Tristan sat on the couch with his head in his hand as he slowly shook it left and right. Standing over him, Eric held a pile of papers and slapped his leg once while watching his client's response. He exhaled audibly and sat down on the couch next to his friend.
“Tristan, you can't keep missing opportunities like this. I know it's not the ideal movie deal, but you have got to get yourself in the door.”
“No romantic comedies.”
Eric stood up. “You aren't built to be an action star. Your frame is that of the tech geek or the nerdy sidekick.”
“I can buff up.”
“I've seen you at your most buff, man. It's not going to cut it.” He made a cutting motion with his hand in the air, then gestured toward his own face. “Your face is too pretty. It's made for dramas and romance movies, even comedies. That's it. No one wants to see a pretty boy getting his ass handed to him and overcoming the odds. Maybe some day when you have established yourself a role will come your way and you can prove yourself, but until then...”
“I'll be typecast by then.” he continued to hold his head in his hand, not looking up even once to speak.
“Don't you get it? A couple months work for this movie and you have a large wad of cash in your pocket. With that one movie, you could move out of here and have your own place again.”
“I like it here.”
Exasperated, Eric decided to give up at this point. He would pass on the movie or see if one of his other talents wanted to give it a shot. “Do you not want to continue acting? Should I just decide that this is the end?”
“Let me try out for action type movies.”
He tossed his hand in the air. “Fine, I'll get you scripts, but it's up to you to sell yourself.” There was a brief silence, before he spoke again. “You like it here?” He looked over at Tristan, who looked up from his hands when he asked the question. “You just said you did.”
He shrugged his shoulder gently. “It's dark. Someone cooks and cleans for me.”
“I did that at my apartment too.”
“Yeah, but it wasn't dark.”
Eric smirked, but the mood was lost when they heard the upstairs door open and then close. The stairs squeaked as a woman appeared from behind the wall that blocked out the stairs.
“Are we going to watch a movie?” Aven asked and seemed to completely ignore Eric's presence.
“Yeah.”
Eric noticed a change in Tristan's voice. He spoke very bluntly to everyone, himself included, but there was a gentle tone in his voice directed at this girl.
“I have to work until eleven.”
He nodded his head. “Eleven thirty?”
“Ok.” Turning around, she headed back up the stairs and they both waited until they heard the door shut.
“She just comes and goes from your apartment as she pleases?”
“No, this was the first time she came down here. She was probably trying to get away from Noah.” He leaned back on the couch and covered his eyes with his hands.
A large grin appeared on Eric's lips. “She's special, eh?”
Slowly pulling his hands down his face, Tristan glared at the man sitting on the armrest of his couch. “It's time for you to leave.”
He chuckled as he stood up. “I see. No more questions. I'll be heading out then. I have a big date tonight anyway. Enjoy your little movie.”
Scott hung up the phone in his apartment that overlooked the city. His black granite top kitchen led into the dining room, where there was a large spread for a romantic dinner. He had built up his confidence enough and had wanted to tell Ayanna everything, but he had made the mistake of not setting a time. He had forgotten that she couldn't just come when he called anymore and that she had those tenants to take care of.
At the end of the table sat Joseph, who had been eyeballing the spread since he arrived. “That didn't sound like a favorable phone call.” The dark haired, lanky man grabbed a grape and popped it into his mouth.
The dining room had a long table that sat about twelve and was decorated with dark cherry wood with white walls. He had been thinking about painting it, but had wanted Ayanna to pick the color. The majority of the design in the house belonged to that woman. His friends had said that he wanted to give it her touch so when she moved in it would already be her style.
“Are you interested in some filet mignon?”
“Her favorite, eh?”
Scott nodded.
“Not coming?”
Again, he nodded.
“That sucks, dude. You were really pumped up. Lost your confidence, eh?” Joseph continued to eat the grape. “So, what? I'm your back up date then? The ugly bitch that no one really wants to take to the prom, but she's your last chance.”
“Do you want to formally eat my fucking food or do you want to continue to pick at it?”
Joseph smiled and then winked, “I'll be your ugly date, man.”
“Can't get any lower than you.” Scott mumbled and headed into the kitchen to start cooking the steaks. Shortly after, Joseph appeared and leaned against the center island.
“Are you going to tell her next time then?”
He shrugged as he put the frying pan on the stove top and started to season the steaks. “I don't know. Maybe.”
“Honestly, even if she had come tonight, I thought you would chicken out.”
Looking up from his task, Scott glared at his friend. “I have champagne out and roses for her. I don't think after giving her that it would be possible.” He paused. “I bought a ring.”
“What? Dude! You aren't even dating yet.”
He placed his hand on the center island and leaned forward. “It's fucking bat shit crazy. I bought it two years ago and I've been carrying it around with me. I saw it and thought it would be something she would like, but I can't just give a woman a diamond ring.”
“You didn't buy it that innocently.”
“Probably not.” He returned to seasoning the steaks as the room fell quiet. “I don't know what I am doing anymore.”
“Being a bitch.” Joseph spoke matter-of-factly. “You still think you are that little nerd in high school that isn't good enough for the popular girl. In reality, you are a rich and successful business owner and she can barely pay her bills.”
Turning around, Scott tested to see if the frying pan was hot, when he decided that it was he threw the steaks in. Once both sides were brown, he put the frying pan along with the steaks into the oven to finish cooking.
“Smells good. She doesn't know what she's missing.” Joseph said as he headed back out into the dining room. “I saw caviar somewhere.”
“Aven is working and Noah is out. Looks like it's just you and me for dinner tonight.” Ayanna placed the plate of meatloaf and green beans on the table. “It's a little dry, so you'll have to use ketchup or barbecue sauce.”
He grunted a response and took the barbecue sauce from the center of the table.
“Back when Aven cooked, meals in this house were gourmet chef level. It was crazy to watch her cook something. She never measured anything out, and she seemed to be able to meld flavors together without even trying it first. You know what I mean?”
Tristan gave a slight nod.
“I mean, she would be out of a seasoning or something and she would just grab some other seasonings, that you wouldn't think work together, and, voilà, a delicious dinner!” She chuckled. “Ah, I miss those days. Now, we get my cooking.”
“It isn't bad.” Tristan decided that if she was going to force a conversation out of him, he might as well participate for a while.
“It isn't good either.”
He smirked at her response.
“Oh, a little smile.”
His lips quickly cleared away any signs of emotion.
“You look good when you smile. You should do it more often.” She cut off a piece of her meatloaf and tasted it. “Ack, it's like a big, dense clump of ground turkey. I didn't add enough bread crumbs or something. Did I remember to put an egg in there?”
He watched her as she stared at the piece of meat on her fork.
