𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒚

Sixteen

𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝚁𝚎𝚒𝚍'𝚜 𝙰𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝

𝙷𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚘𝚗 𝙰𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚡, 𝚀𝚞𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚘, 𝚅𝙰

𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑 𝟺, 𝟸𝟶𝟷𝟸

𝟼:𝟻𝟾 𝙰.𝙼.

Tillie's eyes fluttered open as the rising sun shone through the cracks of the blinds. Staying still, she noticed she was no longer sandwiched between the back of the sofa and Spencer, she was alone. Sitting up fully, she took in her surroundings, and came to the conclusion that Spencer had to leave for work.

She stood up, throwing off the blankets that once covered her, and reached for her phone which resided on the coffee table. Checking the time, she sighed. She thought about last night and how all they did was talk about the past couple weeks. It made her feel content, she felt relieved. Last night was a break from reality she didn't know she needed.

Glancing around the room, before even thinking, she grabbed the blankets on the couch and folded each and every one of them up carefully. She then stacked the folded blankets on the sofa, not sure if he wanted to wash them before putting them back into the closet. Turning to the coffee table, there were two mugs, with cold tea in it, and two half-full glasses of water. She carefully carried the cups to his kitchen sink, where she then looked in the cabinet under for dish soap and a brush. She took the next ten minutes to clean and dry them, and she spent an extra five minutes to look through each cabinets to see where the glassware went.

Once satisfied with the cleanliness, she grabbed her bag, where she saw her dress carefully folded. And if this were any other day, or any other person, she would've changed back into her dress; however, she was quite comfortable in Spencer's clothes, so she just decided to wear them home. Grabbing everything she needed, Tillie spotted a slip of paper carefully folded with Tills scrawled on it. Next to it was a loose key.

Tillie opened the note with her nickname that Spencer had given her, and read what he had written.

I had to leave for work, stay as long as you wish. Take whatever food you want, if you want breakfast. If you leave, make sure to lock up...

-Spencer

She smiled at his kindness, and all that he offered her. He was a very agreeable man, and his politeness and manners were so refined. 

Leaving his apartment, and locking the door like he had asked, she walked out to her car as she pulled out her phone. It was a Thursday, and it's not like she could go 'unemployed' for very long. Technically she wasn't ever unemployed, but she needed to set a date to get back to work at the museum. Pulling up her boss's number, she called her.

The conversation was quick and simple. Her boss liked her, so naturally she just said for her to come in whenever she's ready. This made Tillie thank her lucky stars, as she really didn't want to come back in today. She wanted a day off, at least, to just settle back into her home and get back into a groove.

Before she pulled out of the parking lot, she dug through her center console, looking for a CD to put in. She settled on the Avett Brothers' album I and Love and You, gently placing it into the CD player.

Leaving the parking lot of Spencer's apartment complex, she softly sang the lyrics to the first song as it played throughout the car.

After what seemed like a second, she was already in her driveway. Right as she parked, the intro to Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise sounded through the speakers of the car. She groaned in disappointment, it was her favorite song. 

Why does your favorite song always start right as you get to your destination? She wondered while turning the key in the ignition to turn off the car. The music abruptly stopped and so did the hum of the heater. With her bag in her hand, she walked up to her front door, unlocking it and closing it behind her.

Tillie stood in the middle of her living room, a blank expression painted on her face. Exhaustion flooded her body and mind. Normally, in the morning she tries to take the time and meditate, however, if she attempted to meditate in this state, she would've fallen right asleep. This brought upon a realization from her: She's old.

She used to be able to pull all nighters just fine when in high school and early college. But now, in her mid twenties, she found sleep much more enticing than staying late and partying.

Instead of meditating and taking it slow, Tillie decided to do something to keep her awake. Quickly, she moved to connect her phone to a speaker on a small table in the corner of the room. She picked a jazzy playlist that was full of upbeat songs that would keep her moving. Migrating over to the kitchen she began to brew a pot of coffee, and in waiting for that to finish, she filled her watering pot to water all of her plants. By the time she had made her rounds, her coffee was ready and finished.

She sat on the barstool at the island, sipping her coffee, her knee bouncing up and down at an alarming rate. She stared at the analogue clock on her wall watching the hands of the clock tick by, second by second, minute by minute.

Halfway through her cup of coffee, she stood up and moved to her sink, grabbing the glass spray bottle of Thieves Cleaner, spritzing the liquid over her countertops, and wiping it down with a paper towel.

She could go on a cleaning spree for the rest of the day, but she had already done that the weekend after New Year's. Weighing her options in her head, she decided to clean the bathrooms, the pantry and fridge, her room and closet, and maybe tidy up her living room. If she had time she'd clean the windows and dust, and maybe sweep and mop. Maybe.

Unpacking her suitcase and doing the laundry was a must as well.

And with this plan now set in stone in her head, she began the days worth of making her house sparkle like the shine of water reflecting the sunlight.