APPLE PIE (COMPLETED)

Apple Pie (02)

Tiffany has just finished applying her lipstick when her husband appears at their bedroom doorway, slightly frowning at her.

"It's just a courtesy visit. No more than ten minutes," he says, tired of waiting. "Why are you taking forever to get ready?"

She shifts her gaze, looking at him through the mirror's reflection. "I'm doing this for your benefit too. When I look good, you look good," she tells him.

He shakes his head and leaves after mumbling that if she's not ready in five minutes, he'll go on without her.

Tiffany ignores him and does one final check on her appearance. She doesn't normally take this long to get ready to visit a new neighbor but the memory of their first encounter – and the smirk that blonde gave her – is still fresh in her mind and she is determined to look perfect for their first official meeting.

She stands up, fixes her dress and goes down to the kitchen, taking a warm tin of apple pie she baked right before she changed and got ready. Her apple pie is the best in the neighborhood and she's darn proud of that fact.

"Let's go then," she says as she carefully holds the tin and walks towards her husband who's already waiting at the door.

They walk down the driveway to the pavement, crossing the small distance to the house next door.

He rings the doorbell and straightens up, inching closer to his wife as he waits for the door to be opened.

Seconds later, they're faced with a smiling young man who greets them with a friendly, "Hello".

"Hello, we're the Chois from next door," says Tiffany's husband. "I'm Andrew and this is my wife Tiffany."

Tiffany flashes her trademark smile and shows her new neighbor the pie in her hands. "Welcome to the neighborhood," she cheerfully says as she hands over the tin.

"Why, thank you!" replies the man who shakes his neighbor's hand and introduces himself as Key Kim, explaining immediately how he is the victim of his parents' effort to be different and that it's okay to laugh at his name. Then he turns his head and calls out, "Honey! The Chois from next door are here! And they brought pie!"

Tiffany can't help but crane her neck, trying to take a peek inside the house.

"Come on in!" The man of the house opens the door wider, stepping aside to let his guests in. "My wife should be here soon. She's preparing dinner. Would you like to join us?" he asks politely.

"That's very kind of you but we can't stay long, unfortunately. We're meeting some friends for dinner later," declines Tiffany's husband as he takes a seat on the sofa after his neighbor has gestured at him to do so. His wife follows suit, sitting next to him.

"I'll go put this pie in the kitchen," says Key. "Please make yourselves at home. What would you like to drink? We have tea, coffee, soda pops and beer. I think we even have ginger ale, if I'm not mistaken. Will check with the missus."

Tiffany's husband chooses the beer while she goes for the ginger ale.

"Be right back."

Once Key has disappeared to the back of the house, Tiffany freely takes a look around the residence for as much as she can from where she's sitting. The house is bigger than theirs though not by much and it appears that the new owners haven't done much redecorating. The layout of the room looks almost exactly the same as when it was inhabited by the previous owners save for a change in furniture and the framed photographs over the fireplace.