Stuck In Quarantine

7.

James started to slowly awake from his sleep. Opening up his eyes slowly, and focusing them at the white ceiling above. He sat himself up, and reached for his phone. Turning it on, and checking the time, it was 5:00pm. As he began to climb out of bed. Couching, and clearing his throat, from sleep. He didn't realize his feet were all tangled in his bed sheet. His took a step, and feel straight on his face. He hit the ground hard, but luckily he was able to brace himself with his right shoulder.
He laid on the floor for a moment. Feeling stupid over what just happened. He shook his head at himself and laughed, as he slowly climbed back to his feet, he picked up the book from the floor. And laced it back into the bookshelf. And at that moment.
He heard a knock at his front door. And then another, and then another, all in auxin succession. He made his way to the door, still wiping the sleep from his eyes. And as soon as he opened it, he got quite a shock.

"I just watched the entire show!" Celeste exclaimed with excitement. Standing in his front entrance way, holding the laptop in her arms.

"Whoa?! What about social distancing?!" James replied back with shock.

"Nevermind that!" She said, as she pushed through him to get inside.

"Please come in.." He said dryly.

"That was so good! Fucked! But good!" The excitement poured out of Celeste's voice. "He's gay and married two guys! At the same time?! The one guy shoots himself, Carol killed her husband and fed him to her tigers! Like only in America! Am I right?!"

James just stood dumbfounded, looking at Celeste standing in the middle of his kitchen. She was speaking a million miles a minute about the show. And James was still trying to wake up and process it all. While she kept talking, he walked to his sink, grabbed a glass and got himself some water. Drinking it back, like he hadn't had a drop in weeks.

"Like I can't believe I never heard about this Tiger King, until you told me about it?! And I'm on social media lots! Well not all the time, just with this whole quarantine thing!" Celeste continued on. "And now he's in jail, but he's going to turn on everyone he's done business with, just to save his own ass?! Because he tried to kill Carol! Or allegedly he tried!"

James leaned up against the counter, and just watched her. He had never seen anyone get so excited over a show before. He thought it was cute. But everytime he tried to speak, Celeste would cut him off. She wanted to talk about every detail of the show.

"Wait! Spongebob, I have one question?" James finally spoke. Holding the bridge of his nose, and taking a deep breath.

"Yeah what's that?!" She replied, out of breath.

"Why are you here? Social distancing? Quarantine? We can't be around each other..."

Celeste looked at him puzzled for a minute. He had finally got her to stop talking. She stood there and thought for a moment. James could see the wheels in her mind were turning.

"Well... We're both young and fit! And the virus is only really dangerous to elderly! Or so I've read?" She finally spoke.

"That's your argument?! We young, so it's okay? So much for following rules, eh?" James dryly asked her.

"Oh fuck the rules! I can't stand being alone anymore! I need human interaction!"

"Weren't we doing that, with our hallways talks?!"

"Yeah kinda... But it wasn't good enough!" She exclaimed. "I need to be around people! I'm a people person!"

"That's your excuse....?" James asked dryly.

She looked at James for second, and then looked around the room. She was surprised in how much they apartments were alike. She wondered if the rest of them were the same. But then she remembered James's question. And she looked like a child that had been caught doing something they shouldn't have.

"Um yeah...?" She shyly replied.

James put his head down and shook it. He breathed a loud sigh, and then walked to his fridge. Opened the top freezer and pulled out a package of steaks. There was two full size steaks in one package. He threw them in to the sink. He plugged the sink and began pouring hot water over them to defrost them. He looked back at Celeste, who was just standing there, hugging his laptop and looking at him like she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Well since our "quarantine rules" are already broken... Want to join me for dinner?" He asked her.

She looked confused to his request, tilting her head slightly to the left. Before finally saying.

"Yes. That would be very nice."