Run, I'm running away from myself, running away from him, running away to forget everything.
Yesterday, the sun lit up so bright and now it's gloomy again. As I look up at the sky and see the dismal clouds appearing, I realise that I'll most likely get wet. I'm still at Hallie Square, nowhere near my apartment or BFL or Rosie Avenue. I hear the clouds rumbling and thunder reverberating. I search for a tree-like shelter to protect me from the wetness that I'm about to encounter.
"Hey!", I hear a familiar tender voice from behind me.
Why do I always get caught off guard by these voices and people when I'm so deep in my own thoughts. But when I turn around, this voice, I'm so glad, caught me off guard.
I look around to see Heath who happened to be close to the tall bushes nearby, his wavy hair almost wet.
"Good thing you ran into me, because I've got an umbrella in my backpack.", Heath winks at me and then takes his transparent , see-through umbrella out of his grey backpack.
"I'm glad that YOU ran into me.", I say, smiling at him, emphasising on the 'you'.
"Same thing", he winks at me again.
What's up with all the winking, I wonder, smiling like a fool almost.
I feel the first few drops of rain hit the top of my shoulder as I reach for his hand to get close to him, somehow assuming that him towering over me would prevent me from getting wet, Heath makes a whimpering sound and instinctively pulls back his hand. He seems to have been quite hurt from what happened with Perth last night.
"Are you okay?" I look at his deep hazel eyes only to see flashes of pain in them.
"I'm okay", he quickly conceals his hurt to a smile that goes from the sides of his eyes to his lips.
He switches sides with me and grabs my hand with his other hand as we get closer to not have the droplets fall on either of our skin.
"So, where do you live?" I ask, looking him in the eye while walking together side-by-side. He switches his perfectly-fine hand to grab the black steel handler of the umbrella while his hurt hand slightly brushes off against mine.
"Oh, just three blocks east from BFL." He says.
"Welp, guess I'm getting wet." I say in a nervous demeanour and then laugh it off to break off the tension. "I live three blocks west from BFL.", I say.
"Oh, it's fine, I can drop you off in your apartment and then I can go back to mine, silly." He says looking at me, with the warmest smile one can hope to get.
"Riiight. Didn't think of that." I say slightly embarrassed.
"So you're coming to work tomorrow right?, I ask him.
"Yep, it's my first day, after all. Guess you'll see a lot more of me.", He says.
"Yes, it'll be nice to see more of you. Misha is the closest person I have at BFL." Misha and Heath. Did they meet at the party, I wonder. "Have you met her?", I ask him, picturing her pixie white hair.
"Oh yeah, she was the one wearing the Ugg boots at the party, right?", He asks.
Those damned Ugg boots.
"Yeah, what'd you think of the boots?", I ask him casually.
"They were…something." He says puzzled, his lips pursed and his expression as if he's deep in his own thoughts.
I hope he's not thinking about those boots, which are mine by the way.
"But she pulled them off.", he says, finishing his thoughts.
"Yeah, definitely pulled them off." I say, genuinely agreeing to his statement.
"So you live by yourself, miss?" Heath asks.
"Yes, I do. My parents live in the southern part of Italy and here I have been living at Northwood ever since I was 18 by myself and Lira of course, my cat." I say, reminiscing my parents' white kitchen walls and those tiny little wooden chairs and porcelain cups where we made so many memories growing up.
"What about you, mister?", I ask him.
He remains quiet for a few seconds then I hear his voice again, "My dad died when I was young.. He had Huntington's disease." He takes notice of my confused gaze, comprehending that I've never heard of such disease before.
