Tandem

Raechel Harchey

"Hey, neighbour," Holt peered round the side of Raechel's curtain. He was grinning from ear to ear as though he'd won the lottery. Raechel found it strange that he could be so happy when nothing extraordinary had happened. He seemed to find excitement in the smallest things.

Holt had moved into the Stack three weeks before Raechel's operation. In the short time he'd been living next to her, he'd made his presence known. He volunteered at the local theatre in his spare time, as he'd taken great delight in telling her during every conversation they'd had so far. He was one of those individuals who was so extroverted around others and yet called very few people his friends. His energy could come across as a little intimidating and overwhelming. Raechel found herself slightly relieved whenever he left her Nook. There were times though, as much as she hated to admit it, that she enjoyed having the company of somebody her own age. She knew very little about him so far, but she did know that he was living alone, and he hadn't yet mentioned any family. Raechel knew better than to ask.

"Hi," Raechel replied. She quickly gathered up her discarded clothes into a pile.

"How're things?"

"Good thanks." Raechel made a conscious effort not to engage in conversation. Her head hurt and the last thing she felt like doing was making small talk.

"May I come in?" He asked.

"Sure." Raechel shuffled further back to make room for him to come inside. Holt lifted himself into the Nook and made himself comfortable amongst the pile of blankets.

"You got a pet?" He said, reaching out to stroke Alpha's head.

"I guess you could say that. I think he's a stray, I have no idea how he got up here." Raechel ruffled his fur. Alpha pushed his head against the palm of her hand.

"Well, he must be strong if he climbed all this way," Holt pulled the curtain away to look down out of the Nook. "It's certainly high. What've you called him?"

"His name's Alpha." Raechel stroked the length of Alpha's body as he made his way over to Holt.

"That's a cool name, makes him sound like a leader." Holt picked him up and placed him down on his lap. "You're a friendly boy aren't you."

"He's good company that's for sure. I didn't know what to do with him when he first arrived."

"I'm sure he is. Well, you seem to have done a pretty good job so far."

The two sat in silence for a moment. Alpha lapped up Holt's affection as he perched on his lap. Raechel shut her eyes and listened to the noises around her. Alpha's contented purr, the murmurs from the surrounding Nooks, the flutter of the curtain as it caught the breeze. It was peaceful.

"So, I don't want to sound weird or anything, but I just wanted to check you were ok." Of course, Holt would break the silence.

"If I was, ok?"

"Yeah."

Raechel noticed his cheeks go slightly pink. He didn't look up to meet her eyes either. Both things were very unlike him.

"Why would I not be?"

"I just heard you crying the other night. The night before that too, and the one before that. I just couldn't help but think I should come by and see if you were ok."

"Oh right. Well, I'm sorry you heard that. There isn't much privacy here." Raechel was embarrassed that he'd heard her. She looked up to see him staring back at her but as soon as their eyes met, he looked back down at the cat on his lap.

"None whatsoever," he agreed.

"Honestly, I'm ok. Thanks for checking up on me though." Raechel offered a reassuring smile. Whether or not he was convinced by it was another thing altogether. It wasn't any of his business as to why she felt sad. If he'd lived through all of what she had then he would cry too. She felt guilty for not being open with him. It was clear that he wanted her to trust him enough to tell him about her past, but it had been a long time since Raechel had trusted anybody. It wasn't something that came naturally to her anymore.