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“I think it’s lost into the depths of the floorboards, you can get a spare in the bike shop at the bottom of the road.”
“Damn, I need to use the bike to get to an appointment,” she said, using her fingernails to drag her hair back to keep it neat as she thought of her new plan. “Damn it, I’ll have to get a bus, I can pick up the thingy on the way to the bus stop.”
With her decision made, she crouched to pick up her phone by the bike and her keys.
“So,” I said, standing and shoving my hands into my pockets. I still wanted to see the flat for rent.
“So, what?” She countered, checking her phone, then slipping into the waistband of her skin tight shorts.
“About the flat to let, can I see it, now I’ve saved your life?”
“Sticking a plaster on my finger doesn’t equal saving my life. Are you single? Don’t answer that, it’s irrelevant.”
I laughed at her indecision, she had no filter to her thoughts. “If it were the other way around, you would save my life.” I’d said too much, I moved to let her know I was available any time she wanted to take advantage. “Yes, I am single. Are you?”
She snorted at my question. “Yes, I’m single, determined to stay single too, forever.”
“That is a crying shame, Adah,” I said testing the waters to see if she hated the shortened name. The glare I received in reply told me everything. I grinned what I hoped was a boyish smile, hoping that I had won her over.
“You need to leave, whoever you are, and-”
“Callum, my name is Callum. If you will yell at me, at least know who you’re yelling at.”
Adaline folded her arms, taking care to tuck her bandaged fingers under her the crook of her elbow. She pressed her lips together until they were white. She said what she felt, I wanted to know what thoughts she was suppressing. It must have been a tirade. She may be feisty with a potty mouth, but she had manners. I poked the tiger further.
“Come on Adie, let me see the flat, I promise I will be the best tenant. If you’re nice, I’ll even do repairs about the place for free.”
“I’ll show you the flat, that’s a great idea,” she said wagging a finger at me. “One look and you’ll turn it down, that’s a good idea,” she said with content.
I couldn’t imagine how bad it would be for me to turn it down. Nothing would make me want to turn down the opportunity to live next door to Adaline.
“Come on, follow me and stop shortening my name, call me Adaline or nothing at all.”
I wasn’t expecting her to give in, my charm had got through to her. She turned on her heel and strode through the doorway next to where I’d fixed up her hand and up a set of wooden stairs. The tight set of stairs was almost spiral, she was ten steps away from me. I chased after her and onto a landing. There were two doors, one blue and one red. I stared at the red door, knowing it would be my door. The gloss paint was peeling, showing the white and black coats of paint under the red. The blue door was in good condition apart from the frame which had seen a lot of wear. Adaline took the keys from her pocket and opened the blue door. She stepped in, took something off the hook on the wall. I thought Adaline would enter the flat, so when she turned back, we were chest to chest. She looked up at my face, open-mouthed, her warm body pressed up against mine. I wanted to pull her in for a cuddle, but she shoved at my chest for me to move backwards before I had a chance. I stepped to the side to allow her to step forward to the red door opposite us. Taking another set of keys, she opened the red door, stepped in, and held it open for me to come enter.
I joined her at the threshold to the flat, the short corridor had a stained cream carpet, the edges pulled up in sections along the skirting board. Closing the door behind me, I then ducked my head into the room to my right. It was the kitchen, there were no doors on any of the cupboards. Even the door to the oven was also missing. There was a fridge, but I wasn’t brave enough to step into the kitchen let alone open the door to the refrigerator. At the other end of the galley kitchen was a set of glass doors. I looked back to Adaline, who was leaning against the wall with her arms folded, a smirk gracing her beautiful mouth.
“Seen enough? Not interested?” She goaded. A raised eyebrow screaming,I told you so.
I didn’t care what else I saw, I was taking this flat. So far, the mess was superficial, nothing that hard graft wouldn’t be able to fix. Adaline stepped backwards and waved me into the bedroom. A smashed up bed lay in a heap on the floor. The curtains were hanging at an angle, the pole had slumped half way down the window. It wasn’t a big bedroom, it would fit a double bed and a small wardrobe. The next room along was the bathroom, and to my surprise, it was pristine, not a thing wrong with it. Shower and a bath, it was the same size as the bedroom. Adaline backed up further to the living room that was the width of the flat. I passed a smaller bedroom on the left before I got to the room where Adaline stood. The cream carpet had spilt red liquid in the centre.
“Fucking hell, did someone get murdered here?” I said as I paced the twenty-foot room, circling around the large circle of red on the floor.
“Don’t be dramatic, it is paint. I threw it on the floor when I realised that my former dick head of a tenant had left me high and dry. I’d come to paint his front door only to find that he had long gone. He hadn’t paid the rent for a few months either, always promising but never delivering. I was so furious I emptied the paint onto the floor. I shouldn’t have done that, it will cost a small fortune to get the carpet replaced.”
“You’re not wrong about the flat, it needs a lot of work. It’s a good thing I have plenty of time on my hands and an apprentice to keep busy. Let me rent the flat.”
“I haven’t offered it yet,” she replied, walking over to the French doors. She unclipped the lock and pushed open the double doors. I followed her outside, the long, slim balcony had nothing out there apart from the red bricks of the wall. Adaline walked along the balcony and pushed open the second set of doors were identical to mine. She raised her hand to stop me approaching and disappeared inside. Standing like a lemon, I made myself busy and nosed around over the wall to see if there was anything of interest. All I saw was a skip in the yard and double wooden doors to what looked like a garage. The windows at the top of the doors were cloudy. Adaline came back five minutes later with two mugs, steam curling out of the top. She handed me the red cup, waited for me to put my hand around the mug. She didn’t let go and held onto the handle. It was a test, and I was going to prove to her nothing she did would sway me from wanting to know her better.
“If I offered you the flat, and you accepted, this is my side of the balcony, and that is yours. I have an oversized plant pot that will act as the boundary,” Adaline said.
She was testing my resolve and the layers of skin on my palm. The mug was roasting hot, but I was not about to let go. She had thrown down the gauntlet. The second-degree burns were the least I would suffer to get to know Adaline better.
“I can keep to my side,” I said. “Does that mean I’m not allowed to talk to you?”
The outside area was cosy, I could imagine dragging an oversized bean bag out here and slumping against the wall. The area was about six feet across and at least twenty feet long. It was the best feature of the flat, aside from Adaline. I wanted to spend evenings out here chatting to Adaline about her day, cook her dinner and get to know her better. Adaline gave me the impression earlier that she wasn’t in the market for a boyfriend. Maybe I could enlist the help of Elliott, he knew how to charm women, he married Steph. He must know how to help me. She let go of the mug, and I rested it on the top of the wall. My hand went straight into my pocket to press against the cool cotton. I’d examine the damage to my hand later when I could mourn the loss of my fingerprints in private.
“I’m not much of a listener, to be honest, you can talk, but there is no guarantee I’ll pay any attention,” Adaline said and disappeared back into her flat. I followed only to be met with a giant empty plant pot. It was empty and light as a feather when she shoved it at my chest. I caught the pot as she let go, she raised her eyebrow, and I put the pot halfway along the balcony. “I’ll get a plant tomorrow when I’m out at the market, for now, you know the boundary.”