“I should have made meatballs. I do those better, but we weren't having any noodles and I thought that would be weird. Would it, have been?”
“No.”
She giggled after she looked over at him.
“What?”
“Oh, just a random memory entered my head.” She waited for him to ask what it was about, but in the same fashion as Aven, he didn't. If she wanted him to know she would just have to tell him. “When your band first came out and your single 'Wherever you go' was playing, my sister Azelea and I would always dance around in our bedroom. That part in it where you rap a little, we would always scream and then sing along.”
He hated talking about his time in the band. In truth, he hated talking about his life in general. If other people wanted to blabber on about their life that was fine, but he wasn't interested in sharing his own.
“Just a stupid memory. I think I had a poster of you guys up in my bedroom for a while.”
“Many girls did.”
Ayanna laughed, “Yeah, you are right on that. Aven was never into stuff like that though. She likes older bands like Pink Floyd and what not. I assume you weren't too into your own music. Are you more like Aven in that department?”
“I suppose.”
She could tell that she was being bothersome to him with his short responses. “I am sorry. I am talking too much, aren't I? You usually just sit there quietly like Aven while Noah and I chat away.” She began to eat her meal. “Aven likes a mixture of barbecue sauce and blue cheese dressing on her meatloaf. Back when she did eat, anyway.”
Just like Noah, Tristan had thought, apologizes for talking to him when he knows he doesn't like it, but continues anyway. What is the problem with people that they can't be in silence? What is so wrong with silence? Is it because their own thoughts are so terrifying? He often wondered which people were actually the sick ones. Was it really the person that kept to themselves and could happily live in silence with nothing but their own mind to keep them company, or was it people who couldn't stand to hear their own thoughts?
They were probably both dysfunctional in some way, he concluded, but there was something eerie about the people who were so frightened by the quiet. There was something wrong with Noah and Ayanna that much he knew. He could see it in side glances when they looked away even when they were smiling, they both had a darkness that appeared.
“You redecorated.” Noah stood in the center of the white living room. The entire room was white, he felt like he was in a television dream sequence. The only splash of color was some red flowers on the table.
Camille exited her kitchen with a bottle of wine. “Yes. I am looking for some color to break up the white right now. It's blinding to be in here too long. I told the designer I wanted white, but I didn't really expect this.”
“Why didn't you have her re-do it?”
Sitting down on the couch, she put the wine glasses on the table. “I just want him gone. You know how I hate people in my home that's why I never got married.”
Noah sat down in the recliner and took his glass of red wine when she filled it up. “So, what do you think of my idea?”
“You plan to write a book about the house you are living in with that girl as your center character?”
He took a drink of wine and then leaned forward. “Don't you think it could be a great idea? I mean this girl is so deep into her depression. If I could just see how she ticks, then I could easily write a realistic story about how through...” He snapped his fingers. “I haven't really worked it all out, but the plot will come to me.”
“Are you looking for a tragedy here?” She sipped her wine as she leaned back on the couch and crossed her legs.
“Don't know.”
“You realize that this girl is a real human being. I hope you do not intend to play with her emotions.”
He cleared his throat and looked away briefly.
“Are you serious?”
“Look, I need to now how she ticks. I want to know how deep she is into this depression and what can begin to pull her out. I am not going to make her fall in love with me or anything, but friendship would be fine, wouldn't it?”
“You don't look like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar over friendship, Noah.” She uncrossed her legs and sat forward.
He shrugged. “If friendship doesn't work, then what else is there? I really think this girl is my muse.”
“Autumn was your muse. Don't go searching for another one, especially when you don't plan on actually loving her.”
The interest and excitement melted off his face quite quickly. “I told you not to talk about her.”
“I'm sorry. It was a cruel thing to say.” She set her wine glass on the table. “You are going to have to talk about it eventually, Noah. You can't just keep it...”
“Damnit, Camille!”
“Ok! Ok! I'll close my mouth. Tell me more about the girl and your plan.” She sat back and listened to him talk about the book.
Camille didn't really know if she liked the sound of this, but the fact that Noah seemed excited almost made anything he was about to do to this girl worth it. She decided that she couldn't see the future so it might be in Noah's best interest to be around this girl. He hadn't dated in four years and it would be nice for him to finally open himself up a little. He would have to in order to get the girl to become his friend.
“What do you think?”
She hadn't really heard much of what he was saying as she was concentrating too much on his animation and how alive he looked. “Marvelous, darling, absolutely.”
The loud sounds of cars crashing and bullets flying reverberated in the living room. Tristan and Aven always seemed to watch action movies together, and the one time he offered to watch a chick flick if she wanted, he could have sworn she almost laughed at him. No, Aven was fine with watching movies that didn't try to invoke too much emotion and who's stories were often far fetched.
Tristan found himself watching the girl on the opposite side of the couch more than the movie. She was wearing a pair of shorts. It was the first time he had ever seen her legs. They were shaved or she didn't grow much hair on them, either way it wasn't what he expected. She didn't seem the type to rid herself of body hair, she barely took care of the hair on top of her head.
He didn't like it. Why did she have this sudden change? The house's air conditioning was always at a constant seventy five degrees so it wasn't hot. More importantly, why did she need to have smooth legs?
Catching himself with the thoughts, he wondered why he cared at all. It wasn't any of his business why she was shaving her legs or wearing shorts.
Then another thought crept into his mind, what if that was for him? She didn't think that there was any kind of special relationship between them, did she? After all, she was always at home and he had never seen her around another man except Noah. She also made it clear enough that Noah wasn't her favorite person.
Earlier today, she had just come into his apartment without knocking, he was certain that wasn't something someone did unless they thought there was something special, be it friendship or more. Not even Eric would come into his apartment before knocking and they had been friends for years. This girl had only known him a little over a month now.
Thinking of Eric reminded him of the question that Eric had asked him earlier, whether or not this girl was special to him. Obviously, he had some jealousy, he decided but it was because if she liked someone then he would lose his movie partner. Eric hadn't been on his case about finding friends since he started having movie night with Aven. Life had been really peaceful and he didn't want to ruin it. If Aven thought there was more between them then that too would ruin his peace.
None of this would be good for him. He had to put an end to it without harming any platonic relationship between them.
“Would you knock before coming into my apartment?” Tristan spoke but kept his eyes on the television screen.
“I was escaping Noah and I didn't think. It won't happen again.”
That gave him a sigh of relief. It really had been as he told Eric earlier. He laughed at himself on the inside for even giving a thought that it was anything else. He then remembered her choice of attire. “What's with the shorts?”
Aven placed her hand against her cheek. “Maybe a fever or too hot of a bath.” She lifted her arms to reveal damp armpits. “It's hot.”
