Running Into Figure Six

I swear, getting wasted never ends well. Never.

I looked back and forth to see if Rooney was coming after me. He wasn’t. At least not yet.

He was still probably in the kitchen, serving my breakfast in a plate, unaware of my absence. I couldn’t go to the bar like this. I was already very self-conscious. Girl! I know i already said so but I looked like shit. I needed to shower, and not just a cold bath, but a thorough, one-hour soaking in the tub after spending twenty minutes under the shower.

“Oh shit, I don’t have a tub” I thought, heaving a sigh of frustration. Tubs only existed in houses like Rooney’s. Royal-ish places.

Man! I also needed to take a shit real bad, despite that I didn’t have anything to eat the previous night. My stomach literally felt empty and if I laughed, it would hurt.

I immediately stopped under the plants in my balcony and bent over those poor plants, trying so hard to hide myself. I began to hear his footsteps just then. He was really searching for me.

What have I done?

“Rooney, don’t come here please. Just go eat the jambalaya alone. I swear I’m fine without it. I can buy some snacks later” I soliloquized, hoping that it would happen just like that. But he was still calling my name and coming towards the quarters

‘Lord, please let him forget about me. Let him forget about last night, this morning. Everything. Let it be a dream, pretty puh-leeze. I hope he doesn’t hurt me ‘ I prayed, rubbing my hands towards the sky. I sucked my stomach in, and took a breath.

My phone rang again, causing a useful distraction. It was Stephan.

“Hello?”

“You’re not taking my calls. Did you get my texts?”

“I did. And I will call you later, Stephan. I promise. I’m on the run at the moment”

“What the fuck? Did you kill someone or something?” He was laughing. Stephan is a sadist. He must be.

“Something close. Pray for me, it’s really bad”

“Enough with the pranks. Call me when you return from work. Courtney wants to talk to you, and he is asking for your number ”

“What? Don’t give it to him!”

“But..”

“I said, don’t. Don’t give him my number or my work address. Don’t do it. Do you understand English?”

“Chillax, sis. I heard you the first time”

“Good. I will call later if i escape this. Bye” I hanged up and took another breath.

I stopped hearing Rooney’s voice, and so i sighed with relief.

“Thank you, Lord” I mumbled “Thank you Lord for sending him away” I mumbled.

“Taking who away?” His masculine voice forced my eyes open, and i gripped my railings for support. He was right before me, all six-foot six, and shrugging nonchalantly, maintaining the smirk on his face.

“Hey, I appreciate everything you did last night. You were so nice and…” I paused, trying to rephrase my words because the expression on his face said it sounded wrong, ” i mean, last night would have been awful if you didn’t come there to drag me home”

“I know” he said, smirking.

“I can take care of myself now.” I deadpanned, looking into his eyes. He was staring at me too and if I broke eye contact, I was definitely going to fall back onto the poor plants in the vase.

From I don’t know, embarrassment or his eyes that you could literally drown in if you looked too long?

Snap, this is not what I signed up for.

“Okay” he said, still standing there. “Okay, okay” he reiterated, fiddling with his buttons.

“I said I can take care of myself now, I’m twenty three”, I yelled, folding my arms under my bosom. “It means that I don’t need breakfast from you. Or anything else”

“Okay?” He said, still waiting.

“What is it? Just leave me alone- you scare the shit out of me!”

“Really? I will have to give your breakfast to Maddie then. She is forty two but appreciates my cooking” he said sarcastically, pointing towards the door next to mine, and preparing to walk away, but then he stopped almost immediately, “I’m going shopping after breakfast. If you need to get anything, come tell me. I don’t bite” He said and walked swiftly away.

A pang of guilt flooded my whole body but I remained on the same spot, watching him go. He said he was going to give my favorite jambalaya to Maddie. Maddie must be that arrogant woman that slammed the door in my face the other day.

Realizing that, I stomped after him. If anybody ha to have my food, it couldn’t be Maddie. I would not take that.

Petty or not, i did not care.

He must have expected me to come back, because he left his door open. He was in the dining room, eating alone.

I slowly dragged my feet towards him and pulled out a chair to sit. He had a questioning look on his face.

“Maddie is that woman who works from home, right? Please don’t give my food to her” I whispered, making puppy eyes. Rooney started to laugh, almost choking on his food. He had to chug a glass of water before resuming laughing again.

“Come and eat it then”. He said, opening the other bowl before him. “Maddie hates jambalaya anyways” he added matter-of-factly.

So, I started to eat with him, drowning myself in the delicious taste.

“So, are you not curious where I have been?”

“I am. I thought you were tired of having me as a neighbour and went on a vacation to ease your mind”

“Yeah you can be a handful sometimes, but you’re still my neighbour”

“Clarissa” i deadpanned, urging him to call me by my first name and not ‘neighbour’.

“Hi Clarissa, I’m Rooney” he responded, stretching out his left hand for a handshake but I was not laughing.

“I travelled home” he started, looking suddenly painfully, painfully serious.

