Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in the continuation of this, but here we go. At last. The prompt was 'wondering'.
PART EIGHT: WONDERING
His biggest fear as he'd pushed the door open had been as to whether or not he'd promised one of his band-mates that they could sleep over, but as he stepped in and turned on the light, he was filled with relief. The apartment was indeed empty. There was no one here, and therefore, nothing to worry about. Apart from making an idiot of himself somehow. He seemed to be especially good at that tonight.
What had happened to the confident Ray? Had someone replaced him without his knowledge? If they had, he'd kick their ass.
"Everything okay?" Abby asked from behind him, and he looked to her, realising he hadn't moved out of the way, and she was still rather… in the doorway itself.
"Oh, no. Everything's fine. Sorry." He moved aside, and then closed the door behind her as she entered. He shrugged off his jacket, and offered to take hers, putting them both aside when she handed it to him. "So how do you take your coffee?"
"Milk and two sugars."
"Okay." Ray nodded, and headed across the room, saying as he did so, "Make yourself at home."
As he set about with mugs and coffee, filling this and pouring that, he heard a noise over his shoulder, and turned his head. Abby was sitting on the sofa, apparently having had to move his acoustic guitar.
Oops. Probably should put those away…
"Sorry," he called across the room. "Was it in the way?"
"Well, unless it's an elaborate cushion…" Abby quipped slowly, and he laughed, wondering if he'd made her coffee right, given that he couldn't even remember making it fully, as he apparently had, because he now had two full mugs in front of him. And then he realised he couldn't remember which one was which.
Crap. He pulled a face, and then took them both over to the couch. "Okay, you'll have to tell me if that's right. I can't… um, remember whose is whose." He offered a smile, feeling rather foolish for not paying attention. He knew he'd put milk in both at least, given the colour.
Abby sampled the coffee, pondered the taste for a moment, and then said, "Nope, we're good. I've got sugar." She gave a cheeky smile, and he laughed again, nodding.
"Good," he muttered in amusement, trying his own. Other than being very — understandably — hot, it was how he normally took it. So if nothing else, he could make coffee without really paying attention… now if he could get through the rest of the evening without screwing up, then he'd be just fine.
"It's not bad," Abby was saying, her eyes wandering, and Ray looked to her, and then tried to follow her meaning. "The apartment," she revealed after realising he had lost track… again.
Okay. Rule number one: pay attention.
"Thanks. Neela's room is that one over there, and mine's round the back." He nodded his head for indication, and then tried to explain to himself why he had given directions.
Wrong idea, much? Dumbass. Why didn't you just say 'let's go somewhere more comfortable' and get it over with. Jeez.
Clearing his throat, he took comfort in her smile and nod. He figured if she'd been offended, she would have voiced it. After all, Abby wasn't the type to keep her being insulted to herself… especially where he was concerned.
And that was speaking from personal experience. Not that he'd ever meant to insult her…
He was just…
Stupid?
He quickly decided that wanting his own brain to shut up was the weirdest thing he'd ever known…
"So what time does Neela get home?" Abby asked, drawing Ray's attention to her once again, and thankfully, given he'd almost started trying to devise ways to turn off the volume of his own thoughts, not that something like that was possible… was it?
"Um… she's working nights for a while, so… not 'til about seven." He nodded his head, as if that would help the explanation, setting his coffee on the table in front of them. Abby nodded as well, making him curious as to why she had asked. There was only one way to find out. "Why?"
"Well," Abby began, setting her hands on her knees. She went quiet for a while, and her brows knitted, as if she were giving the answer some serious thought. "I'm… I just wondered."
Ray watched her… finding himself, for some reason, not entirely convinced.
To Be Continued…