"It's a disease that kills your brain cells gradually to the point where all your mental and physical abilities dissipate." He stares at the ground and speaks again. " My mom, she had to endure everything, all the hurt, and sickness, I don't have much memory of it though, but I can tell that it still haunts her to this day. Every time I mentioned him, she smiled reminiscing about the good times with him, and then she would sob just as quickly. I don't have much memory of him either, just remember his thick moustache", he says, his voice cracking a little and then chuckling right away to conceal his hurt."And my mom, she remarried when I was 15, maybe to support me and as a promise to my dad that she would marry again, so, she's been living with her new husband, who's a doctor, at Lovie which is 15 miles away from Northwood. My place back home is called "The Red House." It's so absurdly red that it completely stands out. Here, in Northwood, I'm living in an apartment in Lestin. So, to answer your question, yes I do live by myself."
"I see. I'm sorry about your dad", I say, placing my hands on his shoulder to console him. Watching him hurt like that is painful to even witness despite his attempt to conceal it.
"So Lira. Is it a she?", he asks. Perhaps his attempt to change this desolating topic subject and I let him.
"Yea, she's an orange and white furball that I absolutely adore", I depict her colours.
"Will I see her today?", he says looking right at my brown eyes.
"Maybe. Just be careful with your hand though.", I say, glancing at his hands and then at his eyes.
"I will, Cia." Heath says softly.
As we finally step towards my 12th floor apartment after carefully and sometimes not-so carefully protecting ourselves from the droplets of rain and the puddles that formed in the pavements, we take the stairs till we reach the apartment number 106-Ciara Lisbon- written in a bronze-plated circle carved in a wood of some sort.
I unzip the pocket of my pink bottoms, take out the key that has a key-ring of a wooden brown horse attached to it, and unlock the place that I've called home for over 3 years.
"Gentleman shall go ahead", I say to Heath playfully, remembering our conversation of yesterday as he sees my pink, floral walls with white daisies and lilies illustrated on all fours.
"Did you paint them?", he asks.
"Yes. It's my side hustle." I chuckle at what's barely a joke. "Just kidding, I painted them when I first got this place. I haven't touched a paintbrush in years though.", I say.
"Why not? You're really good at it, and I'm only judging from these walls.", he says, glancing at the painted flowers and then at me.
"I guess I've been busy", I say.
"Meowww!"Lira, who I'm assuming has napped for hours on end in my bedroom, slowly enters the living room where Heath and I stand.
"And that's my girl", I point at Lira to Heath. "She's adorable but intimidating, I have to say". Heath looks at her with a confused gaze.
"Do you like espresso?", I ask Heath.
"Not a fan of coffee but I guess it wouldn't hurt to try.", Heath says with a confused gaze, still, a slight smile this time.
"A shot of espresso for Mr. H coming right away." , I say. And at this moment I realise, this person that I've known for two days has now visited my apartment, yet I don't even know his last name.
"Heath?", I say in a nervous tone.
"Yes?", he asks with his full attention.
"I.. don't know your last name, and you probably don't know mine", I say, trying my best to not sound awkward.
"It's Miral. I took my Mom's last name." He says with a smile.
"Miral, it's nice." I say, "Mine's Li–"
"Lisbon, I know, silly." He says.
I can't help but grin like a Chesire cat whenever he calls me 'silly'.
"How'd you know, Miral?", I ask.
Buzz Buzz My phone vibrates.
"I'll be holding my thought", He says as I reach for my phone.
Unknown number again.
"Hello?", I pick up the phone and answer.
"Look down, Strawberry with a C." Strawberry? I listen to the sound of his voice again after what felt like ages. Perth. A jolt of energy washes over me as I feel a sense of relief, knowing that he's at least still talking to me.
"Look where? Where'd you go last night?", I ask, inquiring almost.
"Look down from your window, please". Please? He's never said that before.
"Where are you?", I ask with a complete turmoil building inside me while glancing at Heath who seems to be attempting to be friendly with Lira.
"I'm right out of your apartment. It's the Delph Apartment, right?" He says all calm and composed while my heart is thudding like it could beat out of its chest.
How many times will you be the cause of my eyes to be opened so wide, Perth? Never thought I'd say this, but I'm honestly looking forward to the weekday.