The Truth Untold

57

"Hi, Elijah," I greeted the young man behind the counter and he waved at me with a friendly smile.

I pressed the button to the elevator and got in when the doors opened in front of me. Just before they closed again, someone put his foot between the doors and with an indignant rattling the doors opened again. I quickly ducked into a corner of the elevator to make room for the couple who had staggered into the cabin. They giggled and an alcoholic flag blew towards me. Heavens, it was only a little after five. The guy had put an arm around the petite girl's shoulders and was pressing her so hard that I was afraid he would crush her. She was really thin, had long hair, big eyes and was the kind of girl that every man liked. The guy was just as thin as her, gangly, with mint green hair and dangerously flashing eyes. I watched the two of them through the mirror and noticed that the man fascinated me somehow. He was pale ... well, no not pale. His whole skin color seemed ashen and reminded me of sugar, for whatever reason. He looked like a vampire and angel at the same time, threatening and fascinating at the same time. Our eyes met in the mirror of the elevator and I looked at the floor in horror. After a few seconds I dared to look up again and noticed that the guy was still looking at me, which his girlfriend didn't seem to notice at all. I returned his look, our mirror images looked at us with the same interest. Until at some point I gave up, snorted and looked forward again with a roll of my eyes. I could feel him grinning mockingly, but I decided to ignore him.

"To the penthouse, huh?"

Startled, my head twitched to the side and I stared at him. His voice sounded like sandpaper, deep and rough, but at the same time polished smooth by his tongue. Almost cutting.

"Yes," I just said and looked ahead again.

"Why don't you have the penthouse?", I heard the girl ask in a squeaky, childlike voice and I didn't know why, but I couldn't help but smile a triumphant little smile.

"I was just too slow," said the guy, with his voice gliding through my ears like oil.

The girl giggled and then suddenly fell silent. When I dared to take a quick look at her, I realized that the two had sunk into a deep kiss and for a moment I was afraid that they would take off their clothes here before my eyes. Luckily the elevator cabin filled with a pling and the doors slid open. The two of them left the elevator and I looked after them. Before the doors could close, the boy gave me another look and I held out until the elevator doors broke our eye contact. Strange guy, I thought. But as quickly as this encounter had been, I had forgotten it. It turned out that the two of them had got out in the corridor just below the penthouse, because within seconds the elevator was filled with a pling again and the doors opened. But behind it there was no corridor leading to other apartments, but Leo's apartment and again I had to smile triumphantly. I could already hear the sounds of a video game in the corridor. When I had taken off my shoes and my jacket, I went into the living room and saw Leo sitting on the sofa, bent forward and completely absorbed in his video game.

"You have weird neighbours," I said, and walked up to him.

No answer. He probably didn't even realize I was there.

"Babe?", I asked to make myself noticed, but got nothing more than an incomprehensible buzz.

I went around the sofa and threw my jacket, which I still had on my arm, at him.

"EEEYYY!", he shouted furiously, frantically trying to get the jacket out of his field of vision and I giggled.

"Damn it," he shouted and angrily threw his controller on the pad when his game indicated that he had obviously died.

His eyes now sparkled at me angrily and he asked, "Did you have to?"

"I am happy to see you too," I said conciliatorily, went to him to press a kiss on his cheek and bit my lips to suppress my giggle.