We're in This Together

Episode 31

It was a Saturday morning when Adie and I returned to our apartment from Lexa's house. With the day off ahead, I had plans to thoroughly clean the entire place. As we stepped into our apartment, Adie swiftly darted off to her room, leaving me behind to close the door. I headed straight for the kitchen, placing my bag on the counter and pouring myself a glass of water to refresh.

"Adie, come and have some water," I called out, also filling her glass.

"Coming," she responded swiftly, rushing over to me to grab her glass. As she sipped her water, I made my way to my room to change into more comfortable clothes. After swiftly tying my hair into a high ponytail, I began tackling the cleaning tasks. Upon returning to the living room, I found Adie waiting with a small cloth, ready to help clean up the dust.

"What are you up to, little girl?" I asked her with a wide grin.

"I want to help with some stuff too," she replied, her bright smile infectious, causing me to chuckle. She was full of energy, while I was feeling the strain in my body.

"So, you want to help me, huh?" I said, kneeling down in front of her. She nodded eagerly, mirroring my enthusiasm.

"If you're going to help me, you'll need something," I teased, holding my chin thoughtfully. Unaware that I was teasing her, Adie looked at me with curious, pleading eyes. I couldn't help but chuckle at her cuteness and innocence.

"I know what you need," I said with a small wink before disappearing into my room. When I returned, I held a white handkerchief in my hand. Pausing in front of Adie, I placed the handkerchief on her head and tied it like a hat, transforming her into a mini Cinderella, which elicited giggles from both of us.

"You look like a Disney Princess, Adie," I remarked, taking a picture of her and showing her. She giggled at her reflection. After a few minutes of laughter and small conversations, we began our cleaning session. Before diving into the chores, I turned on my playlist to lighten the mood, which Adie enjoyed as well.

It took nearly an hour for us to clean the apartment. As we worked, Adie's favorite song, "Dancing In the Dark" by Rihanna, started playing from my playlist, causing both of us to gasp in amazement. It was the theme song of the "Home" animated cartoon, which was also Adie's favorite. As the song played, we sang along and danced, mimicking the characters from the cartoon.

"I wanna dance in the dark and never stop, We gonna light up the night like shooting stars," we sang in sync, dancing together. I tried my best to imitate the main character's dance moves, which made Adie burst into laughter. As we combined our work with some fun activities, we were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Adie looked at me with curious eyes, while I frowned, as unexpected visitors were rare for us. We didn't have anyone who typically visited our apartment. Before I could turn off the music, another knock echoed through the room.

"Adie, get inside," I whispered, gesturing for her to retreat to her room as I approached the door. After ensuring Adie had safely made it to her room, I took a deep breath and called out, "Who's there?"

A woman's voice promptly responded, easing my tension.

"Oh, hi there... I'm your new neighbor from next door, and..." she paused, "...I baked some pie cakes as an introduction. So, if you're interested..." Before she could finish her sentence, I swiftly unlocked the doorknob and swung the door open.

"I'm sorry, I was..." I trailed off, struck by the sight before me. The surprise was mutual. Standing there was Lawrence, whom I had met at the vintage shop. As our eyes met, a huge grin spread across both our faces. Simultaneously, we called out each other's names.