Unaware of the Leech
Hilde set the bag of groceries on her kitchen's counter. Taking the food items from the bag, she frowned. This month's grocery bill didn't add up. It seemed she'd bought to buy twice the amount of food that she'd purchased last month. But why when she ate the same amount as always. Was someone breaking into her house and stealing her food?
Finished putting away the groceries, Hilde washed her hands and got started on dinner. Unconsciously, she took out enough chicken for two.
The chicken was put in the microwave to defrost, and Hilde moved on to slicing the vegetables. Starting with the onion, Hilde wondered what she could do to cut her electric bill in half. It, too, had doubled. She'd called the electric company and asked if they'd raised their prices. They hadn't.
"Maybe someone really is breaking into my house," she wondered aloud. A few days ago she found the air-conditioner running full blast when she arrived home; Hilde, a stickler for conserving energy, always made sure to turn all appliances off before heading out. And then there was yesterday when she'd come out of her room for a snack; the kitchen's faucet was left dripping. If these occurrences really were the result of repeated break-ins, someone was breaking into her house not just when she was out but also when she was in. She shuddered at the thought.
"But that's silly," she told herself. If someone was breaking into her house, why would they steal food, electricity and water?
No, the cause had to be her own carelessness. Surely she'd left the water running at the sink. But then could your water bill really double because you'd left the water running a couple times?
"Hey, Hilde?" Duo waltzed into the kitchen, clad in a towel and long, luxurious hair hanging loosely down his back. He was a pleasant distraction from unpleasant thoughts.
"Duo,"—she gave him a quick once-over before looking away—"how many times do I have to tell you to come out of the bathroom with your clothes on?"
"Oh, come on. You know you like what you see." He swaggered to the fridge, pulled out a freshly bought bottle of soda, and took a large gulp. "Ah, that really hits the spot."
Hilde maneuvered around him to retrieve the defrosted chicken from the microwave. "Duo, put that down and put some clothes on."
"I would, but they're in your dryer."
"And why are they there," she demanded, calmly cutting the chicken breasts into cubes.
"Well, I was making a smoothie but didn't close the blender properly and it got all over me. So you see…"
"Oh, I see. You're making yourself quite at home."
Duo chuckled, storing his half finished bottle in the fridge. "Isn't that why you gave me that key?"
Hilde blushed, embarrassed by the memory of her boldness the night she'd presented it to him. "Nope." She slid the chicken cubes into the sauté pan. "I gave it to you so you could come clean while I'm at work."
"Sorry, Hilde, but I don't think I'll quit my job to clean up after you."
"Aw, but you'd do such a great job."
He came up behind her. "You're making some of that for me, right?"
"Maybe."
Duo nuzzled her neck. "Please," he purred. Hilde groaned and leaned into him. Duo wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hilde—"
Abruptly, Hilde straightened. She could hear the faint sound of running water. "Hey! Is that the shower?"
"Sorry, sorry. I forgot to turn it off." He pulled away from her. Making sure to hold his towel firmly round his hips, he jogged out of the kitchen. Hilde watched, partly hoping the towel would fall. It didn't, so she turned back to the chicken, smiling.
Then she frowned, her focus returning to her previous thoughts. "Those bills don't make sense."