Living with Levi isn't as bad as I thought it would be. He has a small, yet comfortable house. Unlike Elias, whose house is painted and maintained in an organized way, Levi's home feels like living inside a rainbow with a dwarf and his jackpot. He's an early bird. The smell of his cooking is the only thing that gives me willpower to wake up in the morning.
His living room is an organized mess with an open kitchen and a gray sofa with a pink dining table that he found from a sale at a low price. Magazines and books and papers about food and restaurants are spilled everywhere. He has a small garden that has families of potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and a whole bunch of other vegetables and fruits growing on it. Two huge apple trees stand with the house between them, the corner of the roof is the territory of the grape vines named Vanessa.
If I were to point out a specific detail about him, it's that he likes to refer to his harvest crops as his children and cry when he has to make a salad. The guest room that temporarily became my bedroom is decorated with plastic Hibiscus flowers and sunflowers with a bed that was covered with floral pattern bedsheets.
Every evening Levi would drag me out of the room to learn about cooking dishes I've never even heard of. It's something he has been doing since middle school until I decided to move out, and maybe thanks to that I didn't starve to death around the time I was living alone. He wanted to take me to see his restaurant a couple of times, but I refused. I really didn't want to go out and risk bumping into someone I'm trying to ignore the existence of.
Today was not an exception as I found myself sitting on a chair watching Levi cook. He was teaching me how to make Risotto for the fourth time because I seem to mess it up each time. According to the internet, Risotto is a classic Italian dish made primarily with Arborio rice, broth, butter, onions, white wine, and Parmesan cheese. It's known for its creamy texture and versatility in incorporating various ingredients like mushrooms, seafood, vegetables, or meats. The key to a perfect risotto is the slow cooking process, where the rice absorbs the liquid gradually, resulting in a rich and creamy consistency. It's often served as a primo (first course) in Italian cuisine and is beloved worldwide for its comforting flavors and textures.
But according to him, it's like a dream that melts on the tip of your tongue, the lavish flavors that bring you the taste of heaven, the happiness you need in a humdrum life (Of course he had to say it with the mamma mia hand gesture).
"YOU KEEP OVERCOOKING IT YOU IDIOT!" Levi nearly screamed. I was scared that he would hit me with his dark green stirring spoon. "I said low flame not low sympathy," he said with wavering it aggressively an inch away.
"I'm sorry, I'm trying to maintain low flame," I gave him a nervous chuckle before backing away.
"You're burning my Graziosa," He yelped, pushing me away to take his place at the cooktop, decreasing the heat level of the stove. Thankfully he doesn't go full Godzilla mode like the last time I accidentally put ketchup on the pizza or the time I broke spaghetti in half. Instead, he gives me the most disgusted look like I just murdered someone in front of him. I guess he realized that it wasn't a good idea to teach me how to make Italian food.
"Stupide," He mumbles with his focus fully fixed on the dish (I suppose I ruined?). I was saved from facing his wrath when I heard the ringing of my phone. It was Elias, and I saw three messages about missed calls.
"Why aren't you answering my calls?" was the first thing he asked me. "He's busy murdering my Senorita," Levi yells enough to hear him on the phone before I could give a reply. "What?" "Don't pay attention to him," I blurted out. "What's the matter?" "Um... apparently I found an apartment for the prize you were looking for," he says it like he's disappointed. "That's awesome," I smiled because he can't see it. "I'll come pick you up to take a look." He's voice seems distant and glitchy over the phone.
Levi had a tantrum when Elias said he can't come with us. "Stop acting like a baby." "Then take me." I didn't get why he was so against the idea of Levi joining us as he got a hold of my hand and dragged me out of the house to the car. It only works because I let him. "The place's a bit far from town," he's tone was barely audible when he spoke. "Just like you wanted." "Great," I avoided looking at him, fixing my gaze onto the view outside the car's window.
We stay quiet until we pass a couple of roads and turns that I remember faintly from my childhood. It was obvious that both of us were acting awkward after the day of my return. But I don't try to say or explain anything. I rather wait for him to talk first, just like when we were young. Maybe if he asked me, asked me what I wanted to hear or if I didn't wait for him to ask in the first place... things could have been different.
"Are you..." He pauses, turning his head to my direction. "Mad at us?" "Why would I stay at Levi's house if I were," my tone was nonchalant, bringing that unreadable expression to my face. He said 'us' because he knows he can't say 'me'. "Do you think you have a chance?" He asks nervously, nervous because I know what he's trying to refer to. "I know I don't, the same way you do."
The dead silence was maintained for the rest of the way to the apartment. Like Elias said, it is quite far from the town but the further the better. The apartment looks like a haunted house from a horror story with a path filled with Japanese maple trees that reached up to 16 to 18 or so feet on both sides leading to the front door. As our car reached forward slowly, I could hear the sound of the crushed leaves. "Did we get teleported into another world?" The words slipped out of my mouth as my upper body hung out of the window. "That's what I thought too," I heard Elias's chuckle.
It feels like entering into a deep forest, behind the deep red path was the greenery that shallowed with uncountable numbers of trees and flowers. With Lavenders and Foxgloves dancing to the rhythm of the wind, the building was lost within the mother nature that it felt so unreal. "You sure I'm not hallucinating?" I said, being unable to believe the sight. "I'm sure."
The building had eight floors with walls washed with graphite gray. The wood had started to weather, and the paints were decaying, stealing its pleasing to the eye's appearance. There were a lot of French door windows leading to small balconies that were filled with either flowerpots or cloth racks. "Greetings," a tiny man dressed in a dark suit came rushing to us. (I half expected him to complete it with an either 'greeting travelers' or 'greeting mortals' for some reason). "Hi, Conner. This is Mr. Johannas," Elias said introducing us to each other.
I've done it... I have found a new path to a fresh start. I could start from the beginning... here in an uncherished apartment, away from my fears. I could bring colors to my life again. Maybe I wasn't as late as I thought I would be...
I don't want to relive the same emotions again...
I want to start all over again...