A-Ok
Back Again
A pitch perfect melody flowed through a cluttered flat as a brunette sliced peppers. Her nearly black hair spilled over her shoulders, catching the amber light of ceiling lamp as she worked. It had been a long day and all she wanted was a simple chicken and rice dish with red and green peppers. Still, the song had been stuck in her head all day.
“If you call me at all, don’t tell me that I’m ordinary,” she sang in a hushed tone as she finished with the peppers and tossed them into a pan to sauté them. “’Cause I won’t be passing you, please don’t leave.”
The skillet hissed as the peppers touched its surface, a smile pulling at her lips. As she put her knife down, her phone began to buzz. Grabbing a towel, she wiped off her hands and picked up the dancing device.
“’Ello,” she said, a hand reaching for a wooden spoon as she held the phone to her ear.
“Audry?” The voice was deep and strong, just as she remembered it, but it had been months since his last call. Her hand fell before she could touch the spoon and she turned off the burner.
“Zayn,” she whispered, almost with a tint of fear. “Um… How’ve you been?”
“Good.” Pushing her hair over her shoulder, she listened as his voice continued. “I’ve been meaning to call you, but it’s been busy.”
“Yeah,” she started adding under her breath, “I’ll bet.”
“Is this a bad time?”
“Uh, no,” she said her eyes scanning the peppers and chicken she had only started. “Not at all.”
“Good,” he replied and she just knew he had a smile on his lips. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
Biting her lips, she leaned against the counter. She didn’t know what to say, after six months of no word she had assumed he was done with her. It hurt, seeing as they had been friends since high school, but she knew it would happen. It was inevitable, but here he was calling her out of the blue saying he missed her.
“Do you mind if I stop over?”
Glancing around the cluttered space, she took in the sight of sweaters and blankets scattered throughout the living room and the dirty dishes in the sink. The past week had left it nearly impossible to clean the place up, but it would slow down soon.
Sighing, she said, “Yeah, I guess that’s alright.”
“Cool, I’ll be there in about an hour,” he told her before the line went dead.
Putting her phone back onto the counter, she sighed. There was enough time to quickly pick up the living room and have dinner, but the dishes would have to wait until later. By the time there was a buzz from the door, she had just finished picking up the last sweater. Tossing her hair into a quick knot on top of her head, she hoped she looked alright.
After buzzing him in, she waited for his knock. Her stomach was in knots as she twiddled her fingers. Zayn was a weakness for her, he always had been. His charm had sucked her in so quickly when they met; it wasn’t long before she considered him one of her close friends. That was changed the second he got a girlfriend. Once he had a girl, Audry didn’t exist. She was his go to companion when he was lonely and that was enough for her. He might go off to others, but he always came back to her.
The knock echoed through the flat and her breath caught in her throat. Her nerves were showing and she knew it, but still she opened the door. His hair was a bit messy, like he had done it in a rush, but she didn’t mind. She had always liked it better when he didn’t style his hair perfectly. Letting him in, he brushed her shoulder with his arm, the letterman jacket he wore tugging at the cotton shirt she had on.
“Audry,” he started, but she cut him off.
“You look good,” she said, not wanting to hear what she was sure he would say.
“Audry,” he said lowly again. “I’m sorry for not calling.”
“You always are,” she whispered her eyes not looking at him. Instead she inspected the dark stain on the floor, the way it had lightened after years of sun exposure in some places while others spots were still rich and dark under shadows.
His hand reached out to rest on her shoulder, a cinnamon scent playing in the air from the cologne he wore. A shiver ran through her body before she dared to raise her eyes to his. She was in the palm of his hands, and he knew it just as well as she did.
“Audry,” he whispered drawing her closer, engulfing her in his scent. “I…”
“I know,” she interrupted. “I know.”
“If you call me at all, don’t tell me that I’m ordinary,” she sang in a hushed tone as she finished with the peppers and tossed them into a pan to sauté them. “’Cause I won’t be passing you, please don’t leave.”
The skillet hissed as the peppers touched its surface, a smile pulling at her lips. As she put her knife down, her phone began to buzz. Grabbing a towel, she wiped off her hands and picked up the dancing device.
“’Ello,” she said, a hand reaching for a wooden spoon as she held the phone to her ear.
“Audry?” The voice was deep and strong, just as she remembered it, but it had been months since his last call. Her hand fell before she could touch the spoon and she turned off the burner.
“Zayn,” she whispered, almost with a tint of fear. “Um… How’ve you been?”
“Good.” Pushing her hair over her shoulder, she listened as his voice continued. “I’ve been meaning to call you, but it’s been busy.”
“Yeah,” she started adding under her breath, “I’ll bet.”
“Is this a bad time?”
“Uh, no,” she said her eyes scanning the peppers and chicken she had only started. “Not at all.”
“Good,” he replied and she just knew he had a smile on his lips. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
Biting her lips, she leaned against the counter. She didn’t know what to say, after six months of no word she had assumed he was done with her. It hurt, seeing as they had been friends since high school, but she knew it would happen. It was inevitable, but here he was calling her out of the blue saying he missed her.
“Do you mind if I stop over?”
Glancing around the cluttered space, she took in the sight of sweaters and blankets scattered throughout the living room and the dirty dishes in the sink. The past week had left it nearly impossible to clean the place up, but it would slow down soon.
Sighing, she said, “Yeah, I guess that’s alright.”
“Cool, I’ll be there in about an hour,” he told her before the line went dead.
Putting her phone back onto the counter, she sighed. There was enough time to quickly pick up the living room and have dinner, but the dishes would have to wait until later. By the time there was a buzz from the door, she had just finished picking up the last sweater. Tossing her hair into a quick knot on top of her head, she hoped she looked alright.
After buzzing him in, she waited for his knock. Her stomach was in knots as she twiddled her fingers. Zayn was a weakness for her, he always had been. His charm had sucked her in so quickly when they met; it wasn’t long before she considered him one of her close friends. That was changed the second he got a girlfriend. Once he had a girl, Audry didn’t exist. She was his go to companion when he was lonely and that was enough for her. He might go off to others, but he always came back to her.
The knock echoed through the flat and her breath caught in her throat. Her nerves were showing and she knew it, but still she opened the door. His hair was a bit messy, like he had done it in a rush, but she didn’t mind. She had always liked it better when he didn’t style his hair perfectly. Letting him in, he brushed her shoulder with his arm, the letterman jacket he wore tugging at the cotton shirt she had on.
“Audry,” he started, but she cut him off.
“You look good,” she said, not wanting to hear what she was sure he would say.
“Audry,” he said lowly again. “I’m sorry for not calling.”
“You always are,” she whispered her eyes not looking at him. Instead she inspected the dark stain on the floor, the way it had lightened after years of sun exposure in some places while others spots were still rich and dark under shadows.
His hand reached out to rest on her shoulder, a cinnamon scent playing in the air from the cologne he wore. A shiver ran through her body before she dared to raise her eyes to his. She was in the palm of his hands, and he knew it just as well as she did.
“Audry,” he whispered drawing her closer, engulfing her in his scent. “I…”
“I know,” she interrupted. “I know.”
Notes
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1/30/13