Pest Control ✔

PC │003

【A L V I N】

A week had passed by with no response from the pest control services. I'd even attempted to file a complaint for their poor customer service, however that too was followed by absolutely no response. It was eventually beginning to get on my last nerve and I was annoyed to such an extent that I even considered moving for a split second or two.

Anyway, all that aside, the current day was nothing less than boring and uneventful - so in an attempt to feel at least a little bit productive, I decided to bake. Which, would later prove to be a terrible, terrible decision - for more reasons than one. 

Firstly, I had no idea how the kitchen worked. I basically lived off of takeout and could barely turn the stove on without fearing for my life. Secondly, half the items in my kitchen had already passed their date of expiry and for whatever reason there was, they were still sitting around. Thirdly, halfway through the process of making around a dozen muffins to get fat off of, I'd managed to nearly burn myself at least fifty times. 

When they finally came out, I realized that they'd turned out more horrible than I'd imagined - and I definitely wasn't going to be the one finishing them. Call me evil but that's just how my mind works. The tray filled with freshly burned muffins was sitting right on top of the desk in my bedroom and I was seated on the edge of my bed, waiting for them to cool down - when curiosity got the best of me and I decided to look over at the window which was directly opposite to my neighbour's bedroom window. Would you consider this creepy? 

Nonetheless, I was quite shocked - to say the least - when I saw him slouched on a chair with an Everclear bottle in his hand. His hair was a complete mess and even from such a distance, I could visibly make out the dark bags which were beginning to form under his eyes. He was dressed in nothing but a loose tank-top and a pair of sweats, and to put it straight; he looked quite done with life. 

And then, as if we were in some sort of cheesy movie, he averted his gaze towards the window and our eyes met. I swallowed awkwardly at the fact that he'd just caught me staring at him - and I thought he'd do something suggestive like smirk or what not - but, when he made his way over to the window and pulled down the blinds with a scowl, I was once again reminded that this was reality and not some stupid romcom. 

And I was once again smacked right on the face by reality when I heard the fire alarm go off in the kitchen - and when I tell you I raced straight down the stairs at the speed of light and landed face down on the floor, I mean it. I managed to get rid of the smoke by fanning the place with a bundle of newspapers like a complete madman, and amidst doing so I realized that I had forgotten to switch the stove off. I'd also forgotten that I had left my coffee to boil and it had begun to overflow. What a disaster being an adult was. 

Thankfully, I managed to get rid of all the evidence of my clumsiness in less than half an hour, and by then the muffins had already cooled down - and that was how I ended up once again on my neighbour's porch, tray in hand, contemplating whether I should ring the bell or turn around and run for my life considering the state I'd seen him in earlier. What if he was mad that I'd been.. somewhat spying on him? Nevermind, spying is too strong of a word for just some harmless peeking. 

After what felt like eternity, I swallowed my pride and rang the doorbell. After a few seconds had passed, the door creaked open and there stood my neighbour in all his disheveled glory. He raised a brow at the sight of me and his gaze dropped down to the muffins before his eyes met mine once again. 

"Are these for me?" he questioned, his voice abnormally hoarse. 

"I mean.. why else would I bring them?" I said with a nervous chuckle, bringing one of my hands up to scratch the back of my neck - it was a bad behaviour I'd adapted in high school - but somehow I managed to forget about the tray I'd been holding onto and I watched in complete shame and helplessness as it fell down to the ground - almost in slow motion. I thought he'd at least catch it, or that I'd pull a cool stunt by extending my foot and balancing the entire tray on the tips of my toes, but then again, this is reality. So, I simply stood with a disappointed pout as the burned muffins spilled across the floor. 

"Holy shit," I mumbled under my breath before smacking myself on the forehead. "I'm so sorry, I forgot that I-"

"It's okay," he said with a soft sigh. I watched as he shook his head in an emotion I assumed was probably disappointment, however when I saw the corners of his lips twitch ever so slightly, I knew he was amused. I opened my mouth to tell him off, because this was nowhere near funny, however when I saw the wrinkles appear at the corners of his eyes as he bent down to gather the muffins, I froze. 

And I continued to watch in awe as he continued, occasionally blowing his hair out of his eyes with an annoyed huff. Holy shit, this man's visuals were no joke. Then, I realized that I wasn't even helping, but by then he was already done. 

"What should I do with these now?" he questioned, standing up once again. 

"You can just throw them away, they were burned anyway," I said with a bitter chuckle. "I forgot to take them out at the right time."

"You're quite forgetful, do people ever tell you that?" he inquired with both his brows raised. 

"I don't remember," I joked - and when he burst out into a fit of laughter, I couldn't help the smile that made it's way onto my face. Was I bonding with my neighbour? Well, it's about time. 

"I'll throw them away then," he nodded. "Thank you for stopping by either way, I needed the laugh."

"No problem," I said with a small grin before he shut the door with an amused expression. However, I'd managed to get a small peek of his place - and dear God, from all the alcohol bottles lying around he could've started his own bar right there. 

I decided not to question it though. It wasn't my place to know at that moment because he probably wouldn't feel comfortable with confiding in a complete stranger about his problems. We weren't close enough for all that.

Maybe someday we will be.