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 Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 8:39 am
“You think so?” he stared at Ariel again, his eyes lit up. He probably sounded like a broken record. He was pretty sure he’d said that already, so he laughed and tried not to grin.
“Thank you! I don’t really know what I want to do. I love to read but I don’t think I’m that great of a writer, so I don’t think I’d be good enough to make any money off of books or whatever. But I also really like cooking. Oh, nothing fancy. I’ve picked up some cookbooks. That’s where I got this recipe. Well, I altered it a little. I didn’t have the fancy tomatoes it asked for. But I’ve been watching some videos online.”
Oh… he should probably stop talking so much so that Ariel actually had a chance to say something. Or maybe just eat.
Casey took a moment to wrap his arm over Harrison, who thwapped her tail against the couch with delight. He had to lower his head a little to hide behind Harrison so Ariel couldn’t catch him smiling. It was silly, he knew. He’d been trying to talk more to Ariel for weeks now, but he always seemed so ready to just hide in his apartment.
“Oh. Oh I forgot your water, I’m so sorry,” he suddenly gasped, and jumped up so he could rush out to the kitchen, but then came back as quickly as he could with two glasses. In the meantime, Harrison leaned up to try and lick the spaghetti sauce from Ariel’s face.
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 8:55 am
Casey was up before Ariel could protest; he still had a mouthful of spaghetti. He made a noise–at first to try and insist it was fine, but then because Harrison got a good lick of his face.
He held a hand up to block her but it took one lick before he gave up and started petting her face.
“I don’t know if I ever asked what you do now?” They’d had little conversations before but he couldn’t quite remember if they’d gotten into the personal things like where he worked or if he was going to school. Ariel hadn’t mentioned anything about where he worked, but that was normal. He didn’t really like to volunteer unnecessary information, and was usually careful about asking because he expected the question to be returned.
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 10:26 am
“Oh,” Casey said, then laughed uncomfortably as he set the glasses down and sat next to Harrison, trying to pull her away from licking Ariel’s face. “Nothing exciting,” he admitted and tried to hide his embarrassment by shoving a forkful of spaghetti in his mouth.
“Just stocking,” he said behind a mouthful of food, but did his best to also be polite by covering his mouth with his hand, and therefore the flush on his cheeks.
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 10:39 am
As soon as Casey brought the water, he took a sip and then offered a quick word of thanks. “I hope it’s somewhere that’s treating you well. My first stocking job was horrible. I don’t like heights so much but they kept making me go up the ladder to put away the overstock. The top step broke out underneath me.”
He shook his head and shuddered–or, maybe he was just cold. He didn’t usually talk so much, but something about Casey seeming nervous made him want to reassure him.
“That was too exciting for me. I liked working in back, but not working with people so much. I bet you’re popular there, do all the customers come to you for help?”
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 12:02 pm
“That sounds horrible,” Casey gasped and stared at Ariel with concern. He knew it must have happened a while ago, but it was still horrible to think about! He also shuddered a little at the thought.
“It’s one of those big bulk supply places. I usually work late at night, but on busy days they need people to fill in any holes. Um, but yeah I guess customers come to me for help. My manager is never very happy with me, though. Says I get too distracted, or that I spend too much time talking to customers, but I’m just trying to be polite! It’s probably why he usually puts me on the graveyard shift. Which is fine. I would rather spend the day with Harrison and just wake up to take her out. She’s usually good on her own at night.”
He knew he was rambling, but Ariel was surprisingly easy to talk to.
“I don’t mind talking to people, but um. Usually I’m ‘too much’ for them. I guess I talk a lot sometimes.”
Which reminded him that he should shut his mouth and let Ariel get in a word or maybe eat.
“You never told me what you do, either. If that’s okay to ask,” he offered Ariel a shy smile, because they always seemed to tiptoe around personal questions like where they worked and where they were from and how they ended up in this cheap apartment building.
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 12:28 pm
Ariel had listened while Casey spoke. He’d managed to finish half his plate and nodded occasionally. He preferred to listen than to talk, and Casey had a unique candor to his words that made him easy to listen to.
Ariel wasn’t very trusting, but Casey wasn’t very intimidating. He could definitely see why being that chatty might be frustrating for a manager–or for a customer like him that wanted to be left alone–but in this position, hearing Casey talk about it, all he could think was that it sounded like a very likable bad habit.
The question about where he worked was expected, but disappointing, too. There didn’t seem to be any malice or shadiness in the question, but it was a good reminder that he was trying very hard not to get attached to anyone. The less they knew, the better. Especially since he was planning on leaving in a few months.