He didn't catch himself before it was too late and she was looking at him like he had gone insane. His arm stretched across the length of the couch and the back of his fingers touched her cheeks. When she recoiled, he tried to hide a look of embarrassment. “You feel warm.”
She simply nodded her head and returned her attention to the movie. It was the first time that he had ever touched her or even initiated touching someone else. He didn't like this or maybe he did. People always told him that if there was a feeling of love that his heart would beat harshly in his chest, but he felt none of that. All that was left was awkwardness that soon faded in the silence.
The sun had barely risen when Noah parked the car in front of his new home. He had almost driven himself to the old motel he used to stay at. He had left before Camille awoke because he knew she would have him drinking before noon and he wanted to get home to start work on Aven as soon as possible.
As his car door slammed shut, he heard another car slam on it's breaks and honk it's horn. Spinning around, he watched a small black puppy hurry to the sidewalk. The large blue truck that had almost hit it continued on it's way without a second thought to the animal. Normally, Noah wouldn't have cared and could have continued his day, but a memory came with the sight of the small dog.
Autumn's brown curls blowing in the wind after they had seen a small dog limping after being hit by a car. She coaxed it for an hour to come to her before they were finally able to take it to the veterinarian's. They paid nearly a thousand dollars to save the little dog that died anyway, but it had made her happy so he handed the money over gladly.
Sucking on his bottom lip briefly, he followed after the small puppy and found it in an alley near a clutter of trash cans. Garbage pick up had been the day before so they were mostly empty. Lowering himself down, he called to the small dog.
It's ears perked up and it turned toward the human down the alley. For a moment, it seemed to decide whether it was going to run away or go to the man. Noah had no doubt that it would jet away and eventually he would lose it, or perhaps that was what he had hoped for.
Instead, the little black pup began to run towards him as if it was looking for a human to assist it all along. He pet the small animal briefly as he tried to think over what he would tell Ayanna when he got home. Picking it up, he made the short journey back to the house. He could smell breakfast being made and wondered if she was making enough for him as well.
The moment he opened the door, he heard a woman squeal with delight as Ayanna charged him. “I have been seeing this little guy all over the place lately. It's been like two weeks. I can't believe you caught him!” She took the dog from his arms.
“I'll take it to the pound later.”
“You don't want him?” She checked the underside of the dog to ensure she got the gender right. “Her, rather.”
“I am not a pet person.” Not since Autumn, he had thought to himself.
“I always wanted a dog, but Aven never thought I could take responsibility and thought everything would be on her. Maybe now that I am taking care of two grown men, she'll change her tune.”
“You are more than welcome to this dog. I would suggest putting up fliers and ads about a lost dog, before you call her yours.”
“Of course.” She quickly snuggled with it. “I have to cook breakfast, could you watch her for a little while?” Ayanna offered the dog back to him.
Noah sat down at the table and looked at the small dog on his lap. “I don't think it is going to be a big dog. Maybe thirty pounds at most.”
Ayanna was washing her hands before touching some food, she turned to look at him as she dried them. “I shouldn't name her until she's mine, right?”
“I would think that is best.”
She gave a firm, excited nod. “This is so awesome. I am so happy.” She turned back to her pancake batter. “I know I still have to do all that work and get Aven's permission, but I just can't wait. I have wanted a dog since I was little, but my mom was allergic. I know Aven is more of a cat person, but hopefully...” She held up her index and middle finger in the air and crossed them.
“I'll help with Aven if she proves stubborn.”
Ayanna giggled as she put the frying pan on the stove top. “I'll hold you to that. You have to help me name her, since you caught her for me. Ok?”
A small grinned appeared on his face as he watched the girl with obviously dyed black hair begin to cook. “Alright.”
The puppy whimpered from time to time from behind the living room door as the group of four sat around the breakfast table. Aven's head was lowered and her hair created a wall against the others in the room.
“And we don't even know if she has an owner.” Ayanna continued with her case about the puppy. “So, can she please just stay until we find out? Then we can discuss if we keep her or not.” She clasped her hands together and waited for the answer.
“Whatever.” Finally came under the veil of of strawberry blonde hair.
Ayanna jumped from her seat and ran around to the other side of the table as she chimed. “Thank you! Thank you!” She grabbed her sister and hugged her tightly.
Both Tristan and Noah gave each other a look and wondered to themselves if Aven would be alright with her sister's affections.
“Uh, you feel a little warm.” Ayanna stood behind her sister and put her hand on her forehead then pulled back forcing Aven to tilt her head all the way back. After a moment, Ayanna placed her lips on her sister's forehead. “I think you have a fever. Are you alright?”
“I'm fine.” She pushed her sister's hand away and returned to her cereal.
“She complained of one last night.” Tristan rarely spoke at the table and even he wondered why he had bothered to open his mouth.
“A fever?”
He nodded gently and wondered if Aven was giving him a dark glare under all the hair.
“Does your tummy hurt or anything?” Before Aven could respond, Ayanna continued. “Wait, I thought I heard someone throwing up last night, was that you?”
Aven grunted, annoyed by all the questions that she was receiving.
“No one else was sick, and she hardly goes out. The only way she could get sick is if we brought it back to her.” Noah interjected.
“No one else has had the flu?” Ayanna asked both of them and they shook their heads. “What could it be?”
“Food poisoning, maybe?” Noah asked.
“She only eats slim jims, tapioca pudding, and rice krispies. What could give her food poisoning?”
Aven gave a loud sigh, “You left the spoiled milk on the counter and I thought it was the milk for my cereal.”
Ayanna looked at her sister and then covered her mouth. “Oh no! That was like a week past the date. You didn't notice it was warm? How many bowls did you have?”
“Two or three.”
Looking at Noah, she looked lost at what to do.
“She probably would have been fine if it wasn't for the milk being at room temperature. Call your doctor and see what he has to say.” Noah told her. “You do have a doctor, don't you? If not call poison control.” Standing up, he grabbed Aven by the arm and pulled her up. “Come on, you need to be laying down.”
Aven looked more sick as she stood up and Noah pulled her in against him so she could lean on him while she walked.
“Were you trying to hide it from us?” Noah asked the question that got no response in return, but from the heat coming through his clothing from the girl, he wondered if she even heard his question at all or had the power to answer. “How can you even eat like this?”
Ayanna quickly raced to the phone and dialed in the numbers. As she talked on the phone with the doctor, and Noah disappeared with a more noticeably sick Aven, Tristan sneaked out of the room and down into the basement. Where he tossed himself on the couch and crossed his arms.
The doctor had been their family physician since they were children and he had called in a prescription to help with the nausea, then told them if her symptoms got worse that she would need to go to the emergency room.
