Thankfully, after a fair amount of time, patience and at least one near accident at a stop sign, she finally found the building he lived in; the remaining task, however, was to figure out which unit was his. The only thing she remembered was it was on the top floor, and so she found a vacant parking spot, retrieved her side bag and both roses from the back seat, and began the next leg of this spontaneous adventure.
Sure she could have just called Zac and asked for directions but from what little she knew about him, chances are he was likely holed up in his office back in the Dark Kingdom with a stack of reports on his desk for him to go through.
When she was sure she had found the right unit, Phedre peered in through one of the windows to glance inside before knocking on the door.
For a minute or so she stood outside patiently waiting before knocking on the door once more.
Still nothing. “Must not be home.” Phedre looked down at the roses to consider her options.
On one hand she could just leave them here on his doorstep but that came with a risk that one of his neighbors might steal them before Zac got hom. Or…
Phedre leaned sideways to glance in through the window. Sure enough she saw a cat asleep on the back of the couch but otherwise the place was silent.
She could just take them home and try again later, but with her current schedule the chance of them still being alive the next opportunity she got to swing by was kind of slim to none. The last time she was here Phedre vaguely remembered there being a skylight with a ladder inside so maybe… maybe she could just leave then inside?
Worrying her lower lip as she weighed her options she glanced inside one last time then turned around to see if anyone appeared to be watching before walking over to the side of the building where she knew the fire escape was at so she could climb up in the roof rp see if the alternate entrance was even a valid option.
“I am so going to get arrested for this if I get caught.” But, at least this once, the risk was worth it. And so she descended the ladder quietly.
Once at the bottom she walked into the kitchen, set her bag down on the floor and roses on the counter. I wonder if he has any vases I could put these in. Who knew if or when he would be home tonight? All of this would have been moot point if they were wilted and gross when the two of them finally got in, and so, she set about looking through for anything, even a mason jar, that she could use for now.
~~~
He had been dozing, the knock had woken him, but not expecting visitors he’d chosen to ignore it. Most people would just leave or, leave a package if he’d ordered something and gotten it earlier, or later than expected. He’d almost started to relax, when he heard the skylight.
He slid off the bed and moved carefully to stand behind one of the heavy blackout curtains while he waited and listened.
Burglar? Maybe, it seemed early for that but, that might be part of why it was clever.
He crouched slowly and pulled up a wooden baseball bat that he’d stuck beside his bed to feel more secure since he was living alone save for his house cats now.
He crouched slightly and moved quietly along the wall towards the kitchen, bare feet were at least quiet He hefted the bat, and peered around the corner, and arched an eyebrow.
She was rustling around in his cupboards, and he rather thought her profile was...familiar.
He gripped his bat, not quite ready to take the chance that he was either wrong, or that she wasn’t on a more dangerous mission.
He did have surprise on his side at least. But…
“.. I’m curious as to, what point it seemed like a good idea to break in.” He said still bracing to swing, or… well, do something more extreme.
~~~
Phedre let out an almost shrill startled scream; her head snapped to the side as she spun around on her heel.
Her deep oceanic colored eyes were wide in surprise when she caught sight of Zac with a bat held high like he was ready to take her head off with one very decisive swing.
“It's me. It's just me!” Backing up until her back was pressed up against the fridge, Phedre held her hands out for him to see she wasn't armed. “It's not what it looks like, I swear!”
~~~
He exhaled and lowered his weapon, tipping his head to one side.
“What… are you doing?” He said shaking his head. “I thought you were a burglar, or worse.”
He waved a hand towards the chair, inviting her to have a seat though he made no immediate move to do so himself.
Instead, he stood in the door frame watching her carefully, lightly tapping the bat against the floor beside his bare foot
~~~
“I just-” Phe paused; her eyes traveling from where they had been locked with his down to his torso where they paused for the briefest of seconds before falling down to the spot where the tip of his bat kept tapping against the hardwood floor.
My god… That repeating thumping sound was no different than when her mother would tap her recently manicured nails on the table when she was irritated, or angry, while thinking of a way to discipline Phedre when she was a child. It only happened twice and if he was only half as cunning or creative as her mother was then she had a definite reason to worry.
Don’t kill me… She mentally weeped. And please no more snow…
With a shaky hand she pointed to the two yellow roses she had set on the kitchen counter. “I was looking for a vase to put those in.” Though he had offered her a chance to sit down, Phe remained rather stationary not trusting her ability to walk just yet; her heart was simply beating too rapidly right now to take that leap of faith.
~~~
He did a small toss of the bat, lofting it enough to grab it mid way down the length of it and then tilted it to point at one of the upper cupboards.
“... I don’t own a vase, but I do have a rather tall glass that you can use, there, second shelf.” He said blinking at her studiously before glancing down at, well what he was or wasn’t wearing and glancing away quickly, crossing arms over his chest and let out a huffing breath and clearing his throat.
“Right… Shirt.” He hemmed.
“Teapot is there, tea is in the cupboard over it, heating instructions are stuck to the top.” He instructed and turned to go grab something to cover himself better with.
~~~
“Zac wait!” Phedre stumbled forward to grab onto his arm before he had a chance to retreat back into his room. “I’m sorry, please don’t be angry with me.”