And, he didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea or get roped into his business.
He looked away from Casey and returned his attention to the spaghetti in front of him. He could have come up with a good lie, but he didn’t feel very creative right now.
“Customer Service.” Which wasn’t untrue. But, he knew there were other questions that followed so he tried to divert with a less vague clarification. “I’ve been doing a lot of call center stuff for a while. I get paid decent money to let people yell at me for a while, so it’s really not anything to brag about. Is she really okay overnight? I see your lights on at night sometimes so I never realized you weren’t home, do you leave them on for her?”
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 12:52 pm
While Ariel was speaking, Casey took the time to shovel as much of his spaghetti into his mouth. Not because he wanted to rush the end of their impromptu dinner together, but because he tended to forget to eat if he was talking too much.
After managing to swallow, he opened his mouth to tell Ariel that being paid to be yelled at sounded just as horrible as ladders breaking, but the topic shift to Harrison threw him off.
“Oh, I mean I’m sure she’s lonely. I’m surprised she hasn’t caused any problems like whining or barking. But yeah, I leave the lights on for her. And so I don’t run into anything when I get home. I mean, there’s not much to run into, but just in case.
He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask Ariel, but this was already more than he could have imagined talking to him. And he had such a gentle aura about him that Casey was trying very hard not to feel flustered just by looking at him. It wasn’t a bad thing! He just wanted to smile, and he knew that was weird.
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 1:22 pm
Ariel shook his head and, though he was briefly distracted by the dog next to him he was quick to continue, “She’s always seemed like such a good girl to me. Very good mannered. Better than the other neighbors.”
He did his best to ignore the slamming doors or stomping up stairs or loud voices. It was a rowdy place sometimes but it wasn’t bad. Most of the time. He was careful and cautious and kept his head down so he didn’t make any enemies while he was here.
He didn’t really make any friends either, but that was par for the course.
“Do you lock your door when you leave?” he asked, and maybe he realized it was a personal question that could have had negative implications so he was quick to clarify, “It’s just, she seems too friendly to be a good guard dog. You seem really nice. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 1:31 pm
Casey froze, as though caught red handed with… something. But he quickly chewed the mouthful of spaghetti and when he swallowed he laughed, clearly feeling awkward and embarrassed.
“I try to remember,” he confessed, and then laughed again. “You’re not going to try and rob me, are you? You can just help yourself.”
He knew something bad could happen to him. He knew someone could take Harrison. He would be upset. Beside himself with grief if someone took her. But maybe they would give her a home he couldn’t. He loved her, but he knew he didn’t have much.
And if anything happened to him, well… it wasn’t as though anyone would be around to care. Except Harrison. He knew he should keep himself safe for her sake. But he wasn’t about to tell his already concerned neighbor all that.
“You’re really sweet to worry about me and Harrison, though. Thank you. We’ll be okay.”
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 1:57 pm
Ariel looked briefly offended but it shifted into concern shortly afterwards. “No,” he insisted quickly. “I’m not going to rob you. I wouldn’t do that to you. I was just worrying. Especially–do you read the news? There’s been a rise in break-ins in the area. If you’ve got a car, you should be locking that, too. And don’t leave any valuables in the open.”
He was nagging, he knew he was nagging. He couldn’t help it, Casey seemed so nice. What was he even saying–help yourself? No, that was horrible, Casey obviously worked hard for this, and he had goals for more.
Also, Ariel didn’t know what he would do with any of this, and didn’t have the heart to rob someone so kind anyway.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s not my place to worry or fuss or anything. If you’re not going to lock your door, leave me a key and I’ll lock it for you,” he said, but he flashed a smile and was obviously teasing. Even if he felt a little silly about it. He smiled sheepishly and took another bite of food to try and hide behind that.
He was still embarrassed from earlier and tipped his head so his hair created a little bit of a curtain at least.
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 2:10 pm
He knew he shouldn’t, but the more Ariel nagged, the brighter he smiled. It had been so long since someone seemed to actually care about what happened to him that it was just. Sweet.
Oh, that probably meant he should be more concerned about locking his apartment, but he didn’t forget on purpose! His mind just got a little distracted sometimes.
“It’s okay, I don’t mind. I’m sorry for worrying you. I’ll try to do better,” he promised, although he really didn’t have anything of value. And… he really did think if someone was going to rob him, they were obviously in need of things more than he was.
“I don’t have a car, so you don’t have to worry about that,” he promised, but his eyes lit up when Ariel offered to lock the door for him. Not because he was worried about something like that, but because he couldn’t remember Ariel smiling before.
