CHAPTER ONE
The lights were dimmed in the open apartment. Nothing but the moonlight worked to illuminate the loft, giving it an eerie glow. Scattered across the polished concrete floor were hundreds of blue prints. All of them, though none looked alike nor were similar in anyway, were impossible mazes that only the creator could ever really understand but left an audience intrigued. In the middle of all the commotion lied the form of a sleeping girl, the subtle moonlight gave her an angelic glow that haunted the room.
Ugh. If only.
I looked up at my alarm clock. The bright red, glaring, annoying, intrusive numbers showed it was still only 3.20 in the am. I still had another 5 and a half hours before I had to be at the university. What a joke. It was painfully obvious that I was not going to get any more sleep on this chilly evening. I pushed back my covers with a huff and walked out of my room and into the open plan of my loft apartment.
Creepily enough the moon really was shining through the enormous barred window and seemed to spotlight my latest blue prints. Shaking off the weird tingling feeling I walked over to the kitchen and put the kettle on. The abnormally loud gurgling and whistling was comforting and filled in the eerie silence that had settled over the space. After a while I became bored and the kettle blended into the background, bringing back the unsettling feeling of being totally alone.
I walked over to the radio and set it on an old school French station. I could picture movie stars walking through manicured parks and singers filming video clips in seedy bars, effectively taking my mind off of being alone. Of course, that thought brought being alone to the forefront of my mind once again. It seemed contradictory that being alone was becoming a touchy subject for me considering I was a self appointed loner.
Sure, I had friends at the university. Okay, they were more like acquaintances. On the same level as my uncle's weekly bird and how well I became acquainted with them. That was pretty accurate. Especially as I only saw him once every year or so, now that I lived in Paris.
Absent mindedly I poured myself a cup of tea and rekindle the fire. Soon enough, I was rugged up in a blanket, on my favourite arm chair, in front of the fire with a cup of cha and the radio. Such is life. This of course means it had to end. And rather abruptly if we were keeping with my current track record. I could hear noises in the hall way. It sounded like angry shouting but who knows? Maybe they were reunited lovers? Trust me, it has happened before. Another tale for another time, that one is.
I sat up as straight as a pole as I waited for the inevitable interruption. Then surprise, surprise…
Silence.
Okay. That wasn't a normal occurrence. I snuggled deeper into my couch and hugged my mug closer to my chest as I tried to warm myself up and calm the bemused thoughts in my head. It was the bloody third world war in there, I tell you.
BANG!
"Arghhhh!"
Unfortunately the scream was me. Almost as unfortunately as I was now donning my latest accessories: tea leaves and Joe.
I stood up from my arm chair, totally raging mind you, and let the last dribbles of tea run off my jumper and scarf. I stormed to the door where the incessant banging had now picked up to a minor marching band. Yanking the door open I took a nice deep breath. Not to calm myself. I needed a good two lung fulls of air if I was going to effectively scare the bastard off, who ever they ended up being. I had a sneaking suspicion it was the crazy old lady who lived the floor under. She was always trying to sell me kittens and bird seed and after every time she had been within a ten foot radius of my door I could just feel the fleas on me.
"Mrs Magnolia, I don't know how many times I have to remind you, im allergic to cats and will not be purchasing one any time-" I cut myself off as I noticed that the person in front of me was in fact not the dreaded Magnolia but a rather handsome young prince.
Pfft. I wish. But he was extremely handsome. I guess the prince part would remain in my dreams. He looked kinda old though.
"-soon," I finished lamely, trying my best to ignore my thoughts which were rapidly turning rather racy. Then I had to try and control the wink and pervy smile that were threatening to escape.
I took a cautious step back and tried to subtly close the door in his face but he caught it with his hand and from the look on his face he wasn't going to leave until he had said his part.
"Im sorry to disrupt you so late at night-"
"Early in the morning you mean," I injected with a hearty glare. He raised an eyebrow and looked at me like I was a petulant child.
"Well, you appear to have already been awake so I don't believe I am too in the wrong," he quipped. I took a shocked step back, realising too late that it looked like an invitation to come inside, which he did of course. As he walked passed he made a note of eyeing the tea stain on my shirt and smirking. What. A. prick.
"May I enquire as to why you are here? And why you are in my house? And… why are snooping through my stuff?" I exclaimed as I noticed he directed himself towards the blueprints I had left on the floor. In his defence he hadn't been going for them originally, they just caught his eye. But if anyone asked me I would deny everything. That's a promise.
"These are incredible," he breathed as he scanned over each individual maze like structure I had created on the paper.
"Um, thankyou," I said slowly, unsure of how to react to this stranger.
