Toxic Innocence

THIRTY FOUR

Pacing wildly.

It's what Althea had been doing from the empty hours when she had realized U wasn't home. It was five in evening and she had called him ample count of times only for it to reach his voicemail.

Why wasn't he picking up my calls?

She looked at her fierce reflection. The meager washroom was where she had to let her distress and steam off. The door separated her from her room. And in her room was the man who had dropped her from college and initiatively dropped himself into her home.

"Are you planning a sleep night in your bathroom?"

At Chadler's exasperated voice Althea stomped her leg in frustration .

Of all the days she had been puzzling him with a variable game of hide and seek. It should've been this Unfortunate day when he reeled out his plan to catch her red handed.

Althea had fair idea of why Chadler had insisted to drive her home. And deposit his fine ass here too. She was an idiot most of her life. But her share of wisdom was something she usually kept for herself. She was an artist for god sake.

A humanitarian with hope for humanity.

"Coming" she hailed as she opened the tap to let it produce a soothing sound of gurgling water in sink.

***

Two hours later and Two story beneath where Althea and Chadler were was U.

After he parked the bike by the systematic place it was previously in-not an inch more or less, he stood by the lay way gazing up with his neck craned. He saw the lights bright and strained by the curtains of her room.

Their room.

His lips in reflex stretched into a smile. Thinking of all those possible things they could together if he lets her in. To see him bloom in to a person of his individual caliber. He was decisive that Althea would not consider twice before deciding to help him.

It was just about time he lets her.

His field trip was successful and he had enjoyed every second his phone rang with Althea's name sleek on it's screen. Her worry was his guilty pleasure. Her worrying about him was his forte.

As he ascended the stairway he mentally ticked in the prospects. He was even willing to watch those awful movies that she likes with her now. Maybe even laugh at few of it's silly humor.

When he entered the already unlocked door to a view of Chadler and Althea seated a couple millimeters apart in the couch he sleeps at night.

It deflates.

The miniscule livelihood he had going on so far diminished in the amount of time the flame cracker bursts over in sky. With a snap.

"U?" Althea got up immediately when she saw him. U does not look at her as he had his stare glued at Chadler.

Chadler was no better. The unsaid battle was a strict one. Prohibition was to silently let each other disperse ice cold venoms and forget the existence of the very reason they were pissed of in one room.

This is until-

"Where were you? Why weren't you picking up my calls?"

U broke his spearing war against Chadler as he looked at Althea. She had been a wreck till now- Chadler had been assuming it was because of him that she was nervous. But she had neglected those sorts of petty issues as U was her biggest priory.