bites.

"I kind of...Googled you."

My eyes met hers for a moment before they dropped back down to my food. "And?"

"I'm sorry. I felt bad afterwards. I just don't know you and I guess I was trying to make sure you weren't some kind of serial killer."

I chuckled at that. "Lydia, if I was a serial killer, I don't think it would be online unless I've been arrested."

She frowned and her brows formed a deep V. "That's true, I guess."

"So, what did you learn about me?" God only knew what was on the internet.