Chapter Text
I readjust my grip on the potted plant in my hands. My fingers are getting sore and stiff at this point, despite the light weight of the little plant. I eye my blooming cactus once more with a careful smile. That and the kitchenware in my far heavier backpack are all that's left before my change of address is complete. With that on my mind, it's easier to bear that weight.
My smile turns tight-lipped as I enter the apartment complex. The stuffy smell is still new to me. In time, it'll become as familiar as my old home, but that time has yet to arrive. The unfamiliarity reminds me with a sting that I'm an outsider here. I ought to remove my earphones and greet the place with a bright smile. But tight knots form in my stomach at the thought. The music has soothed me the entire trip, and I've almost made it back to my new apartment. Surely nobody is going to give me a hard time about being unapproachable right before the finish line.
I take a deep breath and prepare myself for the journey up the stairs. In that instant, someone taps my shoulder. I jump in place and the knots in my stomach tighten and jitter, not unlike a schoolyard in disarray. I whip around to look at the person behind me, and I quickly find myself looking up to regard them. He's huge. His strong facial features are flanked by broad shoulders on top of what looks like a rather built physique. There's something familiar about him that I can't place. Pressing my plant against my chest with one hand, I wrestle one of the earphones out of my ear. During that process, he apologetically scratches the back of his head with his eyebrows pressed together. When Fever Ray is blasting into only one of my ears, I put on a wide smile.
"Sorry! I didn't hear you at all," I say and giggle shrilly. It wasn't the confident laugh that I'd been hoping for, but perhaps that was a long shot. A crooked smile spreads across his face, which almost rubs off on my nervous one. It fades finally, when he, instead of speaking, starts signing to me.
"Sorry about that," he says. "I only wanted to say that I like your—" He ends the sentence with a sign I do not recognize. I furrow my brows and scour my memory, but nothing pops out at me. He frowns slightly, pulls out his phone, and begins typing. I hold up a hand in front of me, which catches his attention.
"No, no, it's okay, it's just been a while since I used sign language," I explain, and his features soften somewhat.
"I just don't think I recognize that last sign, is all." With a smile that wrinkles the skin around his eyes, he starts signing again. This time it isn't words, but letters. Those I recognize without fault.
"B-A-D-G-E," he signs. I stare at him with my mouth wide open until realization hits me like a brick. The button on my backpack. The huge button with the image of Finn and Poe holding hands on a background of pink hearts. My cheeks heat up as the smile returns to my face full-force.
"Oh! Thanks. Thank you so much," I stutter, and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. His bright smile only makes my cheeks warmer.
"I got it at this big convention, like... a couple of months ago, I think. There was so much good stuff, but obviously it's only some of it that goes on a backpack. Or a jacket or something. And of course you can't necessarily buy all of it, even though you might want to," I babble. He crosses his arms while I talk. "I really tried to contain myself. But I did get the figures, too. The kind of big ones." I let my gaze drop as I say it. He exhales as a laugh.
"So you like Star Wars too?" I ask. He nods enthusiastically.
"Great!" Silence falls between us for a moment. The urge to pick at my nails is overwhelming, but it's excessively difficult to do so with a pot in my hands. I tuck away that same strand of hair again.
"Sorry, I didn't even catch your name," I say.
"H-O-R-A-C-E," he says. I nod frantically and reach my free hand towards him to shake his.
"Hi! I'm Anri." We shake hands. His hand is warm, large, and a bit calloused.
"Nice to meet you, Horace."
"You too," he signs, as we let go. We smile at each other for what feels like a handful of very long seconds, before my gaze drops again.
"I'll, uh, I'll see you later, then," I say. He nods and motions to turn around. But I just can't let him go.
"Mmh, uh," I stammer, upon which he regards me again. My fingers cling desperately to my potted plant.
"Maybe you could, uh, come over and watch it sometime. With me," I say. Now it's his turn to look at me dumbfounded. It makes my chest all fuzzy inside.
"I'd like that," he says, after composing himself. I can barely contain my beaming.
"Oh, great! I'm in 4B, so feel free to come over anytime. I—I just moved in, so," I say, letting my sentence trail off.
"I know. I'm in 5C," he says. Then he purses his lips. "I mean, I know you're new. I didn't know about 4B." A laugh bubbles out of me. It feels like I haven't laughed like that in weeks. Laughed properly.
"It's okay, I know what you meant." We smile at each other once more.
"See you then, Horace," I say. He waves at me, and I carefully return the gesture. He exits the entry hall, and I stand by the staircase for a few moments. The knots in my stomach are gone. Instead, the sensation is replaced by something like fluttering butterflies.