We drove past the bus terminal in silence. Teddy’s demeanour became more relaxed, he reached
forward to turn on the stereo to let soft classical music into the room. If he felt triumphant he did not
voice it aloud. I watched a single finger tap against the steering wheel as he listened to the tune,
enjoying the song that put him in a better mood. It could be my imagination, but it seemed that his
mood lifted the further he drove away from his home. There was lightness to his face, a particular glow
that seemed to capture my attention. I do not know how long I was staring at him, except that when he
turned his head in my direction I could feel heat come over the sides of my cheeks in embarrassment.
A look transpired between us, but he said nothing to solidify the gravity of our unspoken words. Teddy
looked back onto the road, and decided to let the silence speak for itself.
***
Teddy’s car was parked outside of my apartment building. He let his hands relax over the steering
wheel before turning an earnest gaze towards me. “Here you are,” he declared. “Safe and sound.”
A shy smile escaped me, while I tried to ignore the nervous butterflies that fluttered in the pit of my
stomach. His gaze was unyielding, so focused on my visage that I feared he could read every
expression.
Rain was pouring down over the windshield, but with the engine off it allowed water to cover the whole
of the glass until you could barely see past it. My fingers curled together in a ball over my lap, while I let
my eyes fixate on the curve of my wrist. “Thank you, Teddy.”
I never heard a sound from him, although I had the sense that he took my gratitude rather well. When I
finally looked up he was still gazing at me, his eyes full of a strange enchantment that he could not hold
back. I found my teeth biting down on my bottom lip, twisting it cruelly before I forced myself to speak
up. “Would you like to come inside?”
His eyebrows shot upwards in surprise.
“For coffee,” I continued. “I might have some lemon poppy-seed loaf left. Although, tea would pair
nicely with that.”
“Are you sure?” he asked through barely parted lips, for he was caught off-guard by my suggestion.
“It’s the least I could do.”
“Then I accept.”
I broke my gape from him to retrieve my bright yellow raincoat. I handed Teddy his carefully folded
jacket as well, ensuring the water droplets did not drip all over his lap. The umbrella was retrieved next.
Water sprayed over the front of my pants from the dripping wet umbrella that was longer than I was
accustomed to. “Should we go?”
“Yes,” he said with confidence, and with a certain grace that only he could possess, Teddy opened his
car door wide and stepped out into the pouring rain. I watched him move in front of the hood of the car
and only when he was in front of my door was I willing to push it open. He took the umbrella from me,
only to open it wide enough to block out the rain. His free hand was used to close the door, and then he
laid a light hand in the center of my back to lead me to the front door. Rain splashed hard against the
smooth pavement; the blaring horns of the bustling town was a stark contrast to his own settings.
Teddy was looking across the city block while I was retrieving my set of keys from my small purse. You
could hear the roar of the engines down the street, the heavy pounding of shoes against the pavement
as people tried to outrun the rain. My key was finally placed into the lock, allowing me to open the first
set of doors before I could enter the second one. A short whizzing sound was heard behind me, a
peculiar sound Teddy’s umbrella made when he shut it closed so abruptly. I watched him shake out the
long umbrella to make it less wet before I stepped through the open doorway. He followed me as quick
as he could, stepping into the small area where I opened a second set of doors. We entered the main
lobby in no time at all, and once we were there we shook out our raincoats and tried to get as dry as
possible.
“I am on the fifth level,” I told him, and then motioned my hand towards the elevator. He followed my
sure footsteps, only stopping once we reached the main area where I could press the button to bring
the elevator down to the main level. A metallic scent lingered in the air, coming from the machinery that
was in front of me. We could hear the faint splashing of water against the faded grey floor where a
custodian was mopping the tiled surface. Teddy let his eyes linger over the middle-aged woman for a
moment, while I stared blankly at the closed elevator door. “I don’t really have visitors,” I nervously
stammered.
“I know the feeling.”
“But I wanted to thank you for everything.” I was finally brave enough to turn my gaze towards him.
“Driving me home and all.”
“A gentleman first,” he assured me. The elevator made a sharp binging noise, before it swooshed
open. “Ladies first,” he exclaimed. His hand was raised upwards to direct me forward, encouraging me
to step into the elevator door before him. Once he was at my side, I pressed on the black circular
button that would bring me up to the fifth floor.
“My place is very small.”
“Are you comparing your place with mine?”
“Yours is very fine,” I feebly explained. “Mine feels more like a closet in comparison to yours.”
“I would not judge you, Sela.”
I pulled off my bright yellow jacket with nervousness, hoping it was not a mistake to invite a man I
barely knew over to my place.