Ayanna left to pick up the medicine at the pharmacy, while Noah stayed in Aven's bedroom. He was shocked to see how surprisingly clean and feminine it was. Actually, the room didn't smell like the normally unwashed woman at all. There was a sweet scent of flowers in the air that he wondered came from some air freshener. Most likely something Ayanna sprayed in the room constantly.
The dark wood bed framed offered a comfortable looking bed with a white with blue flowers comforter. The curtains were white as well and there was a book case that matched the bed frame that was filled with books. He had half expected them to be romance novels, but there was a great deal of classic literature and nothing he would categorize as romance.
The last pieces of furniture in the room beside the dresser was a mismatched vanity. It was a light wood that looked quite old and Noah wondered if it had belonged to her mother. Sitting down on the bed beside Aven who refused to get under the covers, he continued to look around the room.
“Not a bedroom that I expected from you. I thought it would be dark with tinted windows and black sheets.” He teased as he brought his feet on the bed and leaned against the pillows behind him.
Aven didn't seemed bothered that she was sharing a bed with him and continued to hold her stomach as she stared at the ceiling.
“Why didn't you tell anyone that you were sick?”
“I don't want to be babied. I can care for myself, so leave.”
Noah looked over at her. There was some hair stuck to her forehead due to her perspiration. Reaching his hand out, he brushed it aside which caused Aven to look at him. “You didn't want your sister to be worried?”
Aven rolled over on the bed and turned her back toward him.
“This may not be the best time to have this conversation but you rarely give me time alone with you. If you would just come and do those interviews that I asked of you, then it would be less painful for both of us. It would be over quickly and we could both move on.” He didn't expect a reply from her and that's exactly what he got.
After a few moments, he noticed that she was clenching at her stomach and trying not to make any noise.
“Are you going to be sick? Do you want me to get you a container of some sort?”
She shook her head, but continued to act as if she was in pain.
Holding out his hand, Noah began to gently rub her back. “My mom used to rub my back when I had a stomach ache. Makes it hurt less, doesn't it?”
She didn't answer.
“I'll take your silence as a yes.” He continued to rub her back without saying anything else. Eventually her sister would return and right now he knew he had to score some points with this girl, and she liked silence.
Ayanna made her way into the kitchen after giving her sister some medicine to calm her stomach and help her to sleep. She had also been forced to call in to her work and tell them she was sick. As she stepped into the room, she found Noah sitting at the table with an open bottle of wine.
“Wine?” He held up the bottle and then set it back down without ever looking at her.
“Yes, please.” She sat back down and exhaled. “At least she'll get some sleep today.” She poured herself a glass that Noah had already set out for her.
“Why wouldn't she tell you that she was sick?”
Taking a couple sips of wine, she tried to buy herself time in order to come up with the proper way to explain. “My mom never dated or remarried after my father died. I don't even remember my dad, but Aven does a little. Anyway, my mom had to work two full time jobs and we had this old lady that lived next door that would watch us for free, but she really couldn't do much except sit there. My mom knew it wasn't right, but she couldn't afford to pay a babysitter.”
Noah nodded his head sympathetically as he listened before folding his hands on top of the table.
“Aven was really left to taking care of us and basically just doing what the babysitter said. I still have an image of my eight year old sister making us mac and cheese over the gas stove.” She sighed right before she took another drink of wine. “Aven got sick with the chicken pox for about a week and couldn't do anything. Azelea and I cried outside her bedroom door begging her to come out, but our babysitter told us she was too sick.”
Ayanna chuckled before she continued. “I don't even know why we were so upset. We got take out all week long. I guess we just missed our sister, the provider. When she was better, my sister and I got the chicken pox and Aven took care of us. We begged her not to get sick anymore. I think that has always stuck with her, because she never told anyone when she was sick from that point on.”
He sat back in his seat. “She won't tell you when she is sick because she thinks it will upset you?”
“Maybe it's not really a conscious decision like that. I can't even tell you that the story is the real reason, but it's the only explanation Azelea and I could come up with.” She quickly downed her glass of wine and poured herself another one.
Noah watched the girl as she reflected on the memory she had just told. Her eyes and face always looked so gentle. She seemed very fragile despite her sometimes overbearing demeanor. “Why do you take care of her?”
“After my mom died, Aven locked herself away in the house. Azelea got engaged soon after my mother's death when she found out she was pregnant. His parents were very strict about it, I guess.” She shrugged. “We discussed it and decided that I was really the only person who could move in here, so I did. I didn't expect that I would be her caretaker like this, but you get used to it over time.”
“Why not get her medical help?”
“I can't force her. She's not a real danger to herself, besides her eating habits. I have noticed that she has been eating more lately though, so I am hoping she will start incorporating more foods.” Ayanna motioned toward the counter at a container of strawberries. “I don't like those, but I buy them every season for her just in case. She loves them... or she did.”
There was a quiet sadness around this girl that Noah found alluring in a way. She was all smiles and laughter, but she had a hidden secret. He wondered if he liked it because he could see himself in that sadness. “They just rot?”
“Yeah, they rot.”
The phone rang in the darkness as Tristan sat on the couch staring at the television's blank screen. Reaching his hand passed the armrest, he picked it up and looked at the bright green caller id screen.
With a sigh, he turned the phone on and pressed it to his ear. “What?”
“Just wanted to let you know, I'll be down there next week. I have a couple scripts you can look at. They aren't exactly action, but it's no romance novel either. They are pretty independent films, but if you are willing to take a smaller paycheck, you could probably give yourself a more serious persona with these.” Eric told him.
“Great.” He spoke with no enthusiasm.
“How is everything going up there?” His fingers were tapping on his desk, which was something that Tristan always hated. The little thumps nearly drove him mad.
“Your fingers.” He mumbled.
“Oh.” There was a pause before Eric continued. “Tristan? You there?”
“Yeah.”
Another long pause occurred while Eric waited for the answer to his question. “I asked how things were doing?”
“Fine.”
“You don't sound fine. Are you sitting in the dark?”
Tristan looked around the room and realized that he was indeed in the dark. Sometimes he didn't know whether to be thankful toward his friend for knowing him so well or resentful. “No.”
“Liar. What's wrong?” Eric's chair squeaked over the phone line and he could tell that he had just stood up. More than likely he had begun to pace the room as the agent couldn't sit still for very long.
“I'm not sure.”
“Just having a downer day then?”
Tristan thought his question over for a bit. “No, I don't think so.”
He could hear Eric's breathing over the phone line as his friend tried to figure out his next question. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
“Not really.”
“Ok, I'll call you tomorrow then.”
“Hey.” Tristan prevented him from hanging up the phone.
“What?”
“Can I ask you a question that you won't follow up with other questions?” Tristan's free hand tightened on the edge of the armrest.
“Sure, what's up?”
