Toxic Innocence

SEVENTEEN

Althea experienced a profound revival within herself in the morning. Refreshed like she used to be while she once occupied her bed.

Bed.

That word was so farfetched that she had to snap her eyes open and slap her palms down to feel the mattress. Then she sat up, straighter than she has ever been in a Sunday morning. Sure she remembered falling asleep on her sleep sack.

She persuaded to slowly crawl out of the empty bed and on being so gentle with her hideous steps she awarded herself a peek outside her room. When her instances felt a presence behind her, she folded her arms into a self hug and whirled around.

A gasp left her surprised lips as she came face to chest with the man she was searching for.

It went quiet for a moment, gulping in Althea looked up at his face, sparing the alien tingles in her ear tips that kept warming up as she stared at the sculpted human.

"You weren't here when I woke up" she shrugged, his piercing eyes was so questioning that her intentions began pouring out despite not a word being uttered by U.

It was almost as if he controlled the reins to her own self control.

"Where were you?" she asked chewing in her lower lip not expecting much from him. But when she did received an answer- it didn't went as actually planned.

"I was occupied at the lavatory"

Althea blinked, then frowned. Of course she had been in cycle of learning ancient vocabulary since the very start of her journey with U. But something was disorderly. Just something out of the loop.

When it dawns on her, her whole postures jolts into a stature of bewilderment.

"Did-Did you just answer me?" gawking she widens her glassy innocent eyes at him. Feeding his flesh of a heart to a compulsive confusion. And when her soft pink lips that had endured her repulsive nervousness formed a trembling smile he, had a hard time believing how his mind kept shutting down, forcing his eyes to lethargically waste his time by just staring at them.

"I can't believe you told me that you were in bathroom as soon as I asked you and that too wh-"

"I happened to realize that communication can't be deciphered one sided. I am willing to participate. If that provides you more energy and dopamine, I'll answer your... queries-" with each diving second he kept rating in the rising life in Althea's features, he ended his deal with rigid exhale of breath. "-I'll do it, even if they are baseless"

With that he barely waited to see how she was stunned by his agreement as he shifted his spanning shoulder and stepped out off the room. His black and white stripped cotton shirt brushing her arm, thereby helping Althea from falling into a daze.

The rest of the day she had tried to let him be. Made breakfast, took shower and hummed a song to herself.

As a matter of fact the day should have been wholly natural to her. she kept thinking, reminiscing The Talk she had with U last night and smiled at the outcome of it.

Too preoccupied by them she had momentarily ignored the sharp stare of U on her as she did her homework. He had been clouded by thoughts too all the while, but it entirely was of the girl he wanted to stop thinking about.

Her soft tone she sang as she showered, it was neither faded nor unclear. Outside the room, laid in the couch with one leg propped and an arm closing his eyes he grunted a breath, doing all in his power to shut the melody out. To blur her image off.