More Coffee.

Chapter 4: Memories

The laughter was followed by awkward silence, we watched each other nervously. It felt wrong to laugh with him and yet it felt so right. We both looked at each other, and yet not at all. We averted our eyes from each other and yet we caught each other's eyes staring at each other. I didn't know what to do, I opened my mouth to speak but when no words came I closed it. If I would have any chance to lessen his hatred for me, now was the chance. "A little clumsy?" I playfully teased, I meant for my voice to come out like a friends voice, but my voice was dry and came out scratchy and upset.

"Look, I'm sorry I ruined the fort, can I help you fix it?" My eyebrows shot upwards reacting to his words, his voice was apologetic? As if he was sincerely sorry for his actions. "What is it so weird that I have any other emotion but anger?" Al joked, he flashed a toothy smile and stood. I straightened my face into a straight face and stood with him. It felt strange, I was staring at a bomb, someone with an anger filled shell and yet possibly a sweet inside.

"I apologize my voice is starting to disappear, could you grab me a drink? Please?" I asked hoarsely, I looked down. Would he say no like every other time? Or would he give me a glance of who he truly is.

"Yeah sure." He turned his back and walked behind the counter. I sat back down and rested my chin in the palm of my hand, my eyes following his every move. If he seemed any way out of place I was ready to stand my ground. I gave him an odd look, how could he suddenly become nice to me in the span of a few minutes. He didn't seem to realize how quickly he could change his emotions, how he could change himself to being a ball of fury in a matter of seconds. I kept my shield up but smiled on the inside as Al turned on the electronic kettle with a small smile on his face, a faint clicking sound as it preformed the task given to it. I wanted so badly to talk to him but every time I spoke to him it ended badly. I kept my mouth shut as he hummed to his own beat and poured the hot water into a mug. It was like watching a wild beast growl and slash at the chains of its cage but then calms and purrs like a cat. Even watching him do simple task gave me anxiety, in an attempt to escape this situation I turned to my thoughts. My eyes blurred as my mind went elsewhere, forgetting about Al. My mind was a haze of stress, worry, and sorrow as I thought of my life. As I drifted farther and farther into my thoughts I swear I heard a faint memory of a song. It was such a beautiful song but forgotten along with the pain my family bears. I closed my eyes in pain, shoving the memory back into the vault in the back of my mind where I store all my pain. My eyes screwed shut as all those memories dared to escape. I closed my eyes as my heart rate rose, afraid of the wounds these memories would open. I was grateful when I felt a tap on my shoulder, bringing me back to reality. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts and looked up at Al. For a while he was just a blur, until finally his face of worry came into focus as my eyes adjusted. "Are you okay?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I graciously took the mug of hot tea in his hand and took a large sip. I could feel my throat ease up as the hot liquid rolled down my throat.

"You don't seem okay?" He said as he gently sat down next to me. He looked concerned but guarded as if he didn't trust me.

"You're still wearing your apron." I attempted to change the subject, uncomfortable about this conversation would go. I took another long sip of tea, a hint that I didn't want to stop, but he obviously didn't pick up on that.

"Oh," He pulled off his apron and rolled it into a ball. He glared at it before chucking it behind him, he smiled to himself at his actions. It was possible that he hated his job and to him that symbolized him quitting. "Still something is wrong, if you could tell me that would be great." I felt like I was starring at a ghost, a person lost in the ages. Someone you haven't seen in years and when you finally see them it's like talking to a stranger. He looked me in my eyes, placing his hand on my arm in a kind gesture. But it was too strange, too peculiar. I pulled my arm away and broke away from his piercing gaze. At last he got the hint and turned away from me. I felt ashamed of how I was acting but it was still justified. "Ok, would you at least like to find some food?" He asked, I looked over at the plastic clock on the wall and the obnoxious ticking rang through my ears. He was right though it was getting late, and I was starting to get hungry. How had the day gone by so fast, we had only been trapped her for a short few hours and yet it seemed as if it was already 7:00pm.