Spotlights and Symphonies

Petrified

The walk upstairs is in complete silence. I wonder if he knows I heard their conversation, or at least suspects it. Now I feel bad for criticizing his behaviour when we first got to the house. I've only had a couple boyfriends, luckily none have cheated on me, but I know break ups hurt. Breaking up like that must be so much worse.

     We almost burst into the guest room when I remember Anna. I turn to Tom to whisper to him when I notice his eyes. For the first time I properly look at him, see his face.

There is barely any light in the hallway, but looking up at him... his eyes are big and glassy, reflecting whatever light raced to be in them. They looked sad and dark, glowing the smallest bit of rich brown. The light catching his cheekbones made them seem sharp, and the shadows cast just below hollowed out his face. He looked sculpted, like he was made from marble. Almost grotesque... almost.

He looked at me somewhat surprised but too tired to be startled. I need to say something before this gets weird.

"I think Anna is asleep, I'll bring the suitcase out so you can take it," I whispered to him. He nodded once, slowly, his expression unaltered, dreariness keeping him frozen. Rolling the suitcase out quietly I take a peak at Anna. She's in the bed sound asleep.

As I get to the entrance Tom reaches out to take the handle and I turn around to close the door. He opens the door almost directly across from Anna and I's room and rests the suitcase on the bed.

"Sorry, if I knew it was that close I would've done it myself," I felt bad making him come all the way up here.

"It's alright," he shrugs with no effort and closes the door. I start to walk down the hall to the bathroom and he follows me. "Wait here a second." He stops me outside of a door and goes in.

There's a door across from this one and two more down the hall, one must be the bathroom. What a symmetrical house-

"I assume you don't have shampoo or anything since you were on the plane? We have these... for when my mom stays over." He hands me shampoo, conditioner and body wash. "Thought you might prefer that over the three-in-one we have."

"This is awesome, thank you." It takes him a second to take his eyes off of the bottles but he eventually looks up at me and produces the weakest smile I have ever seen. I turn to walk to the bathroom and hear the door close behind me. Must be his room. He must also have his own bathroom? There's no way it's normal in England to keep your toiletries in your room.

I place the bottles in the shower, find 2 towels and take off my clothes. Looking in the mirror I start to criticize myself.

     I know that I shouldn't. Being insecure isn't quirky. But I can't help it. I always wished I was skinnier. And blonde, had blue eyes. My cousin, the closest thing I've ever had to a sister - which is funny cause she's adopted so we're not even blood relatives, she's always been skinny. Beautiful straight blonde hair, light blue eyes. I would've hated her out of envy if she wasn't so fun and kind. I can't wait to get home.

     Remembering dinner is nearing I hop in the shower. This shampoo smells nice. Watermelon. Watermelon? Do many moms choose watermelon for shampoo scents? I guess I don't know how old Tom's mom is... maybe she's a hip mom? I check the body wash scent before putting it on. What on earth; cucumber, pineapple and hibiscus? I have never seen pineapple for a body wash scent. I'll stick to the 3-in-1 for this one. Tom's mom sure has some odd preferences.

     Usually I take a long time in the shower, but while on our trip I've learned to be quick from staying in hostels. People get very angry if you use up all the hot water. And of course it's rude when you're at another person's house. I put my hair in a towel and glance in the mirror again. I always look bloated after a shower.

     Peaking my head out of the bathroom I make sure no one is in the hallway so I can walk back in a towel. As I pass Tom's room I hear a guitar. At first I think it's from a movie or video but then I hear the instrument stop, someone curse under their breath and the music resume again. The song sounded familiar but I didn't linger being as I was half naked in a stranger's house.

I walk into the room to find Anna awake. Good, I can take her clothes. While pulling clothes out and asking what's clean I tell her about the conversation I heard between Tom and Harrison, making sure to speak quietly.

"Aw, poor guy... but you know what that means Leena..." she grins at me.

"I'm not going to go after a guy who we've just met, lives in England, isn't happy we're in his home and who just got broken up with. Besides I don't even know if he's cute." That's sort of a lie, his face is quite handsome, but we were in bad lighting so maybe I'm wrong.

"Well maybe he'll have no choice but to fall for you in those clothes. Those are all the clean ones." A smug smile stitched on her face.

I look down at the clean clothes I separated. Most of them were pajamas and lingere.

"What? Never got a chance to wear these?" I mocked her with a fake pouty face.

"Sort of," her glare quickly turned back into a smirk. "But I guess we'll wait and see with blonde beauty downstairs".

"We're staying in this kind man's house, who again - we met today, for one night and you're trying to climb him?"

"One night is all I need baby," she said with a wink. Laughing, I turn back to the clothes. I find a sweater and some loose shorts I can fit into. The shorts are a bit small on me, at least compared to what they'd be on Anna. Preferring to air dry my hair, I take it out of the towel, it's still pretty damp and I can see some curls starting to form.

It's just one night. It will be fine.

There's a knock at the door.

Just get through tonight and you'll never see them again.

"Come in!" Anna responds.

"Harrison texted me saying dinner was ready," Tom seemed to do a double take at me but quickly looked back to Anna. Oh gosh, he's probably thinking I'm a tramp about to wear daisy dukes in a historical London home.

"Alright we'll be right down." Anna says with a smile. He leaves as I walk around the bed to help Anna up, she says to stop at the bathroom before we go down. We make it down the stairs with only a little challenge and walk to the kitchen. Seeing the boys I become suddenly aware that the shorts I'm wearing are riding up in the back.

"For heavens sake Tom, you didn't offer to help?" Harrison races over to us and helps lift Anna, I take this chance to fix my shorts. I again get a glance from Tom sat at the island. He probably thinks I'm a slut trying to parade around. I usually don't put up with people judging me over my clothing choices, but I am in his house and even I don't feel completely comfortable. I take a seat at the table facing the kitchen assuming Anna would come sit beside me.

"Oh just set me down here, don't want to make you walk even farther." She says to Harrison while smirking at me. That bitch. She's sat diagonally across the table from me. Well I can't move now, besides, I don't want to turn around and show half my ass falling out of these shorts to the guys in the kitchen. I don't even have a sizeable ass, that's how small these shorts are. I should've just stuck with my old, dirty clothes. Harrison sets the food on the table and gets Tom to place the plates ensuring he'd get to sit next to Anna. That left Tom and the empty chair beside me.

Harrison was about to tell us what food he had prepared when a boy and a dog burst through the back door.