Sophie is for Goodbye0BlueSky, who is my best bud! This story may be utterly rewritten, but it's still for you mate!
Chapter 3
"So, you can't tell me anything besides it's something bad and it's to do with your… you know what I mean." Sophie summed up my half hour rant as she tapped on the table with her spoon.
Rolling my eyes, I nodded. She just nodded back at me and pursed her lips in thought. As she silently thought, I pulled out a pen and began to draw on the serviette. I wasn't quite sure what exactly I was drawing, but it reminded me of a city skyline with vibrant shapes and twirling towers. Sophie peered over the table to the serviette I was scribbling on and sighed.
"That bad, huh?" she spoke softly as she noticed my bad habit.
Whenever I had felt really stressed or angry, I had always used to draw; I had tried to ditch the hobby of drawing, but sometimes I just couldn't help it. I had been quite good when I was younger, but it had fallen into the background when I grew up and drawing had all but faded from my life.
"Let's go home, shall we? I have something that I think will cheer you up." She drained the last dregs of her coffee and stood up.
I followed her example and place a tip under my cup. I walked beside Sophie as we strode down the street. You might wonder why we would leave our presumably super expensive mode of transportation in the middle of a rough neighbourhood to be stolen or trashed and I wouldn't blame you. The thing is, good ol' Humphrey (a bloody long and good story to be told another day) isn't super expensive model of a car/convertible/limo.
I walked up to a sea-blue beat-up truck whose best days where long behind him. I grinned and pulled myself into the passenger seat and relaxed into the squishy, thread-bare seats. We had gotten Humphrey over six years ago from a side-of-the-road sale out in the country, but he was still strong and was tough as a tank. I rolled down the windows as Sophie gunned the engine into life. I leaned into the seat and let my hand sit on the windows edge as we drove into traffic.
Oh, and note that I have enough money to buy my own apartment, but that's beside the point. I had never liked living alone, it just brings up old worries and there's no fun in living alone, either. I was only 23, after all! So, Sophie and I shared a nice apartment in the city centre where the hum of the city was with us day and night.
I slid the key into the lock while balancing a bag on my hip, and pushed open the door. I kicked it open and wandered into the apartment before dropping the bags onto a table.
"Did you go shopping for bricks?" I asked as Sophie struggled with her equal burden of heavy items.
"Har, har. You're sooo funny. I bought a new telescope! And some other stuff." She quickly mumbled before dropping everything and grinning.
That was another reason we bought this apartment; a top floor with a fire-escape that led straight to the roof. The stars were my biggest weakness; I had been known in the past to miss important meetings because of a meteor shower or a sleep-in due to one.
Sophie continued to walk around the place, assigning things to their homes before she came to rest in front of me. She paused for a moment, smiled and then jumped into the air excitedly.
"It's so cool; this telescope has got pollution-clearance technology, quartz glass mirrors and even…" Sophie spoke like a toddler at Christmas as she listed off special features that I would never notice or remember about the new telescope she had bought.
I nodded towards the box which still lay untouched on the table to remind Sophie that she hadn't actually opened it yet. Her eyes lit up as her cheeks reddened slightly and she grabbed the box before tearing up the stairs to the second level. I shook my head at her shenanigans before plopping down on the couch. I surveyed the room as I listened to the bumps and knocks upstairs. The room wasn't very big, but it led to a kitchen and study; unlike the large upper level which had two bedrooms, a bathroom, a spare room and a bedroom converted to personal library. Warm sunlight filtered through the floor-to-ceiling glass doors that branched out to a tiny balcony. The gauze curtains hung limply, longing for a breeze, onto the dark wood floors and the brick walls positively glowedlit up the numerous photographs and pictures that hung on the walls. The apartment wasn't luxurious or perfect, but it was cosy and felt the way a home should feel.
"Are you coming or not?!" Sophie's voice echoed down the stairs to me and I pulled myself into standing position.
"I'm coming, I'm coming; get a hold of yourself!" I called back as I climbed the metal, circular staircase.
I came to the top of the stairs only to see that Sophie had already unpacked the entire box and had pieces of telescope surrounding her. Laughing, I slipped towards her and landed on the floor in what I hoped was suave but most likely my signature, clumsy way. For a little while, when I was around Sophie, I could forget my troubles and let out the inner child that I showed to few people.
Rocking forward, I grabbed a 'something' and spoke, 'Are there instructions or are we going to bodge this like last time?'
Sophie rolled her eyes jokingly, "Are you kidding me? Only losers need instructions."