“Hey! You’ve got a really cute smile, you know. You’ve got little dimples when you do,” Casey grinned, lifting a hand to point to his own cheek to indicate where, even if Ariel was hiding behind his hair now. “I’ll give you a key. You’re really sweet for worrying. I’m still sorry for making you, though.”
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 2:20 pm
Ariel’s cheeks were burning again; he’d tried to avoid Casey’s eyes, but something about him just summoned his attention. He forgot how to speak for a moment and pushed his food around on his plate while he fumbled for an answer.
“I was just teasing about the key, I don’t want to intrude. Sorry, It’s been a while since I–”
Had dinner with someone? Met up with a neighbor? Made conversation he didn’t have to make?
Maybe it had been a while since he smiled, too.
He’d pressed his lips together, not necessarily to erase the smile from his face, but certainly because he wasn’t joking when he answered, “You just seem like a good guy. I don’t want anything to happen to you. And Harrison.” He shifted his attention to her so he could pet her face. “What would she do without you? And this is probably the best spaghetti I’ve ever had. Is–does all your food taste this good? What’s your specialty?”
Was he trying to get to know Casey? Maybe. He was curious, he did want to know. He just also got a bit nervous when it came to talking about himself. And Casey seemed like he liked to talk, anyway!
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 6:21 pm
It was nice -- talking to a neighbor who actually didn’t seem to mind listening to him. Someone that Harrison liked, too, although her bar seemed to be pretty low, but that didn’t mean Ariel wasn’t great, anyway.
Casey smiled down at his food as he gathered some more noodles onto his fork. He knew better than to get attached to anyone. The fact that Ariel was worried about him was only going to be temporary until he decided Casey actually was too obnoxious to bother with. And that wasn’t Ariel’s fault! He knew he could be a bit much when he was getting passionate about something.
“I’m pretty good with soups, but that’s more of necessity than something I really wanted to learn,” he offered Ariel a grin, but kept his eyes down to give the other man some privacy since he seemed a bit flustered. Maybe he didn’t like having his smile being called cute?
“Before eggs got ridiculously expensive, I used to make some pretty good breakfasts. Quiches and souffles. Mostly from videos I’ve watched at the library and took notes, and from cook books of course, but it’s harder to learn technique from words for me. But thanks. I don’t think anyone’s said my food tastes good. I mean, you’re the only one other than Harrison to try it, but she seems to like it, so I guess you’re the second.”
Rambling again…
“Is there any kind of food you’d like? Or favorite vegetable or fruit? I can keep an eye out for if anything is on sale.” In the hopes that maybe Ariel actually would like to talk to him again.
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 6:38 pm
“Soup’s good,” Ariel answered; he had cans of it at home. It was cheap and quick. And super processed and microwavable, but whatever. He wasn’t picky these days, it was food.
“I’m not picky. I’ll eat just about anything. I can chip in for an egg fund. I haven’t had a quiche or souffle in,” he paused and then shrugged. “It’s been a long time. I used to go out for breakfast sometimes in college, maybe back then.”
Talking about food was a surface level conversation, sure, but Casey seemed to be invested in cooking–or, at least, interested in it more than just as a necessity. He seemed to like it.
There was a nagging voice in the back of his mind that said maybe he shouldn’t do this–maybe he was getting too close. Maybe he was overstepping some unspoken boundaries. But–it wasn’t just neighborly friendliness, was it? If there was money involved, maybe it could just be a business transaction or something. Yeah, that worked.
No, he caved.
“Are you sure this is okay?” he asked; his plate was nearly finished and he chanced a look up at Casey. He didn’t want to corner him into anything, didn’t want Casey to feel pressured to do anything.
Although, if he was being honest with himself, despite how awkward and embarrassing this had been at first, he was enjoying the dinner. And the company.
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 7:27 pm
Casey could tell that Ariel was uncomfortable, but he couldn’t tell if it was because he was embarrassed or worried about something else, or if it was because he was realizing Casey was a little too much for him. Maybe he was trying to give himself a gentle way out without giving Casey a reason to be upset with him.
But Casey would be lying if he said he wasn’t lonely, even with Harrison. There was only so much interacting with a dog could offer, as much as he loved her.
“Yeah, it’s okay,” he said and offered Ariel a smile. “If you change your mind, don’t worry about it! Maybe my cooking isn’t that good,” he laughed, because it was easier to joke than to beg Ariel to at least stop by and talk to him, even if it was about the weather or how loud some of their neighbors were.
“Thank you for coming by. Really. You saved me from having to eat so much pasta,” he laughed again, his arm still over Harrison as she sat between them, her tail wagging behind her every so often.
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