Spaces

Surely that question wasn't aimed at me, Fitz thought to himself. His inquisitive blue eyes abruptly opened from ideas of self-care that he knew he'd never accomplish this week. He turned his tall lean frame around just to be sure.

A petite woman was standing right behind him and she was a sight to behold. She had multiple shopping bags dangling from both hands and a purse hanging precariously from her right shoulder that looked like, at any moment, it would slide down the length of her arm and collide with the heap of the bags. The look on her face was an impatient one. And while all of that was a lot to take in on a momentary glance, the tiny woman was doing a weird little jig while balancing all of her items.

Lost in thought and trying to understand the sight in front of him, her rushed impatient voice broke through.

"Hello?!"

His eyes popped up to her anxious brown ones. "I'm sorry. What?"

He seemed frazzled and for the life of her, Liv couldn't figure out why. The guy had a suitcase and what appeared to be a problem concentrating on a single thought in his head. She on the other hand was loaded down with today's purchases. While the sun was long gone, it was still blistering hot outside. She wanted to be inside where the AC was, and she needed to empty her overly full bladder very quickly or there would be a mess. In a voice she hoped sounded kind she asked, "are you going in?"

"In?"

"To the beach house." When he continued to stare at her, she added, "Are you the new second floor tenant?"

"Oh! Sorry." He turned to give the house a quick glimpse before once again giving her his full attention, along with a nod. "Yes, I am."

His eyebrows sank in question as her dancing continued. "Are you staying here too?"

"Yea, I've been here since..." She was dancing a lot quicker now, and in one swift jerking movement, tried in vain to hoist all of her belongings closer to her body.

Fitz watched her purse collide with the items in her hands.

"Look, I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but I have really got to pee. Would you take my door key from my hand and open up for me. We can do all of this after I've visited the restroom."

That's what the anxious dancing was all about. "Of course! I'm so sorry."

Fitz quickly unlocked the door with his own key, pushed it open, and stepped aside as the overloaded female hastily dropped everything to the floor that had been weighing her down and darted to a door past the living room. He surveyed the trail of bags she had left in her wake. Girl liked to shop.

Setting his suitcase down, he averted his gaze from her purchases to the space he was in. The living room was...well, spacious was an understatement. The room was huge and open, yet inviting all at the same time. The furniture and decor reflected the beachy vibe with various shades of blue, tan, and cream. A television was mounted to a nearby wall and a book shelf sat nestled underneath it with a wide arrange of colorful bindings and thicknesses. The large window displayed what was probably a perfect view of the ocean in the daylight. Fitz closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy the simple pleasure of the quiet, letting a peaceful feeling wash over him.

When the moment was over, he looked past the living room, and the closed bathroom door. Fitz could see a refrigerator. The chef in him wanted to explore that space and see everything. What kind of appliances there were, how they were arranged, the setup of his favorite room in any house. So, he headed in that direction.

Before he could get too far though, the bathroom door suddenly opened, and a much calmer version of the tiny woman emerged. She was startled at his closer proximity than where he had been when she left him, and her body jerked involuntarily.

He ceased all movement and held his hands out in front of him. "Oh. I'm so sorry for scaring you."

"It's okay. You didn't scare me. Just caught me off guard is all." She smiled up at him and extended her hand. "We didn't get to formally meet before I ran away from you like a crazy person. I'm Liv."

She was blunt, and he immediately liked that about her. Returning the smile and shaking her hand he said, "Hi, Liv. I'm Fitz."

"Nice to meet ya, Fitz." The handshake was firm and continued a little longer than necessary, but neither one noticed because there was an entire conversation being had in their unbroken eye contact. "How long are you staying here?"

"A week."

She nodded at him. "I've been here for three."

"Wow! That's a long stay. When do you leave?"

"Trying to get rid of me already?"

"No! No, no! Nothing like that!" He stammered out. God, he was an idiot. "Sorry. I just...well, umm...Sorry. I didn't know anyone stayed here longer than a week or two. Three is ambitious."

Her mouth formed a tiny o and using his hand, she pulled him closer. "I'm staying the entire summer."

Completely unashamed, Liv watched as her new house mate recovered from the shocked look he had given at her secret and finally let go of her hand. She wanted to keep him on his toes and tease him about holding her hand so long, but decided to keep things light instead. "So! Where were you going when I busted you?"

