It was near noon when Rukiya pulled in front of Kadin's apartment. The quaint little five story building in the heart of Eldeville. It was one of the few older neighborhoods in Hapton that still had semi-affordable housing. With it being so far removed from everything else, only the people who did remote or freelance work set up shop out here. A one-hour ride into the city every day didn't look bad on paper, but the trains in this city were never on time.
She balanced the coffee on top of the box of sandwiches and shimmied her way out of her car. A brisk wind snuck under her coat and raised goosebumps on her skin. Rows of leafless bushes lined the concrete walkway leading to the front door. This area was a lot nicer in spring and summer, when the greenery was thriving and the air was crisp. A buzzer sat outside the main entrance, and she punched 202 into its weathered surface.
"That you, Rukiya?" Kadin's voice came through the intercom.
"Yeah, it's me," she said into the speaker.
"Alright. I'll buzz you in."
Rukiya pushed through the front door and the scent of pine cleaner smacked her across the face. The foyer was small and undecorated. One door at its rear had Office spelled out wood lettering, and the elevator and stairs. She hadn't ridden in an elevator since she'd been stuck in Greyland Tower.
Kadin lived on the second floor so it wouldn't be too hard on her legs, even with the sandwiches and three cups of coffee. When she made it up, her thighs were burning, and she was winded, but the exercise had shed the cold from her skin and bones.
Ska filtered through the door of 202, a band she didn't recognise. She rapped on the wood with her elbow and waited. The music quieted, and the door swung open, revealing Kadin clad in sweatpants and a T-shirt.
"Hey, come in," he said with a smile.
"Thanks." Rukiya slipped by him into the living room.
A sound system surrounded the flatscreen TV—the source of the ska. She spotted his iPad sitting on the coffee table that separated the TV stand from the L-shaped couch. Various art pieces covered the front wall—one of Master Chief, one of Samus, and the rest were from franchises she didn't recognise. Beneath it was a shelf with even more video game paraphernalia. She raised her eyebrows at a twelve inch figurine of Sephiroth. That couldn't have been cheap.
Rukiya passed off the sandwiches and coffee so she could slip off her shoes. "I brought enough for your roommate if he's home."
"You really didn't have to." Kadin pushed his iPad aside to make room for the food. "Tobias is streaming right now, but he'll pause for food every time. But uh... make yourself at home." He backed towards a door on the opposite side of the room and gave it a polite knock.
Rukiya settled onto the plush gray leather, and the chair molded her form blissfully. The burn in her legs abated, and she wiggled her toes to warm them. Murmuring came from the other room as Kadin talked to his roommate, and it took everything within her not to eavesdrop. She distracted herself with the ska music and grabbed a coffee from the tray.
She'd ordered their caramel cold brew, a smooth, lightly sweet blend that paired well with their sandwiches. This would be her last cup for the day. She'd made midday her cutoff period for coffee after a bad bout of insomnia a few years back.
Commotion from the back of the room pulled her from her thoughts. Kadin returned with his roommate, a tall, wiry guy with dark hair that fell to the middle of his back.
"Ooo, food," his roommate said, swiping a sandwich from the box.
Kadin elbowed him in the ribs.
"Right, manners." He put on a smile. "You must be Rukiya. Tobias." He saluted her with the sandwich. "I wish I could stay and chat, but I'm in the middle of a stream. But thanks for the food."
"No problem." She returned his smile. "It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise. Don't be a stranger." Tobias backed into his room and shut the door. "Chat, it's elevator girl."
Kadin breathed a sigh. "Ignore him. He likes to exploit my personal life for monetary gain." He settled onto the couch and picked up the last sandwich. "I wasn't expecting you to bring lunch."
"My mother taught me to never show up at someone's house empty-handed." The only thing she took away from her mother's teachings. "Also, here." She reached into her bag and pulled out his beanie. "Sorry for stealing it."
"Hey, you wore it better than I ever could." He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. "Man... is this from Brew Crew too?"
Rukiya shook her head. "No, it's from a new place that's opening up near Monrow Station in about a month. They had a little brunch for investors to celebrate the restaurant finally being finished."
"Well, I'll be frequenting them since I'll have to pass through there often." Kadin wiped a smudge of cream cheese from the corner of his mouth. "Which is to say, I got the job."
"Congrats," Rukiya said with a grin, and raised her coffee in a mock cheer. "I'm happy for you."
He gave the cutest sheepish smile. "Thanks. I also upheld my end of the promise and spoke to my parents yesterday."
Her eyebrows shot up. Cute and a man of his word. "And how did that go?"
"They don't suck. I mean, they don't understand my job, and they're not too thrilled about me moving away from home, but I have their support." His smile grew into a grin. "What about you? Did you talk to your partner?"
Rukiya's mood instantly tanked, and the heaviness fell on her shoulders again. She tried to keep her smile in place, but it faltered.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Kadin said quickly.
She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. "No, it's okay. We uh..." She dropped her gaze to her coffee. "We broke up, which was probably for the best." Even though that rationale didn't make it hurt any less. Even though the redecorating had helped, it still didn't feel right coming home to an empty house. Probably wouldn't for a while.
"Fuck... I'm so sorry, Rukiya."
"It's fine. I'll be fine." She'd convinced herself that if she said it enough, eventually it would be true. "But there's something else I needed to talk to you about." She pulled the last sandwich from the box. "I'm considering filing a lawsuit against Greyland Tower. Do you want in?"
Kadin paused with the sandwich halfway to his mouth, and she almost heard the dial up noises filling his head. "Lawsuit?"
"Mmhm. You don't think we deserve anything for that miserable night we spent trapped in there? No one came to help." She took a bite of her sandwich to give him a moment to process. Focaccia with salami pepperoni, ham and their creamy house-made spread. This place must put crack in their homemade bread because it was the best part of all their sandwiches.
"I mean... yeah. But lawyers are expensive." He leaned back and roughed up his hair.
"You don't have to worry about that part. All I need from you is a yes or no, and your schedule on Monday so we can set up a meeting. For now, we're just going for a consultation. If you don't want to, that's fine. There's no pressure."
He fell silent for a moment and stared up at the ceiling. Tobias' voice filtered in from the other room and mixed with the upbeat house music. She busied herself with polishing off her sandwich and coffee. Still, she couldn't deny how pleasant it felt in Kadin's company. He had a calmness about him. It was like sitting next to a still lake. The vibes around him were just . . . immaculate. She'd felt it in the elevator, too. Heck, if he hadn't been there, she probably would've panicked and paced in circles until she passed out.
"Alright," Kadin finally said. "I'm willing to talk. I work eight to four on Monday, but I can take lunch last hour."
"That works. I'll set up our meeting for 3:15 then. The lawyer's office isn't far from Greyland. Oh!" She snapped her fingers. "If you want, we can get some food at that Vietnamese place a block over."
He arched a brow. "Like... a date?"
Rukiya blinked. Was that how it came off? "Uh... no. I just thought since you're sacrificing your lunch, you'd want to... you know."
"Oh. Well, yeah. Sounds good."
"Okay. I'll text you on Monday then." She stood and shouldered her bag, though she didn't feel quite ready to leave. She wanted to spend a little more time in Kadin's company. After such a turbulent week, she could use some still water, but if the half-done drawing on his iPad was any indication, he was busy, and she didn't want to impose.
Kadin stood and walked her to the door. "Take care Rukiya."
She smiled through her sadness. "You too."