“I feel nothing but gratitude,” Teddy continued. “That you should even invite me up here.”
“Well, that was my intention.”
A sharp bing rang from the elevator speakers, and soon enough the doors spread apart to let us
through. We walked together in perfect unison, though Teddy looked at every door we passed by as if
he expected me to open it. “I am all the way down the hall.”
“I see.”
“Near the stairwell.”
“Better than the elevator.”
“Yeah, especially late at night,” I nervously chuckled. “Nightmare. You would hate it.”
“That insufferable bing would drive me mad,” he noted. “Do you have a flat mate?”
“No.”
He nodded his head sternly, but made no other comment. We eventually reached my door, letting me
pull out another set of keys to place it into my lock. I knew my flat would be in a bit of a mess, not as
nearly as clean as Teddy’s, so I hoped he would not judge. “Here we are,” I announced, after I turned
on the living room light. “You can place your shoes over the mat here. I will take your coat. I don’t have
a rack. You mind if I hang it up in the bathroom, the water will drip into the tub and-”
“-I understand,” he interjected, and handed me his long black coat at once. “Perhaps, I could head
there. I want a towel to dry myself off.”
“You can come with me.” It took me a bit longer to remove my tall rain boots, but Teddy was ever so
patient as he waited behind me. Once I was free of it, I pulled off my socks and went on the tip of my
toes as I headed towards the bathroom. The floor was cold upon my feet and with the ceiling fan going
off I feared that I would catch a cold. “Light is on,” I commented, after I flicked the light switch on. “And
now a towel.”
Teddy placed our jackets over a hanger before he set it upon a ledge that would let the water naturally
drip itself into the tub. I was holding two sets of towels, silently grateful for his help. “Thank you,” he
hushed, after I handed a towel to him. “My shirt is a bit damp.” He looked around the room as if
contemplating something. “I suppose you don’t have anything.”
“I don’t have any men clothes lying around,” I told him in truth. “But I should have a baggy shirt or
sweatshirt. I will be right back.”
He nodded his head stiffly and let me leave the room to retrieve some dry garments. By the time I got
to my bedroom I threw off my work clothing and put on a comfortable long-sleeved cotton shirt, a long
rosy pink cardigan for extra warmth and skinny jeans. I found a baggy shirt that my younger brother
mailed to me once, a classic “I love N.Y.” t-shirt that was two sizes too big for me. I laughed at the
spectacle, before I managed to find a large grey hoodie that would be more acceptable to Teddy.
I knocked on the door politely and then took a step back from the bathroom door. “I have something for
you.”
“You mind just leaving it outside of the door for now?”
“Yes.” I placed the neatly folded clothing outside of the door. “I will be in the kitchen to pop the kettle.”
“Be right out,” Teddy called out. I left the spot to attend to business, hoping to clean up the kitchen and
start a cup of tea before he had a chance to find me. It took several minutes to put it into a manageable
state. The small dining room table had been cleaned off, and now there were two small plates and two
mugs that did not match upon the table. Teddy walked into the room, wearing my hoodie with the
sleeves rolled up slightly. He was a tall man, so the sleeves did not exactly reach the curve of his
wrists. He offered me a tiny smile, doing his best to appear comfortable when he was filled with nerves.
“I hope you like regular black tea.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Lemon?”
“Lemon will suit me fine.” He was standing on the other side of the table, staring at me intently. It was
interesting to see how shiny his dark hair had become, and the bulkiness of the sweater that made him
look two times his size. “Do you need any help?”
“Everything is done actually.” I turned away from him to retrieve the tea pot. Teddy continued to stand in
front of his chair, not wanting to take a seat just yet. I placed the teapot down upon the table, and then
went away to bring back some milk and sugar.
“I see you have a lavender plant next to your windowsill.” His hand was pointed outwards with a single
finger gesturing towards the only plant in my room.
“I like the scent of it,” I informed him. “And lilacs.”
“What about roses?”
“Roses are sweet smelling,” I admitted. “But they have such prickly thorns.” I went around the
countertop to retrieve the last of the lemon loaf I had purchased from the bakery two days ago. “I
should be used to it by now because of my job. Then again, my mother was never fond of them. I
believe my grandmother was, but she had a fondness for anything that was beautiful.”
“She must have liked you then.”
“Yes, she did,” I laughed, before I realized what Teddy had just implied. I froze in front of him, startled
by the directness of his words. He watched me with care, taking in my every expression. I managed to
walk forward and place the tray of lemon loaf upon the table. Teddy observed me slicing a thick piece
of the loaf, and gently raised his plate so I could lay it over the flat surface. His eyes were ever so
resolute in seeking mine out, but I would not give in.
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