Page 18 of Ms Perfectly Fine
Before he could stop himself, the container was empty.Definitely good with food,he thought, licking some honey from his lips.
He had some time to kill, and he didn’t think he could get back to sleep. He might as well have let Autumn continue playing. But when he went into the hallway, he couldn’t hear her moving around. If she had gone back to sleep, he didn’t think she would appreciate him waking her up.
He found himself staring at the walls in the corridor.The pastel blue isn’t really my taste, and downstairs is my territory,he thought.I think it’s time for a change. Since she woke me up, I might as well put the time to good use.The movers had put the paint he’d ordered in the shed with the tools he needed, and now seemed like as good a time as any.If I put my stamp on the place, she might start thinking of it as our place instead of hers.
It was a lot of effort for a temporary home, but no matter where he lived or how long he stayed, he always liked to make it his own. Otherwise, he couldn’t settle in.
Two hours later, the firstcoat of deep grey was finished, and he’d removed his headphones to get some water. The painting had worked out some of his pent-up energy from their argument, and at least he would get to sleep once Autumn left for the day.
“What did you do to my hallway?”
Elijah heard Autumn before he saw her.Speak of the tiny devil…He smiled to himself as he left the kitchen to find her standing wide-eyed on the staircase. She was already dressed, and he found himself missing her little pyjama shorts with music notes. Light tresses framing her face, her hair was wrapped in a messy bun secured with a pencil, which gave him the adolescent urge to free it.
“This is my floor. I can decorate how I see fit, and it could use a fresh coat of paint. Since you saw to it that I was up early, I thought why not get started,” he explained, stepping onto the plastic sheeting that protected the wooden floor.
“Your home? I think you meanmyhome.” She smiled innocently, which terrified him. “Did you have to pick such a dark colour? It took me ages to pick that blue.”
He almost felt guilty, but then he remembered his wake-up call. “I think it enriches the house, and it brings out the silver frames around the artwork,” he said, surprised by her lack of reaction.
Autumn said nothing, stepping over the cans. Elijah followed her, concerned by how calm she appeared.
“Why are you following me? Don’t you have some painting to finish?” she asked, taking a bottle of wine from the fridge. He sat on the other side of the kitchen island.
“I’m letting the first coat dry. Wine for breakfast? Not the first time I’ve driven someone to drink.” He took in her smile. Not the reaction he’d been expecting, but seeing how her face lit up made his chest tighten in a good way.
“You haven’t driven me to anything. It’s a gift for my friend,” she said, opening the door to the pantry. He wondered what her friends would be like. Was it for a guy or a girl?What was she like around them? He apparently only brought out her fiery side.
“A special occasion?” he asked, trying to learn more about her.
“Yes,” she replied, stretching up to the shelf above the ironing board to remove a gift bag for the wine. Elijah watched her knitted jumper rise, exposing her waist wrapped tightly in her high-rise jeans.
“A birthday?” he asked, noticing a patch on her lower back.Is she covering a tattoo?he wondered, then looked to the medicine cabinet. He’d nearly forgotten about his discovery, but he wasn’t going to snoop into her private life. Some lines you don’t cross. Even he had boundaries.
“No, she’s been given a solo in our next showcase,” Autumn said before he could ask about the patch.
“Singer?” At least he knew it was for a girl, and he was relieved there wasn’t a special guy in her life. She turned around and caught his eyes on her lower back.
He quickly looked away when he realised he had been caught staring. Autumn pulled down her sweater, and he focused on the bowl of fruit in front of him.
“Violinist.” Autumn put the bottle in the gift bag and put it in the tote bag on her shoulder.
“Are we having a civilised conversation?” he asked.
She sighed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Why do you have to ruin it? It might surprise you, but I’m perfectly capable of having a civilised conversation. I only struggle with those who turn my front room into a man cave.” She took a pre-made protein drink from the fridge.
“Don’t worry, I’ve kept your furniture in storage. I’m even paying for it to be stored,” he said.
Autumn stared at him blankly. He wasn’t sure if she was happy or annoyed by that fact.
“How generous of you. But if you ever live with another woman in the future, I suggest you ask before you move her things,” she said, taking a gulp of the dark green liquid from the glass jar. He knew it didn’t taste very good, but it didn’t seem to bother her. He might steal her other prepped meals, but he would leave those to her.
“I know my living here is an inconvenience to you, but I…”
“Need to make your next fantasy game? If you had your own place, you’d have all the space in the worldandyou wouldn’t waste money storing my stuff,” Autumn said, then froze as though she had said too much.
Fantasy game? She looked me up. I never told her I design fantasy games. Tim could have told her, but I doubt it.
“You Googled me?” he asked, leaning on the counter.
