It's early still (at least by his standards) when he slips the key into the lock and enters the apartment. He's surprised how natural it feels, how quickly he's fallen into the routine. It hasn't even been that long but it's already familiar, already comfortable. A habit.
He'll have to be careful - habits can be dangerous.
Colin makes his way to the kitchen, the sun through the windows negating the need for lights. He opens the cabinet and pulls out the bag of coffee and the small box of coffee filters. He flips open the lid of the coffee pot.
There's a noise from the other room. A small smile plays on his lips; Ally's still here, still asleep.
His mind wanders as he holds the coffee pot under the faucet.
He's never really noticed her before. Not much, at least. Their schedules don't always align, he being a night owl and she a nine to fiver. On the off chance they ever see each other, it's usually only in passing because one or both of them has a visitor. But she's been there, in his periphery, for a while, and he is surprised they haven't become friends earlier.
Maybe not. After all, he doesn't really have any friends, and certainly not any female friends.
But Ally is different. It's not that she's a dude, or even like a dude, because while she enjoys beer and pizza and sports, there are plenty of girly things about her. Her figure, for one, and those stupid butterflies by her desk. Her purple backpack and polka dot umbrella. Not to mention that colander on the wall. She is definitely a girl, a lady even… but there is something different about her.
Whatever it is, he likes it.
In fact, for the first time in a long time, he finds himself more looking forward to the mornings after his nighttime conquests than his actual nighttime conquests.
This habit's becoming troubling indeed.
He snaps out of his thoughts, his body producing a small jolt of surprise, which of course jerks his arm just enough to smack the glass coffee pot against the side of the sink. It shatters in jagged, watery pieces.
"Great," he mutters out loud. He cleans up the mess and, deciding against leaving a bunch of broken glass in her trash can, takes the trash out to boot. On the trek up the stairs he whips out his phone, checks the baseball scores, checks Twitter, his usual climbing-the-stairs routine. "Sorry I broke your coffee pot, Ally. Great start to the morning. #idiot #caffeinefreeidiot" he tweets. For all his investigative skills, Ally doesn't seem to have much of a social media presence. He can't direct the tweet at her, but he has a feeling she'll get the message regardless.
He swings by his apartment on the way up and makes himself a cup of coffee. He's very quiet so as not to wake - was it Amy? Amanda? No, Amy... something like that - since she's still stretched out on the bed, sound asleep.
He considers making a cup for Ally, too, but he doesn't know how long she'll be out. She's not as accustomed to unemployment as he is, so her hours have been varying wildly.
Quiet as a mouse, he takes his coffee and grabs his laptop and glides back across the hall. Ally's still asleep. He collapses comfortably onto the couch. He likes her couch.
It's a nice apartment, but it's kind of boring. Since she's still asleep, he can't turn on the TV or play his guitar or listen to music.
He stares at his laptop, debating. He can at least get some work done for her, though he's reluctant to finish his task too quickly. He likes this arrangement very much, but he supposes all good things must come to an end.
He flips open the laptop lid, then pulls out his phone and tiptoes into the bedroom. Ally's sprawled on her stomach, stretched diagonally across the bed. He leans over her, trying to find the best angle with the sunlight and the sleep marks and her blonde hair that's just everywhere.
After some debate, he gives up and just snaps the photo. He can always change it later.
He returns to the living room and opens the laptop. He sets up her Facebook account fairly easily, amusing himself with the password and the settings.
He immediately grabs his phone, searches for Ally Darling, and friends her himself. After all, they are friends.
For now.