“What's it like?” He began. “What it's like to have an infatuation with someone? Like... like a crush.”
“Tristan, you can't keep missing opportunities like this. I know it's not the ideal movie deal, but you have got to get yourself in the door.”
“No romantic comedies.”
Eric stood up. “You aren't built to be an action star. Your frame is that of the tech geek or the nerdy sidekick.”
“I can buff up.”
“I've seen you at your most buff, man. It's not going to cut it.” He made a cutting motion with his hand in the air, then gestured toward his own face. “Your face is too pretty. It's made for dramas and romance movies, even comedies. That's it. No one wants to see a pretty boy getting his ass handed to him and overcoming the odds. Maybe some day when you have established yourself a role will come your way and you can prove yourself, but until then...”
“I'll be typecast by then.” he continued to hold his head in his hand, not looking up even once to speak.
“Don't you get it? A couple months work for this movie and you have a large wad of cash in your pocket. With that one movie, you could move out of here and have your own place again.”
“I like it here.”
Exasperated, Eric decided to give up at this point. He would pass on the movie or see if one of his other talents wanted to give it a shot. “Do you not want to continue acting? Should I just decide that this is the end?”
“Let me try out for action type movies.”
He tossed his hand in the air. “Fine, I'll get you scripts, but it's up to you to sell yourself.” There was a brief silence, before he spoke again. “You like it here?” He looked over at Tristan, who looked up from his hands when he asked the question. “You just said you did.”
He shrugged his shoulder gently. “It's dark. Someone cooks and cleans for me.”
“I did that at my apartment too.”
“Yeah, but it wasn't dark.”
Eric smirked, but the mood was lost when they heard the upstairs door open and then close. The stairs squeaked as a woman appeared from behind the wall that blocked out the stairs.
“Are we going to watch a movie?” Aven asked and seemed to completely ignore Eric's presence.
“Yeah.”
Eric noticed a change in Tristan's voice. He spoke very bluntly to everyone, himself included, but there was a gentle tone in his voice directed at this girl.
“I have to work until eleven.”
He nodded his head. “Eleven thirty?”
“Ok.” Turning around, she headed back up the stairs and they both waited until they heard the door shut.
“She just comes and goes from your apartment as she pleases?”
“No, this was the first time she came down here. She was probably trying to get away from Noah.” He leaned back on the couch and covered his eyes with his hands.
A large grin appeared on Eric's lips. “She's special, eh?”
Slowly pulling his hands down his face, Tristan glared at the man sitting on the armrest of his couch. “It's time for you to leave.”
He chuckled as he stood up. “I see. No more questions. I'll be heading out then. I have a big date tonight anyway. Enjoy your little movie.”
---***
Scott hung up the phone in his apartment that overlooked the city. His black granite top kitchen led into the dining room, where there was a large spread for a romantic dinner. He had built up his confidence enough and had wanted to tell Ayanna everything, but he had made the mistake of not setting a time. He had forgotten that she couldn't just come when he called anymore and that she had those tenants to take care of.
At the end of the table sat Joseph, who had been eyeballing the spread since he arrived. “That didn't sound like a favorable phone call.” The dark haired, lanky man grabbed a grape and popped it into his mouth.
The dining room had a long table that sat about twelve and was decorated with dark cherry wood with white walls. He had been thinking about painting it, but had wanted Ayanna to pick the color. The majority of the design in the house belonged to that woman. His friends had said that he wanted to give it her touch so when she moved in it would already be her style.
“Are you interested in some filet mignon?”
“Her favorite, eh?”
Scott nodded.
“Not coming?”
Again, he nodded.
“That sucks, dude. You were really pumped up. Lost your confidence, eh?” Joseph continued to eat the grape. “So, what? I'm your back up date then? The ugly bitch that no one really wants to take to the prom, but she's your last chance.”
“Do you want to formally eat my fucking food or do you want to continue to pick at it?”
Joseph smiled and then winked, “I'll be your ugly date, man.”
“Can't get any lower than you.” Scott mumbled and headed into the kitchen to start cooking the steaks. Shortly after, Joseph appeared and leaned against the center island.
“Are you going to tell her next time then?”
He shrugged as he put the frying pan on the stove top and started to season the steaks. “I don't know. Maybe.”
“Honestly, even if she had come tonight, I thought you would chicken out.”
Looking up from his task, Scott glared at his friend. “I have champagne out and roses for her. I don't think after giving her that it would be possible.” He paused. “I bought a ring.”
“What? Dude! You aren't even dating yet.”
He placed his hand on the center island and leaned forward. “It's fucking bat shit crazy. I bought it two years ago and I've been carrying it around with me. I saw it and thought it would be something she would like, but I can't just give a woman a diamond ring.”
“You didn't buy it that innocently.”
“Probably not.” He returned to seasoning the steaks as the room fell quiet. “I don't know what I am doing anymore.”
“Being a bitch.” Joseph spoke matter-of-factly. “You still think you are that little nerd in high school that isn't good enough for the popular girl. In reality, you are a rich and successful business owner and she can barely pay her bills.”
Turning around, Scott tested to see if the frying pan was hot, when he decided that it was he threw the steaks in. Once both sides were brown, he put the frying pan along with the steaks into the oven to finish cooking.
“Smells good. She doesn't know what she's missing.” Joseph said as he headed back out into the dining room. “I saw caviar somewhere.”
---***
“Aven is working and Noah is out. Looks like it's just you and me for dinner tonight.” Ayanna placed the plate of meatloaf and green beans on the table. “It's a little dry, so you'll have to use ketchup or barbecue sauce.”
He grunted a response and took the barbecue sauce from the center of the table.
“Back when Aven cooked, meals in this house were gourmet chef level. It was crazy to watch her cook something. She never measured anything out, and she seemed to be able to meld flavors together without even trying it first. You know what I mean?”
Tristan gave a slight nod.
“I mean, she would be out of a seasoning or something and she would just grab some other seasonings, that you wouldn't think work together, and, voilà, a delicious dinner!” She chuckled. “Ah, I miss those days. Now, we get my cooking.”
“It isn't bad.” Tristan decided that if she was going to force a conversation out of him, he might as well participate for a while.
“It isn't good either.”
He smirked at her response.
“Oh, a little smile.”
His lips quickly cleared away any signs of emotion.
“You look good when you smile. You should do it more often.” She cut off a piece of her meatloaf and tasted it. “Ack, it's like a big, dense clump of ground turkey. I didn't add enough bread crumbs or something. Did I remember to put an egg in there?”
He watched her as she stared at the piece of meat on her fork.
“I should have made meatballs. I do those better, but we weren't having any noodles and I thought that would be weird. Would it, have been?”
“No.”
She giggled after she looked over at him.
“What?”
