And here, my dear readers, is where it begins to pick up. (: I loved writing this chapter. But I'd love lots of reviews too! Enjoy!
Damn these wide windows, and their lack of curtains! The instant Audrey's eyes fluttered open, her immediate instinct was the slam them shut again. With a groan, she rolled over onto her stomach, covering her head with a pillow. Audrey was none too pleased with the afternoon sunshine streaming into her room, spilling onto the gleaming wood floors and filling every whitewashed corner. Grumbling, she sat up and slid her feet out of the warm comfort of the bed. The sheets pooled around her as she ran her fingers through her dark hair, which was curled and knotted with the sweat of restless sleep. Audrey forced her body to a more vertical position, giving herself a brief once-over. With a shrug, she decided that what she had fallen asleep in would suffice until she had had some breakfast and found the energy to put thought into her appearance.
Stepping out of her bedroom, Audrey made a mental note to put curtains at the top of her shopping list. The main rooms of the second floor were dark; all of the shutters and curtains drawn. Audrey heaved a slight sigh of relief, feeling her eyes adjust to their preferred surroundings. "Ahh, good morning, Audrey." Watari's voice was pleasant behind his newspaper. "Morning, Watari." She yawned.
"There's tea, if you'd like." Watari peeked over his paper, raising his eyebrows slightly. Audrey sat down on the sofa adjacent to the chair Watari was in, folding her legs under herself and accepting the cup of tea Watari gestured to. She smiled, reaching for the tray of cream and sugar cubes that sat on the ottoman, grabbing a handful of the sugar cubes and dropping them in one by one as she sat back against the couch. Watari smiled, shaking his head slightly. The newspaper went back up. Audrey sipped her tea quietly, quite enjoying the comfortable silence.
"I think I'll go out today, Watari. That blindingly bright bedroom of mine is in desperate need of curtains." Audrey said through a small smile. Watari looked up again, his eyes peering over the top of the paper again. "Surely, we could find something suitable around here?" Audrey raised her teacup to her mouth, taking a sip before responding. "I'd like to explore, actually, if it's alright. I'm not exactly… sure of where I am. I also need some new clothes," she laughed. "I can't live in this forever." Watari joined her soft laughter as she motioned to the worn jeans and t-shirt she was wearing for the second day in a row.
Finally, he nodded his head a put the paper back up. From where she was sitting, Audrey could make out the headlines through the darkness. "Kira death-tolls soar" wasthe uppermost one. Dropping another sugar cube into her tea, Audrey leaned forward on her knees to get a better look at the paper. The case had been the furthest thing from her mind for quite some time, only crossing her thoughts when she heard the whispers lining the street with the garbage. It occurred to her then that that must be what Near was doing. In only her second day in his home, she had not seen him but once, and Watari did say he was "working". Of course, it made perfect sense that he would be investigating the murderer. Audrey, on the other hand, had never been much for detective work. As much as she would love to offer her help, she knew it would be useless – her place was very much so not in the same realm as Near's.
"Perhaps you'd like me to draw up some maps for you, Audrey?" Watari said from behind his paper. Audrey's head jerked to attention. "Mm, no thank you, Watari. I think I'll be alright."
"It would be no trouble, really. We can't have you getting lost." His eyes were heavy with concern as they peered over the newspaper at her, his eyebrows lowered. Audrey shook her head slightly. "It's quite alright, truly. I'm sure I'll be able to manage." She saw his shoulders shrug slightly at her small smile, as if to say 'Have it your way, then.' Agreement brought back the silence.
"Well, thank you for the tea, Watari. I think I'll get ready now." Audrey stood up, tucked one ankle behind the other in a graceless curtsey, and left the room to Watari's soft chuckles. Her bedroom was a bright contrast to the darkness of the living area, and she stood in the doorway, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment before moving to sift through her bag.
Dumping the contents on the bed, Audrey saw that she had very little to work with. A pair of black leggings laced their way through various t-shirts and sweaters; she pulled them from the stack. Grabbing a tank-top and a sweater and not particularly caring how they matched, Audrey made her way to the bathroom door across the room from her bed.
The sunshine gleaming off of the crisp white tiles made her want to crawl under a rock. Drapery, heavy drapery, was most certainly in order. She set her clothes down on the shining countertop and slid open the glass shower door. The silver of the shower head was as pristine as the rest of the bathroom, holding the sweet promise of soothing hot water. She turned the knob and undressed quickly.