“Is everything all right?”

“No, mom is very sick”

“Oh I’m sorry. I hope it’s not that bad. I didn’t know” I said, meaning every word, but he looked away, shaking his head as if he was trying hard to delete something from his memory.

“Do you need anything at the supermarket?” He tried to ease the tension when he saw me drop my fork.

“Yes, pads, footmats, curtains, food items, apple drinks, cucumber, pots, cutleries..” i paused to think, ” Rugs, Shower cap, hair gel, hair cream, blow-dryer…”

“Are you always this hilarious?”

“I mean, I really need them” I said looking as serious as I could. “I barely have anything here. Really. I need all the stuff I can get” Then he just stared at me, his face expressionless. I looked away but I could still feel his eyes on me, on my shoulder, my eyes, my mouth, my cleavage. My everything.

Good Lord, I’m crazy. Definitely crazy.

I could not hold his gaze for a long time and I did not know why.

Maybe I was trying not to drown in them. They were like the ocean. Those eyes. Sometimes they screamed, “Run! Run for your dear life!” But now, they are asking me to wait here and have a chat with this man.

We really should say the truth sometimes- his eyes are drop-dead gorgeous and kind of friendly. Or maybe I’m just crazy.

He must be dangerous, and I really should not trust this stranger or eat his meals or talk to him. Or let him in my house.

Whenever I caught his stare, he usually felt temporarily familiar and I resisted every temptation to ask him if we’ve ever met.

He must have noticed because he looked away after a while, and said, “Sorry”.

It was barely above a whisper but i had heard him. And at that moment, I badly wanted to know what was on his mind.

Maybe I looked like his mom-the sick one.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Or I looked so much like shit he’s wondering how foolish he must have been to let me into his clean royal-ish house.

Must be the latter. I definitely looked shitty enough to be thrown out.

When the silence was starting to get deafening and very embarrassing, I just played with my fork, careful not to let it fall for the second time, and then sipped my near-empty drink, wasting too much time swallowing.

“Are you a landowner?” I blurted out before I could stop myself

“What?”

“I mean.. err.. Maddie said.. like.. you owned this place or something ”

“What do you mean? It’s probably because I am a friend of the owner. ” he smiled a smile that did not reach his eyes, and he seemed to be a little embarrassed. So I did not push it.

If he were a female, I would have been more comfortable. It’s unfortunate that my first friend in New York’s a guy- a guy who did everything I asked. Well, after complaining and bugging me anyways.

“I need to use the bathroom” I said, advertently looking below his jaw, when my drink got exhausted.

I could feel him staring again, and sure enough, when I raised my head, he was indeed staring. “I know I need to use the bathroom”

He was quiet for a while and that was why I raised my head and caught him staring. “Stop making me uncomfortable. I know I look really messy” I said matter-of-factly.

“Why were you drinking last night?” He suddenly posed this unexpected question. The first time I had got drunk in my entire life, no one had asked me why, or gotten curious. Probably because they knew and didn’t care. But, Rooney’s question? The tone with which he asked was friendly enough for me to open up. Just a lil.

“I was trying to get over a memory” True but not the whole truth.

“Of course” he said. “Must be a big one”

“Kinda” I said, playing with my fingers, and watching his eyes resting on them. I’ve never been so nervous in my whole life.

“I have a memory I want to get over too. I think I should get drunk tonight”

I looked at him questioningly but he did not continue. His eyes suddenly grew distant and I could swear I saw a ball of fire that was burning out already on his eyelid.

“Is it about your mom?”

“Did the drinking help?”

Fine. We were counterattacking each other now. Fine.

“No. Almost landed me in trouble, that’s if you didn’t come”

“Yeah, true. You should not get drunk ever again” he stood up and made to pack our plates but I took them from him.

Our hands slightly brushed and I stood rigid for split seconds because I thought I had touched an electric socket- the one on the wall behind the dining chairs.

“Will you wait here for me?” He said, still pulling the plates. His voice was softer than usual, like he was exhausted or sleepy. “I want to tell you about my mom”

He was always nonchalant like he didn’t just notice how I recoiled from the electric shock.

I nodded, because he looked too vulnerable and somewhat sad.

“I will wait. I can’t get into my apartment anyways”

I felt like whatever he had going on, was definitely not something that anyone could easily erase, by chanting words of hope. The best I could do for him was let him rant to me, even if I had nothing to say because I could not relate or shit- he was kind enough to get a reciprocation from anyone.

“I’ll get you new keys from the supermarket ” he said, and he turned towards the front door. “Don’t leave the door open. I’ll call your name when I get back”

And I did as he instructed. I don’t know, but he kind of sounded apprehensive, like someone might break in if I don’t shut the door.

I shut the door behind him and waited in his dining room.

Everywhere looked like glass and silver and that made me too scared to touch anything or walk around his fine, fine house.

Or I would have perused all the rooms because it looked like he did not lock his doors at all.

Damn, it was fine as hell. Everything.