“Oh, just a random memory entered my head.” She waited for him to ask what it was about, but in the same fashion as Aven, he didn't. If she wanted him to know she would just have to tell him. “When your band first came out and your single 'Wherever you go' was playing, my sister Azelea and I would always dance around in our bedroom. That part in it where you rap a little, we would always scream and then sing along.”
He hated talking about his time in the band. In truth, he hated talking about his life in general. If other people wanted to blabber on about their life that was fine, but he wasn't interested in sharing his own.
“Just a stupid memory. I think I had a poster of you guys up in my bedroom for a while.”
“Many girls did.”
Ayanna laughed, “Yeah, you are right on that. Aven was never into stuff like that though. She likes older bands like Pink Floyd and what not. I assume you weren't too into your own music. Are you more like Aven in that department?”
“I suppose.”
She could tell that she was being bothersome to him with his short responses. “I am sorry. I am talking too much, aren't I? You usually just sit there quietly like Aven while Noah and I chat away.” She began to eat her meal. “Aven likes a mixture of barbecue sauce and blue cheese dressing on her meatloaf. Back when she did eat, anyway.”
Just like Noah, Tristan had thought, apologizes for talking to him when he knows he doesn't like it, but continues anyway. What is the problem with people that they can't be in silence? What is so wrong with silence? Is it because their own thoughts are so terrifying? He often wondered which people were actually the sick ones. Was it really the person that kept to themselves and could happily live in silence with nothing but their own mind to keep them company, or was it people who couldn't stand to hear their own thoughts?
They were probably both dysfunctional in some way, he concluded, but there was something eerie about the people who were so frightened by the quiet. There was something wrong with Noah and Ayanna that much he knew. He could see it in side glances when they looked away even when they were smiling, they both had a darkness that appeared.
---***
“You redecorated.” Noah stood in the center of the white living room. The entire room was white, he felt like he was in a television dream sequence. The only splash of color was some red flowers on the table.
Camille exited her kitchen with a bottle of wine. “Yes. I am looking for some color to break up the white right now. It's blinding to be in here too long. I told the designer I wanted white, but I didn't really expect this.”
“Why didn't you have her re-do it?”
Sitting down on the couch, she put the wine glasses on the table. “I just want him gone. You know how I hate people in my home that's why I never got married.”
Noah sat down in the recliner and took his glass of red wine when she filled it up. “So, what do you think of my idea?”
“You plan to write a book about the house you are living in with that girl as your center character?”
He took a drink of wine and then leaned forward. “Don't you think it could be a great idea? I mean this girl is so deep into her depression. If I could just see how she ticks, then I could easily write a realistic story about how through...” He snapped his fingers. “I haven't really worked it all out, but the plot will come to me.”
“Are you looking for a tragedy here?” She sipped her wine as she leaned back on the couch and crossed her legs.
“Don't know.”
“You realize that this girl is a real human being. I hope you do not intend to play with her emotions.”
He cleared his throat and looked away briefly.
“Are you serious?”
“Look, I need to now how she ticks. I want to know how deep she is into this depression and what can begin to pull her out. I am not going to make her fall in love with me or anything, but friendship would be fine, wouldn't it?”
“You don't look like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar over friendship, Noah.” She uncrossed her legs and sat forward.
He shrugged. “If friendship doesn't work, then what else is there? I really think this girl is my muse.”
“Autumn was your muse. Don't go searching for another one, especially when you don't plan on actually loving her.”
The interest and excitement melted off his face quite quickly. “I told you not to talk about her.”
“I'm sorry. It was a cruel thing to say.” She set her wine glass on the table. “You are going to have to talk about it eventually, Noah. You can't just keep it...”
“Damnit, Camille!”
“Ok! Ok! I'll close my mouth. Tell me more about the girl and your plan.” She sat back and listened to him talk about the book.
Camille didn't really know if she liked the sound of this, but the fact that Noah seemed excited almost made anything he was about to do to this girl worth it. She decided that she couldn't see the future so it might be in Noah's best interest to be around this girl. He hadn't dated in four years and it would be nice for him to finally open himself up a little. He would have to in order to get the girl to become his friend.
“What do you think?”
She hadn't really heard much of what he was saying as she was concentrating too much on his animation and how alive he looked. “Marvelous, darling, absolutely.”
---***
The loud sounds of cars crashing and bullets flying reverberated in the living room. Tristan and Aven always seemed to watch action movies together, and the one time he offered to watch a chick flick if she wanted, he could have sworn she almost laughed at him. No, Aven was fine with watching movies that didn't try to invoke too much emotion and who's stories were often far fetched.
Tristan found himself watching the girl on the opposite side of the couch more than the movie. She was wearing a pair of shorts. It was the first time he had ever seen her legs. They were shaved or she didn't grow much hair on them, either way it wasn't what he expected. She didn't seem the type to rid herself of body hair, she barely took care of the hair on top of her head.
He didn't like it. Why did she have this sudden change? The house's air conditioning was always at a constant seventy five degrees so it wasn't hot. More importantly, why did she need to have smooth legs?
Catching himself with the thoughts, he wondered why he cared at all. It wasn't any of his business why she was shaving her legs or wearing shorts.
Then another thought crept into his mind, what if that was for him? She didn't think that there was any kind of special relationship between them, did she? After all, she was always at home and he had never seen her around another man except Noah. She also made it clear enough that Noah wasn't her favorite person.
Earlier today, she had just come into his apartment without knocking, he was certain that wasn't something someone did unless they thought there was something special, be it friendship or more. Not even Eric would come into his apartment before knocking and they had been friends for years. This girl had only known him a little over a month now.
Thinking of Eric reminded him of the question that Eric had asked him earlier, whether or not this girl was special to him. Obviously, he had some jealousy, he decided but it was because if she liked someone then he would lose his movie partner. Eric hadn't been on his case about finding friends since he started having movie night with Aven. Life had been really peaceful and he didn't want to ruin it. If Aven thought there was more between them then that too would ruin his peace.
None of this would be good for him. He had to put an end to it without harming any platonic relationship between them.
“Would you knock before coming into my apartment?” Tristan spoke but kept his eyes on the television screen.
“I was escaping Noah and I didn't think. It won't happen again.”
That gave him a sigh of relief. It really had been as he told Eric earlier. He laughed at himself on the inside for even giving a thought that it was anything else. He then remembered her choice of attire. “What's with the shorts?”
Aven placed her hand against her cheek. “Maybe a fever or too hot of a bath.” She lifted her arms to reveal damp armpits. “It's hot.”
He didn't catch himself before it was too late and she was looking at him like he had gone insane. His arm stretched across the length of the couch and the back of his fingers touched her cheeks. When she recoiled, he tried to hide a look of embarrassment. “You feel warm.”