It felt amazing to wash her hair. Steam clouded the entire bathroom. Audrey stood under the streaming how water with a small smile on her face.
When she forced herself to get out, she wrapped herself in a fluffy towel that was hung on the silver rack next to the shower. She dressed hastily, finding the air much colder than the water had been. By the time Audrey had tugged the sweater over he shoulders and tied her shoes, her hair was fairly dry. With a last minute glance around her room, she picked up her envelope and flew out the door almost giddily.
"I won't be too late, Watari!" She called over her shoulder as she flew out the door. How long had it been since she'd been outside? Days? Hours? The air was crisp, the sky a brighter blue than she'd ever remembered. Audrey set out at a brisk pace, hands shoved deep into her pockets, face turned up to the sunshine.
She bounced from shop to shop until the sun was hanging low in the sky. Audrey was headed in what she thought was the way home when a small café tucked away between bigger buildings caught her eyes. Readjusting her shopping bags, she jetted across the street. Bells chimed happily when she pushed open the door; the rich scent of coffees and teas filled her nostrils. She could already taste it.
"One coffee, please." Audrey said to the man behind the counter when he smiled and asked for her order. The transaction ended, and he pointed her to the counter with creamers and sugars. Audrey breathed in deeply, half tempted to just drink it black.
After dropping in four sugar cubes, Audrey sat down in a plush couch by a window off in the far corner. The streets outside bustled with people, some with bags, others with briefcases. She held the coffee cup between her gloved hands, letting it warm her fingers through.
She didn't realize she had seated her self across from someone else until harsh cursing was barely audible from behind a laptop. Audrey looked up, in spite of herself.
The goggles were pulled down over Matt's eyes. He was slumped in the chair on the other side of the small coffee table, hunched over the laptop. Audrey felt her mouth fall open slightly as her instinct told her to run before she made a bumbling idiot of herself.
Matt looked up as if he had heard Audrey's thoughts running and banging around in her head. He found himself smiling slightly at the deer-in-the-headlights expression she couldn't put away quite fast enough. Audrey closed her mouth and cleared her throat.
"Uhm, hi there." She said uncertainly with a slight wave of her hand. Matt leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "Hi there." He repeated her greeting back to her. Audrey wanted to tell him to wipe that smug look off of his face. Instead, she sat up a little straighter with a graceful smile.
She shifted in her chair, feeling slightly awkward under his stare, waiting for him to speak.
"Why are you here, Audrey?" The way he said her name made her want to evaporate with the steam of her coffee. She felt her toes curl anxiously. "I'm, uh, living in town." Audrey took a slow sip of coffee, figuring it was better than saying too much. Matt nodded his head, as if considering her response. As if, Audrey reminded herself. He was probably still the cruel kid that picked on her all throughout her childhood. She refused to fall into a pile of mush just because he was smiling at her. Why was he smiling at her?
Audrey shook her head, taking a deep breath through her mouth. "What about you? What brings you around here?" Matt laughed once and looked past her, out the window. "Business." A typical Matt response. Audrey found it irritating that he hadn't changed a bit, and that he now wasn't looking her in the eyes. She cocked an eyebrow at him.
"What have you been up to, Audrey? It's been a long time since Whammy's." Matt reached up as he spoke and pulled the goggles from his eyes, letting them hang around his slender neck. Audrey shrugged. "A little of this, a little of that." She took a small mouthful of her coffee. The fact that it scorched her throat didn't even register.
Matt was leaning with his elbows over his knees, the laptop set down on the coffee table between them. With his head tilted downward, his eyes were looking up at her. Audrey felt her insides shudder when he opened his mouth slightly to let out a faint sigh. "You never were one for many details." He said through a slight laugh.
Audrey's lips gave way to a small smile. She looked down. "No, I suppose not."
The corners of Matt's mouth threatened to turn upward at her unnecessary embarrassment. Matt shut his laptop and swiftly shoved it into his bag. "I'm going to walk you home." He said, the conviction in his voice startling Audrey to a greater sense of awareness. "Oh, uhm, alright." Her gray eyes darted for a moment; she stood up a little too quickly. Matt couldn't fight his smile.
"Still as flighty as ever." He mumbled, leading the way out of the coffee shop.