XY XX

NO PLAY

"Hello."

"Hello."

After the storm, came the shyness, the two argued, yet when the Ex-lovers met, the same feeling filled the air; the neighbors couldn't stay away from the other.

"How was your day?" Gregory asked.

"Good."

"And yours?" Xenia returned.

"Same."

Sia, silent, switched her gaze from one to another as they spoke.

"Goodbye, Gregory," Xenia said once in front of her door.

She was polite; Gregory lived next door. They had a story; it was good, and it was over. No matter how hard it was, Xenia had to stick to her resolve.

"Gregory, aren't you coming with us?" The little girl used to have the man join them for dinner asked.

"I don't know if your mom will let me," Gregory knew it was petty to use Sia's question to his advantage, and Xenia probably flared the ploy, but he didn't care.

"She will," Sia hurried to say.

"Sia."

"Mommy stands in front of the door, waiting for you to come."

Xenia laughed in embarrassment, "Sia, don't say things like that," she said, patting her daughter vigorously on the head while hoping she'd stay quiet.

"It's true; mom walks around the house with her phone saying, call me, Gregory."

Xenia shook her head, "I do not, Sia."

"You do."

"I do not," Xenia glared at her daughter before hurrying to open her door and pulling Sia inside, but as she was about to close it, Oasis ran out and began to rub herself against Gregory's legs.

"Traitors, you are all traitors," Xenia mumbled.

Gregory's eyes twitched, betraying his contempt as he picked up Oasis and stretched her out to Xenia.

"Meow."

"What you don't want to come in, Oasis? Fine, stay with him, and don't look at me like that, Gregory," Xenia said in frustration.

Two weeks past and the woman held with her anger playing all the weeping willow repertoires existing.

Gregory was tired of taking the first step. He wanted to know to what extent the woman cared.

Xenia's eyes said all the contrary to what her mouth pronounced. Gregory lost hope she would never take the step. He turned, typed his code, and was about to enter his apartment when he heard the plea.

"Gregory, eat with us," Sia said while she clung to her mother's leg.

"Sorry, Sia. I would love to butㅡ."

"Eat with us," the voice was small, but the words attained the bullseye.

Gregory wanted a step, anything would do coming from Xenia, and she did it with this simple sentence, which probably tortured her like the flames of hell. The man knew how proud the woman was to beg or yield to any concession.

And so the man didn't play cocky by asking Xenia to repeat, "just give me a minute, and I'm coming," the man replied in a monotonous tone instead.

"Oh, take your time. Dinner won't be ready for forty minutes, at least," Xenia's stare fled with embarrassment.

A weak smile sketched on the man's face, "okay, see you in forty minutes."

Xenia quickly entered her apartment; now, she gave Gregory the time; she had to do everything to cook up a meal within Gregory's time frame for the man was a living clock.