She simply nodded her head and returned her attention to the movie. It was the first time that he had ever touched her or even initiated touching someone else. He didn't like this or maybe he did. People always told him that if there was a feeling of love that his heart would beat harshly in his chest, but he felt none of that. All that was left was awkwardness that soon faded in the silence.
---***
The sun had barely risen when Noah parked the car in front of his new home. He had almost driven himself to the old motel he used to stay at. He had left before Camille awoke because he knew she would have him drinking before noon and he wanted to get home to start work on Aven as soon as possible.
As his car door slammed shut, he heard another car slam on it's breaks and honk it's horn. Spinning around, he watched a small black puppy hurry to the sidewalk. The large blue truck that had almost hit it continued on it's way without a second thought to the animal. Normally, Noah wouldn't have cared and could have continued his day, but a memory came with the sight of the small dog.
Autumn's brown curls blowing in the wind after they had seen a small dog limping after being hit by a car. She coaxed it for an hour to come to her before they were finally able to take it to the veterinarian's. They paid nearly a thousand dollars to save the little dog that died anyway, but it had made her happy so he handed the money over gladly.
Sucking on his bottom lip briefly, he followed after the small puppy and found it in an alley near a clutter of trash cans. Garbage pick up had been the day before so they were mostly empty. Lowering himself down, he called to the small dog.
It's ears perked up and it turned toward the human down the alley. For a moment, it seemed to decide whether it was going to run away or go to the man. Noah had no doubt that it would jet away and eventually he would lose it, or perhaps that was what he had hoped for.
Instead, the little black pup began to run towards him as if it was looking for a human to assist it all along. He pet the small animal briefly as he tried to think over what he would tell Ayanna when he got home. Picking it up, he made the short journey back to the house. He could smell breakfast being made and wondered if she was making enough for him as well.
The moment he opened the door, he heard a woman squeal with delight as Ayanna charged him. “I have been seeing this little guy all over the place lately. It's been like two weeks. I can't believe you caught him!” She took the dog from his arms.
“I'll take it to the pound later.”
“You don't want him?” She checked the underside of the dog to ensure she got the gender right. “Her, rather.”
“I am not a pet person.” Not since Autumn, he had thought to himself.
“I always wanted a dog, but Aven never thought I could take responsibility and thought everything would be on her. Maybe now that I am taking care of two grown men, she'll change her tune.”
“You are more than welcome to this dog. I would suggest putting up fliers and ads about a lost dog, before you call her yours.”
“Of course.” She quickly snuggled with it. “I have to cook breakfast, could you watch her for a little while?” Ayanna offered the dog back to him.
Noah sat down at the table and looked at the small dog on his lap. “I don't think it is going to be a big dog. Maybe thirty pounds at most.”
Ayanna was washing her hands before touching some food, she turned to look at him as she dried them. “I shouldn't name her until she's mine, right?”
“I would think that is best.”
She gave a firm, excited nod. “This is so awesome. I am so happy.” She turned back to her pancake batter. “I know I still have to do all that work and get Aven's permission, but I just can't wait. I have wanted a dog since I was little, but my mom was allergic. I know Aven is more of a cat person, but hopefully...” She held up her index and middle finger in the air and crossed them.
“I'll help with Aven if she proves stubborn.”
Ayanna giggled as she put the frying pan on the stove top. “I'll hold you to that. You have to help me name her, since you caught her for me. Ok?”
A small grinned appeared on his face as he watched the girl with obviously dyed black hair begin to cook. “Alright.”
---***
The puppy whimpered from time to time from behind the living room door as the group of four sat around the breakfast table. Aven's head was lowered and her hair created a wall against the others in the room.
“And we don't even know if she has an owner.” Ayanna continued with her case about the puppy. “So, can she please just stay until we find out? Then we can discuss if we keep her or not.” She clasped her hands together and waited for the answer.
“Whatever.” Finally came under the veil of of strawberry blonde hair.
Ayanna jumped from her seat and ran around to the other side of the table as she chimed. “Thank you! Thank you!” She grabbed her sister and hugged her tightly.
Both Tristan and Noah gave each other a look and wondered to themselves if Aven would be alright with her sister's affections.
“Uh, you feel a little warm.” Ayanna stood behind her sister and put her hand on her forehead then pulled back forcing Aven to tilt her head all the way back. After a moment, Ayanna placed her lips on her sister's forehead. “I think you have a fever. Are you alright?”
“I'm fine.” She pushed her sister's hand away and returned to her cereal.
“She complained of one last night.” Tristan rarely spoke at the table and even he wondered why he had bothered to open his mouth.
“A fever?”
He nodded gently and wondered if Aven was giving him a dark glare under all the hair.
“Does your tummy hurt or anything?” Before Aven could respond, Ayanna continued. “Wait, I thought I heard someone throwing up last night, was that you?”
Aven grunted, annoyed by all the questions that she was receiving.
“No one else was sick, and she hardly goes out. The only way she could get sick is if we brought it back to her.” Noah interjected.
“No one else has had the flu?” Ayanna asked both of them and they shook their heads. “What could it be?”
“Food poisoning, maybe?” Noah asked.
“She only eats slim jims, tapioca pudding, and rice krispies. What could give her food poisoning?”
Aven gave a loud sigh, “You left the spoiled milk on the counter and I thought it was the milk for my cereal.”
Ayanna looked at her sister and then covered her mouth. “Oh no! That was like a week past the date. You didn't notice it was warm? How many bowls did you have?”
“Two or three.”
Looking at Noah, she looked lost at what to do.
“She probably would have been fine if it wasn't for the milk being at room temperature. Call your doctor and see what he has to say.” Noah told her. “You do have a doctor, don't you? If not call poison control.” Standing up, he grabbed Aven by the arm and pulled her up. “Come on, you need to be laying down.”
Aven looked more sick as she stood up and Noah pulled her in against him so she could lean on him while she walked.
“Were you trying to hide it from us?” Noah asked the question that got no response in return, but from the heat coming through his clothing from the girl, he wondered if she even heard his question at all or had the power to answer. “How can you even eat like this?”
Ayanna quickly raced to the phone and dialed in the numbers. As she talked on the phone with the doctor, and Noah disappeared with a more noticeably sick Aven, Tristan sneaked out of the room and down into the basement. Where he tossed himself on the couch and crossed his arms.
---***
The doctor had been their family physician since they were children and he had called in a prescription to help with the nausea, then told them if her symptoms got worse that she would need to go to the emergency room.
Ayanna left to pick up the medicine at the pharmacy, while Noah stayed in Aven's bedroom. He was shocked to see how surprisingly clean and feminine it was. Actually, the room didn't smell like the normally unwashed woman at all. There was a sweet scent of flowers in the air that he wondered came from some air freshener. Most likely something Ayanna sprayed in the room constantly.