Stranger.
The word resonated through my mind and my senses came flying back to me like a stretched rubber band. This stranger, as in this person I had never met before in my life, was in my apartment, going through my personal belongings, and he seemed to think it was okay? Uhuh, not okay. And I was just about to call him a perfect stranger. Shame.
"Hold up, buddy," another eyebrow raised as he lifted his head to look at me, "I don't know who you think you are but I certainly have no idea. And yet you are here in my house and going through my things like it is perfectly normal? And you made me spill my tea!"
He smirked and put the prints back on the floor, before stretching up to his full height. He was a lot taller than I had initially thought, that's for sure.
"I apologize. My name is Dominic Cobb," he stuck his hand out shake but I just took a step backwards and frowned. This, of course, didn't deter him in the slightest. "I actually was planning on doing all this before you let me in."
I looked at him blankly. "I didn't let you in. I stepped backwards and you assumed I was giving you the go ahead," I deadpanned.
He had the decency to look slightly abashed. "I know, but if I had any chance of this working then I was going to have take the risk."
After that sentence all I could think was guns, handcuffs and being robbed blind. I ran to the front door and locked it, including the dead bolt before checking through the key hole for anybody outside.
It was all clear.
Then I realised that even if he had or accomplices or was flying solo, I had just locked him inside my house with me still in there as well. I turned around and looked at him. He was wearing the most confused expression, I almost considered it cute.
Then he reached inside his jacket.
And I ran.
Of course the door behind me was locked. After running into it and falling flat in a daze I decided that my best cause of action was teleportation. Now all I had to do was figure out the physics of time travel and teleportation before defying multiple laws of nature to land out side the blasted door.
Apparently my inner scheming hadn't been quite as inner as I felt myself be picked up. "You have an over active imagination," he stated plainly.
I sighed. "Think of my poor parents," I muttered.
"Anyway, I wanted to ask if you had a spare room I could stay in tonight," he inquired as he followed me to my arm chair. "I will pay you and everything and I will be gone by 9 in the morning."
As I snuggled deeper than usual into my snugglepot I pondered over his offer. I could use a little extra dough and the company would eradicate the eerie lonely creepy feeling I had tonight.
"Deal," I said rather reluctantly, ignoring the fact that my rational conscious was doing the cha-cha in celebration. Damn voice.
A brilliant smile lit up his face and I could help but think it made him look rather handsome. After a while we were engulfed in one of those really uncomfortable awkward warning I jumped up, grabbed some sheets from a hidden cupboard and proceeded to remake my bed. Cobb followed me but remained in the door way as I worked.
"So Cobb," I enquired, "what brings you to my apartment this fine chilly morning?"
His grin slowly diminished until a light frown creased hi forehead and eyes. "My wife and I had and argument."
Thank god my back was to him as he spoke that horrid sentence. I could feel the glare meld to my face as I picture voodoo dolls and multiple pins involving previously mentioned spouse. My only reply was, "oh?"
"Yeah," he sighed resignedly. "She's pregnant-" curse her to the fiery pits of Hades "-and she is insisting she come on an upcoming business venture. I told her it was too dangerous and would harm the baby but she is adamant."
I turned back to face him, pushing all homicidal thoughts to a secluded box in the back of my brain for later examination and noticed the cautious look on his face.
"And if I was to enquire about your line of work?" I suggested slowly. He frowned again.
"Im afraid I wouldn't be able to go into details. It is all wrapped tight in confidentiality laws," he stated firmly. I was too tired to argue anyway. It wasn't like we were friends, or that I would ever see him again after tonight.
I felt an odd twang in my chest as I realised this was our first and last meeting. I wasn't that dull-boy-obsessed-straight-out-of-high-school-ditsy-blonde type and knew that I was purely miserable that I found someone as interesting as Cobb and he was going to slip away so quickly.
"So I was wondering," I began uncertainly. This was uncharted waters I was sailing here. "After tonight, maybe we should hang out. You know, grab a coffee or something?"
The frown disappeared again and was replaced a by a gentle smile. "I would love that."
I nodded my head to myself in accomplishment and walked back out to the main room, dumping the old sheets on the couch. May as well use them one more night rather than dirty two sets of sheets.
"You can't sleep on the couch," Cobb said as he once again followed me in to the main room.
"Sorry, but did you think I was doing when I changed the sheets in my room? Creating a shrine?" I shook my head at my own hilarity. No one else found me funny but I thought I was genius. Not that I would tell anyone that.
Surprisingly he chuckled behind me and from the corner of my eye, I watched as he walked over to the window. Gripping one of the bars, he pushed the glass frame outwards and let a cool breeze sift through.