“I know I should have called, or at least texted. But I thought you were still in your office busy with paperwork.” Which in that regard would also mean he wouldn’t get either message until he left the Dark Kingdom because, outside of their crystal communicators, there wasn’t any cell reception.
“You’re my friend, and I worry about you.” Which was a very true statement given the expression on her face. His rank set aside, Zac was still human, just as she was. “You’ve just been so busy lately that I thought it would be a nice thing to come home to.” Phedre gave his arm a gentle tug and motioned with her head over to the gift she brought with her.
“Since you’re actually here, can I at least give it to you? Please?”
~~~
“I am not…” he started to say and then sighed again, he was, after all, miffed that his sanctuary of a sort had been invaded. Good intentions or otherwise.
“Let me put a shirt on, then you can present things, alright?” He said, resisting the ever-present urge to free himself from any grasp. It wasn’t that he abhorred human contact, it was just… since the accident, he disliked feeling, trapped.
For as little as he could remember, it had certainly left a profound impact on his psyche.
Even the walls of his apartment that had once been white, he’d colored more vibrant hues to avoid any association with what he could only bring himself to think of as ‘fever dreams’.
“If you don’t mind putting on the kettle, I’d be most grateful.” He added.
“Just, give me a moment.”
~~~
For as quickly as she had reached out to stop Zac from walking away, Phedre relinquished her hold just as promptly and took a step away.
“Ok,” she agreed with a singled quiet word.
Knowing she had royally screwed up with this one, her gaze remained downcast as she turned around. This was definitely far from the best or brightest idea she had ever had. Next time, if there was a next time, she would just schedule to have them delivered; it would be a lot easier that way.
While he got dressed, Phedre set about heating the water and getting the tea ready as he had asked her to do.
~~~
He returned moments later, a grey v-neck shirt and some well-worn jeans, broken in to the point of softness and a few tears.
“Thank you.” He said glancing towards the kettle.
“Did you find the mugs as well?” He spoke like nothing was wrong but he glanced her way and looked away again.
~~~
“I did, the tea should be done in a few minutes.”
Phedre worried her lower lip the moment he looked away. Yup, I ******** up… Not knowing what really to say she drew in a deep breath then exhaled slowly especially since asking about what she saw felt highly inappropriate given the current circumstances.
“I hope that’s the right glass you were referring to.” She looked over to the end of the counter where the roses had been set.
While Zac had been getting dressed, she had trimmed the stems of each flower and placed them in the tallest up she could find. The ribbon that was wrapped around the plastic was instead tied into a bow around the top of the glass with the name tags on the table next to it.
Not one to leave a mess, Phedre put the stems and few petals that had fallen off, into the compost bin and the plastic into the trash.
~~~
He glanced at the improvised vase with the roses and then gave a small nod. “That works.” He said carefully.
“It’s a nice thought.” He added. “I just… was not expecting company.” He rubbed absently at his shoulder at the collar of his shirt.
“Yellow, for friendship.” He said as he bustled towards the fridge and pulled out a small container of cream and a Tupperware of sliced lemon and set them on the counter. “How would you like your tea today?”
~~~
Oddly enough it didn’t surprise her that he was familiar with the language of flowers; well, at least the color of roses anyway. Alexandre was very well versed on the topic and he had only been in high school at the time.
“I don’t suppose you have any honey by chance?” If there was some in the cupboard it had gone unnoticed. Then again, her mind had been preoccupied with other thoughts at the time as well.
Reaching for the Tupperware, Phedre removed the lid and picked out a wedge of lemon to squeeze into her empty mug. “I really do apologize. Despite my good intentions, I overstepped the boundaries.”
“You’re my friends, I care about you two.” Shrugging her shoulders, her gaze drifted from the lemon peel over to the equally vibrant yellow roses as if she were further proving her statement to be true. To her did didn’t matter if it was one-sided, her feelings were her own and would not easily be swayed. Then again, Abby did pointedly claim Phe as her own the first day they met. “Just wanted to make sure you two doing ok.”
~~~
“Give me your phone.” He said as he moved to pull honey out of another pantry.
“Unlocked please.” He added
He set the honey on the table and dropped into a seat across from her, reaching for the phone.
“Next time you wish to try and visit… you can text me, and if I don’t respond I’m either not here, or not awake.”
~~~
Phe blinked back in surprised but did as she was asked. Reaching over, she grabbed her side bag and fished around for her phone. It was a Samsung Note 8 rather than the Apple iPhone many of her co-workers assumed she’d carry instead, mostly because she preferred the stylus. But in truth they were in fact partly correct in their assumptions as she did have an Apple that she carried with her while powered.
Rather than a pattern, she entered an 6-digit passcode then handed it over to Zac. “Thank you,” Phe spoke somewhat quietly knowing he had every right to kick her out but instead extended an offer she did not expect.
“If you’re hungry,” she hesitated in asking, looking over her shoulder towards the front door she fiddled with the hem of her shirt before turning to look back at him. “I was going to make chimichanga’s for dinner tonight. I don’t know if that’s something you’d enjoy or not but I’d be happy to make you something, or take you somewhere if you’d prefer.” Truth be told, beyond chai tea and pastries, she wasn’t entirely sure what kind of food he liked.
~~~
endejester
Moved from Docs - TBC