The dark wood bed framed offered a comfortable looking bed with a white with blue flowers comforter. The curtains were white as well and there was a book case that matched the bed frame that was filled with books. He had half expected them to be romance novels, but there was a great deal of classic literature and nothing he would categorize as romance.
The last pieces of furniture in the room beside the dresser was a mismatched vanity. It was a light wood that looked quite old and Noah wondered if it had belonged to her mother. Sitting down on the bed beside Aven who refused to get under the covers, he continued to look around the room.
“Not a bedroom that I expected from you. I thought it would be dark with tinted windows and black sheets.” He teased as he brought his feet on the bed and leaned against the pillows behind him.
Aven didn't seemed bothered that she was sharing a bed with him and continued to hold her stomach as she stared at the ceiling.
“Why didn't you tell anyone that you were sick?”
“I don't want to be babied. I can care for myself, so leave.”
Noah looked over at her. There was some hair stuck to her forehead due to her perspiration. Reaching his hand out, he brushed it aside which caused Aven to look at him. “You didn't want your sister to be worried?”
Aven rolled over on the bed and turned her back toward him.
“This may not be the best time to have this conversation but you rarely give me time alone with you. If you would just come and do those interviews that I asked of you, then it would be less painful for both of us. It would be over quickly and we could both move on.” He didn't expect a reply from her and that's exactly what he got.
After a few moments, he noticed that she was clenching at her stomach and trying not to make any noise.
“Are you going to be sick? Do you want me to get you a container of some sort?”
She shook her head, but continued to act as if she was in pain.
Holding out his hand, Noah began to gently rub her back. “My mom used to rub my back when I had a stomach ache. Makes it hurt less, doesn't it?”
She didn't answer.
“I'll take your silence as a yes.” He continued to rub her back without saying anything else. Eventually her sister would return and right now he knew he had to score some points with this girl, and she liked silence.
---***
Ayanna made her way into the kitchen after giving her sister some medicine to calm her stomach and help her to sleep. She had also been forced to call in to her work and tell them she was sick. As she stepped into the room, she found Noah sitting at the table with an open bottle of wine.
“Wine?” He held up the bottle and then set it back down without ever looking at her.
“Yes, please.” She sat back down and exhaled. “At least she'll get some sleep today.” She poured herself a glass that Noah had already set out for her.
“Why wouldn't she tell you that she was sick?”
Taking a couple sips of wine, she tried to buy herself time in order to come up with the proper way to explain. “My mom never dated or remarried after my father died. I don't even remember my dad, but Aven does a little. Anyway, my mom had to work two full time jobs and we had this old lady that lived next door that would watch us for free, but she really couldn't do much except sit there. My mom knew it wasn't right, but she couldn't afford to pay a babysitter.”
Noah nodded his head sympathetically as he listened before folding his hands on top of the table.
“Aven was really left to taking care of us and basically just doing what the babysitter said. I still have an image of my eight year old sister making us mac and cheese over the gas stove.” She sighed right before she took another drink of wine. “Aven got sick with the chicken pox for about a week and couldn't do anything. Azelea and I cried outside her bedroom door begging her to come out, but our babysitter told us she was too sick.”
Ayanna chuckled before she continued. “I don't even know why we were so upset. We got take out all week long. I guess we just missed our sister, the provider. When she was better, my sister and I got the chicken pox and Aven took care of us. We begged her not to get sick anymore. I think that has always stuck with her, because she never told anyone when she was sick from that point on.”
He sat back in his seat. “She won't tell you when she is sick because she thinks it will upset you?”
“Maybe it's not really a conscious decision like that. I can't even tell you that the story is the real reason, but it's the only explanation Azelea and I could come up with.” She quickly downed her glass of wine and poured herself another one.
Noah watched the girl as she reflected on the memory she had just told. Her eyes and face always looked so gentle. She seemed very fragile despite her sometimes overbearing demeanor. “Why do you take care of her?”
“After my mom died, Aven locked herself away in the house. Azelea got engaged soon after my mother's death when she found out she was pregnant. His parents were very strict about it, I guess.” She shrugged. “We discussed it and decided that I was really the only person who could move in here, so I did. I didn't expect that I would be her caretaker like this, but you get used to it over time.”
“Why not get her medical help?”
“I can't force her. She's not a real danger to herself, besides her eating habits. I have noticed that she has been eating more lately though, so I am hoping she will start incorporating more foods.” Ayanna motioned toward the counter at a container of strawberries. “I don't like those, but I buy them every season for her just in case. She loves them... or she did.”
There was a quiet sadness around this girl that Noah found alluring in a way. She was all smiles and laughter, but she had a hidden secret. He wondered if he liked it because he could see himself in that sadness. “They just rot?”
“Yeah, they rot.”
---***
The phone rang in the darkness as Tristan sat on the couch staring at the television's blank screen. Reaching his hand passed the armrest, he picked it up and looked at the bright green caller id screen.
With a sigh, he turned the phone on and pressed it to his ear. “What?”
“Just wanted to let you know, I'll be down there next week. I have a couple scripts you can look at. They aren't exactly action, but it's no romance novel either. They are pretty independent films, but if you are willing to take a smaller paycheck, you could probably give yourself a more serious persona with these.” Eric told him.
“Great.” He spoke with no enthusiasm.
“How is everything going up there?” His fingers were tapping on his desk, which was something that Tristan always hated. The little thumps nearly drove him mad.
“Your fingers.” He mumbled.
“Oh.” There was a pause before Eric continued. “Tristan? You there?”
“Yeah.”
Another long pause occurred while Eric waited for the answer to his question. “I asked how things were doing?”
“Fine.”
“You don't sound fine. Are you sitting in the dark?”
Tristan looked around the room and realized that he was indeed in the dark. Sometimes he didn't know whether to be thankful toward his friend for knowing him so well or resentful. “No.”
“Liar. What's wrong?” Eric's chair squeaked over the phone line and he could tell that he had just stood up. More than likely he had begun to pace the room as the agent couldn't sit still for very long.
“I'm not sure.”
“Just having a downer day then?”
Tristan thought his question over for a bit. “No, I don't think so.”
He could hear Eric's breathing over the phone line as his friend tried to figure out his next question. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
“Not really.”
“Ok, I'll call you tomorrow then.”
“Hey.” Tristan prevented him from hanging up the phone.
“What?”
“Can I ask you a question that you won't follow up with other questions?” Tristan's free hand tightened on the edge of the armrest.
“Sure, what's up?”
“What's it like?” He began. “What it's like to have an infatuation with someone? Like... like a crush.”