He knew he should feel embarrassed, but instead felt mischievous. The smile on his face widened. "I saw the refrigerator and wanted to check out the kitchen. It didn't really occur to me that this wasn't my place to roam around until you saw me. I'm sorry about that."

"Do you do that a lot?"

"What's that?"

"Apologize?"

Did he? "Umm, I don't think so."

"You've said those two words at least a half dozen times in the ten minutes that I have known you. That's almost one apology a minute."

"What? No. That can't be true." Could it?

Maybe they'd circle back to that one another day. Shifting gears, she asked, "do you always scope out other people's kitchens?"

"Well..." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"I mean, you've seen one kitchen, you've pretty much seen 'em all. Kinda like a zoo. Am I right?"

"Absolutely not." He stated firmly.

She sent him a look of intrigue and genuine interest as her eyebrows rose high on her forehead. "Uh oh. Fitz has a soft spot for kitchens. I think you need to elaborate on that now."

The grin on his face was automatic. She was funny and easy to talk to. Maybe a little too easy to talk to. His brain reminded him of the reason he was here alone. His grin immediately fell from his face and a somber feeling filled him instead. "Maybe later? If you don't mind, I think I'm going to go upstairs right now and get settled in and relax. It took me several hours to get here and I'm a bit tired."

That was a weird transformation. Liv wondered what could possibly have been the reason the apologetic yet charming man in front of her had turned into an exhausted and quiet one out of the blue. She thought about trying to coax him out of his shell with humor, but somehow, she knew he didn't want that right now. He wanted some space. "Of course. Let me show you the stairs that lead up to the second floor. That area is a bit smaller than down here, but since it's just you, I think you'll be okay."

The brief look of pain didn't go unnoticed by Liv, but she continued talking as if it had. "There's just one bedroom up there instead of the two on my floor. But the kitchen is bigger, so that should make up for it since you appear to be into kitchens."

Fitz found it interesting that Liv had explored the second floor, most likely during her time alone in the house. It was nice to know they shared a degree of nosiness with the unfamiliar. He followed her to the living room where a staircase was snuggled up against a wall. He had missed it altogether in his brief survey of the room earlier.

Once they started their ascent, he saw a closed door at the top of the stairs. Voicing his question at Liv's back, he asked, "is that locked?"

"It wasn't when I got here. I figured whoever came to stay next could lock it if they wanted to." She turned the door and pushed it open, stepping into the second story.

He stepped in behind her and looked around from where he stood.

"I prefer open spaces, but the one up here is yours for the time being, and I will respect however you choose to keep this door until you leave."

Giving her a tight smile, Fitz simply said, "thank you."

"No problem. You can access your floor from the inside staircase or from the one outside the house. I don't mind if you want to come in through the front door though. It's simpler."

"You trust me? Just like that? You don't even know me. I could be...a serial killer." He knew his voice sounded accusatory, but it couldn't be helped. Her words sounded crazy.

"I don't think serial killers apologize as much in one lifetime as you do in ten minutes." She teased.

His grin flashed at her quick humor.

She held his gaze, studying him intently. Liv always considered herself a good judge of character. "You're a good person, Fitz. You seem to be dealing with something, but that's none of my business."

He nodded once, but it was almost imperceptible. "Thanks again for the help."

He was trying to politely get rid of her. She could take a hint. "Well, I'll leave you to it. I hope you enjoy your stay here. There is a beautiful view from the roof top deck. Maybe one night we can..."

He fake yawned loudly. It was incredibly rude, but he could not listen to anything pertaining to the rooftop right now. "Sorry about that."

"There's another apology." She quietly pointed out.

"Right." He felt like such an ass as he rocked back on his heels. Why did he come here? What made him think that being here alone was a good idea? He should have sucked it up, considered it a financial loss, and stayed home. There wouldn't be any awkward tension, no stranger peppering him with questions, or being away from the comfort of his own home.

All he wanted right now was to be alone. Maybe to wander his own floor and do his best to ignore his house mate for an hour and then go out and get rip roaring drunk and stumble his way back to the beach house. He knew that was never gonna happen. Instead, he simply gave the lamest excuse in the world. "I think I'm gonna lay down, so thank you again for all your help."

Was he running from something in his life? Did he suffer a devastating loss recently? Whatever it was, it seemed big. She wouldn't pry, but she wouldn't be a wallflower either. She had just as much a right to be here as he did. She'd just tread lightly. "No problem."

She sent him a smile before going back through the door, and closing it behind her. Liv had a feeling he preferred it that way right now.