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Every cell inside of me that came with being born a male rallies the troops at the sound of her crying. This woman is sad. She might need help. I can save her. I can be her knight in shining armor.
I knock on the wall, softly at first so I don’t startle her. I think she’s stopped, maybe straining to hear if that was really a knock or not? I don’t know, but I knock again, this time a little louder.
“Aria? Are you okay?” I say through the wall.
I hear an intake of breath. “Oh,” she shouts loudly through the wall. “I’m sorry you can hear me.” I’ve never heard a voice blushing before, but it’s happening now. There’s a rustle on the bed and the springs coil and squeak.
“No. I mean. You’re obviously not okay.” I rest my forehead against the wall. I’m truly bad at this kind of thing. “And it’s not bothering me at all. That’s not why I …” I sigh, hot and short. “I thought I’d see if you needed anything?”
There’s another rustle, and then her voice comes in louder and more clear—closer to mine. “No. I don’t need anything.” She sounds like she has a stuffy nose from the crying.
“I have a big box of tissues right here. I could rig up a basket and pulley and lever system and—”
“For the last time, the dumbwaiter idea is not going to work.” She sounds exasperated, and I can’t help but smile.
I laugh. “Okay, okay. Dream killer.” I scratch at my jawline, wondering what to say next. “What’s got you down?”
“I’m not going to shout my pitiful problems through a wall, Theo.”
“How about from balcony to balcony?” I shout. I slide my coat on and grab the blanket I brought for this very purpose from my bottom desk drawer. I step outside.
Winters in Colorado, man. It’s inhumane.
I wait for longer than is comfortable. Heck, nothing about this is comfortable.
Finally, her door opens, and she steps out. Her face is red, and her eyes are puffy. She’s wearing a brown pullover and with matching joggers.
I ball up the blanket and toss it to her. She catches it with a quizzical look.
“I brought it after the last time we rendezvoused on the balconies. Figured you’d stay out here longer with me if you were warm.” I shrug.
“Thanks, Theo.” She shakes out the blanket and wraps it around her shoulders. She sighs. “Why are you still at work?”
“I’m in the zone and getting paid a pretty penny, so why not?”
“I heard you work pretty hard over there.”
There’s no sarcasm in her voice.
“Aw, is my sister-in-law saying nice things about me?”
“Never.” Her hard smirk makes me laugh.
And then, she smiles. It’s barely there, but I’m counting it as real.
“I’ll just have to work harder to earn her approval I guess,” I say.
“But really. Iamsorry to bug you,” she says, her face wistful.
“There are other places in your apartment where you can cry.” I lift both palms up.
An even bigger smile curves her lips as she rests her forearms on the railing of her balcony. “Well, what if I want to wallow on my bed with my Netflix and my tub of The Tonight Dough ice cream, huh? The couch is not going to work in this scenario.”
I wince. “And what are you watching?”
“I have plans to watch some cheesy Christmas movies. But first, the 2005 version ofPride and Prejudice.”
I whistle, and it sounds low and depressed, like I hoped it would. “Oh. Just like I thought. This is serious.”