Despite the freezing temperatures out side, the wind felt nice against my fire heated skin. I hadn't noticed but a thin sheen of sweat had gathered at the base of my neck.
Leaving the window open he walked over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder, gripping it lightly before walking towards my room. I sighed as I watched his retreating back. He had to be no more than 26, maybe 27, and he was married? With a baby on the way?
Life was just plain cruel sometimes.
I slipped under the covers of my make shift bed on the couch and closed my eyes. Sleep would come and I had a feeling I would dream of a certain blonde haired stranger and the death of an unknown woman. Not that I was dramatic or anything.
I lied there. I listened to the crickets. Okay, I imagined the crickets but that generally happens in movies when it gets too quiet. I tried counting sheep but all I could picture was Sean the sheep. Then I couldn't stop laughing. Then I remembered I had a guest.
So I paced. I did jumping jacks. I balanced on my head. While leaning against a wall, of course.
In short I just. Couldn't. Sleep.
So I lied on the floor, in the middle of the room, on my stomach. My face was planted firmly on the ground and I could smell the old polished concrete through the rug.
I can't accurately tell you how long I was lying there but soon enough I heard morning noises. You know, the birds waking up, people walking around their apartments, my jug boiling, my loft creaking…
Why was my kettle boiling?
"Morning," came a cheerful voice from where I believe my dining table was positioned. Either I was supremely sleep deprived, lonely to a degree of psychosis where I was hallucinating and imagining inanimate objects talking or both. Probably both.
"Morning," I responded back carefully. This was getting weirder.
"So, I will be out of your in a moment. Just need the morning coffee," the voice sounded smiley. I like smiley. "You don't mind right?"
I rolled onto my back but turned my head to the table. There sat none other than Mr Hot and Handsome.
I shrugged in response to his question. Why did I care if he drank my coffee? Ignoring his presence once more, for my own mental stability if not his own fidelity status, I rolled over and stood up. Zoning out of the world around me I proceeded towards my room to shower and change. I wasn't really concerned if he was here or not. I would not let him interrupt my daily routine any more than he already had.
That's right. I had a daily routine. It basically consisted of not having a daily routine and then rushing around like crazy because I was running late. But seeming as it happened every day I thought it was pretty safe to call it a daily routine.
I continued to ponder this as I washed my hair, forgetting all about the stranger in my house. I became so lost in my own head that after the first shampoo I was singing good old Solomon Bourke and dirty dancing.
"When your baby,-" bang, bang, bang "- leaves you all alone-" bang, bang "-and nobody, calls you on the phone-" bang-bang, bang, bang "-don't you feel like crying? Don't you feel like crying?"
Suddenly the door burst open and the shower curtain fell down.
"Arghhhh!"
"Oh! Sorry, sorry!" Cobb yelled as he covered his eyes and looked away blindly. If I was not mistaken he totally took a peek before he looked away.
I hastily picked up the shower curtain from the floor, bar and all, and tried to wrap it around myself. Failing, I just held it up in front of me and prayed for the best.
"Yeah, im covered now," I growled out as I flushed with embarrassment and tried to avoid his eyes as he looked at me once again. I noticed a light blush on his cheeks as well. This made me feel mildly better.
"Someone was at the door," he spoke clear and confidently, considering what had happened only moments ago. "He was asking for you."
That did it. My memory decided to kick into gear and a picture of one of my few friends at the uni filled my mind. "Dammit, Mika!"
Cobb frowned once again but made no move to leave. I raised an eyebrow at him and he just smirked before walking out of my bathroom. Shaking my head I stepped out and grabbed my towel.
As I dried myself off and got dressed, my mind wandered back to his wife. I tried to picture the woman in my mind. All I could come up with was a blonde haired, petite beauty.
Then I realised I had pictured a pretty version of myself. The thought was laughable. So that's what I did. I walked into the main room and towards my kitchen, laughing like a crazy cat.
It was only after I had poured my coffee and sat at the table that I noticed the resettling silence.
I was alone again.
Looking at the other end of the table there was a sheet of paper I didn't remember ever putting there. After closer inspection, I let a smile crack my confused expression and another laugh bubble up my throat.
He left his name, number, address and the time and place of the booking at a small café down the street. Seems I would be meeting this stranger once again. Maybe this time I would figure him out.
So, first published fic on this site :) I am just going to go ahead and put the disclaimer for the entire story here: I do not own the wonderful multiple worlds or layers of Inception but I do own any characters or plots you do not recognise. So there we have it, review and let me know what you think, ideas, constructive criticism or if you just want to have a chat ;) Until next time ~ Ali (or Confetti01, you know...)
