For You

XI

***Don’t tell me you waited for me***

***
Gabe

While she’s busy smoking, I look around the apartment.

There aren’t any pictures or means of identification.

There’s a television in the living room while a little table underneath it holds a lot of CDs.

There’s no videogames around though.

The centre table has this little origami bird on top like it’s a bouquet of flowers.

The beautiful furniture is a beautiful beige colour.

The kitchen which is behind the living room has all the essentials and strangely smells like pasta.

I reach for my camera and close my left eye as I narrow my right eye to get a picture of the orange origami bird.

I take two shots then remove the camera from my eye so I can check up my photo.

“What’s with the camera?” Nevaeh walks out of a room with a lit cigarette.

The smoke from the rolled-up paper chokes me and I cough.

Before I can complain about her smoking inside, I have to get the door because our pizza is here.

I pay the guy and turn around to see that Nevaeh has trashed the cigarette and is now getting something from the refrigerator.

She pulls out two bowls of ice cream and grabs two spoons.

“What were you taking pictures of?” she asks me

“Nothing important. Just this origami bird. Who made it?”

She moves over to the centre table and drops the ice-cream on it.

It is then I see that she’s changed to pyjamas shorts and a black shirt. She goes to put in the movie in the DVD player.

“Kyle knows how to make practically anything in origami. That dude is full of untapped artistry.”

Sensing my confusion at who the name belongs to “Kyle is Wes’ roommate who I despise.”

“You despise everyone.” I counter

“True.” She flops onto the couch and waits as the CD starts to play.

I get on the chair and give a relatable distance from her but she stands up and switches off the light.

“You can’t watch horror movies without the lights not being off.”

“You really want me to be scared, huh?” I open the pizza box and place it beside the ice-cream.

She sits on the couch and nods vigorously.

But soon she slides onto the floor and lays there instead.

She takes a slice of pizza and digs in. I take an ice-cream bowl and she swats my hand.

“What do you think you’re doing?” her eyes search mine

“I’m taking ice-cream.” I say matter-of-factly

“The ice cream isn’t for you. It’s mine.”

I raise my eyebrows at her “How do you want to take two ice-cream?”

But instead she shushes me when the movie comes into play.

The beginning scene is one of happiness. Everyone is playing, laughing, smiling and I hate it. That sick feeling in my chest knowing that these people are just fooling themselves and that they’re living on false hope.