isolation [matty healy]

pt. 13: reaction

stepping into the neighbor's house for the first time was so strange.

i didn't know what i was expecting, but any discomfort i may have initially felt being in a new environment disappeared when i saw just how cozy and inviting the home was.
in all the rooms downstairs, including the kitchen, the walls were painted a soft off-white color, and all the wooden furniture was uniformly the same shade of dark brown. everything felt warm.

most of the walls were covered in different pieces of art, and not too many family photos. i could tell matty had just used some kind of cleaning spray as we walked into the kitchen, but i didn't mind. it definitely didn't smell like 2 dudes had been living there for almost a month, and that was a blessing.

as he had told amanda on the phone, he had prepared us pasta and salad, and i turned to smile at him. we had been walking through the house in shy silence, but i could see he was watching me observe things from behind.

"do you want to give me a full house tour?" i asked, breaking the silence.

"oh, of course," he straightened up, and then held his arms out straight. "this is the house. we take turns watering the plants. i've only killed two by accident so far," he said, pointing to a couple of browning plants in the corner of the living room. he continued, "george sleeps downstairs in the master, because he is my king, and i sleep upstairs, in a bedroom that is also an office, slash music studio. that is where i make beats."

as he was speaking i sat down at the kitchen island, and laughed through my nose. he is so animated.

"the plant thing is kinda sad," i said, "but everything else sounds great. actually, i was wondering what the backyard looks like?" i stood up, and he started leading me to the back door.

"if you want to eat outside today, that's cool," he said as we approached the door, "but it is bloody hot out, and i thought we could enjoy a meal together without sweating so much. though, you are dressed for colder weather so i can only speak for myself." he gestured to my leggings and shirt, and i shrugged.

"we can eat inside," i replied, opening the door and stepping out. "i'm dressed for comfort. and you're wearing jeans, so..." i made a squinty-eyed, sassy face at him as he stepped out onto the patio after me. i began to look around the backyard.

"i was trying to dress it up a bit!" he protested, and i laughed. "the button up's a bit much though. i'll probably change. again. anyway, here's the backyard. pretty standard."

as he was talking, i moved to sit on the part of the patio i could remember him sitting on the first night that i spoke to him, through the fence. matty saw me, and then he moved to the right hand side, perpendicular to me, and sat down.

"this is where i was sat the night i heard you playing the piano. you were crooning out the hits," he said, shooting me another sweet smile.

i smiled back at him and said, "we've got to collab again sometime. but, maybe after lunch," suddenly feeling my stomach growl.

we both stood up and went back into the house, bantering back and forth about silly things, and then we gathered up food from the kitchen, and sat down at the small dining room table.
i was suddenly nervous just to be sitting across from him. we weren't terribly close, but i was close enough to see fraying threads on the design of his shirt. our proximity was starting to remind me of the other day in the front yard, when matty had reached around me to grab a water bottle off the picnic blanket. in that moment, i had been so close to him, i could've counted his eyelashes-

"carrie?" matty said. "you okay?"

i suddenly looked up at him, feeling slightly embarrassed. "i'm sorry, i was thinking. what did you say?"