006

Soft, peppy music filtered from the small radio as Georgina made about cooking eggs and bacon for her breakfast.

Light hums echoed through the room as she worked about, dancing a little to the happy tunes the radio provided.

It had been almost a week since that encounter, and Georgina's never left her apartment since then for fear of running into that guy again.

Their last encounter had her confuddled and lost with herself that she chose to stay in the comforts of her apartment and in the company of one thin kitty.

She refused to think about him anymore if it meant sleepless nights and occurring nightmares about mockery and relentless teasing. That was all she knew ever since she was young, after all. So it was still a sore spot for her.

Back when she was still studying, she was taken advantage of by her classmates, her kindness was abused, she'd been lied to and was blamed for things she didn't even do. These kept on happening to the point Georgina had lost hope on humankind and opted to hang by herself, a habit she kept even in her early twenties.

Why were people so difficult? It was hard to understand them. Georgina couldn't even understand herself, if she were to be honest. She was a robber anywhere she went, she was on the police's wanted list for all the things she'd stolen at the start of her career, she constantly ran away from the authorities, she lied low so as not to be discovered, and she trusted only two people and a cat for her life.

Now wasn't that living?

All this excessive thinking made her head hurt, a telltale sign of a coming headache.

She had to relax somehow.

Chewing her bacon, her eyes roved around her living space and inspected the clutter she couldn't be bothered to fix for the life of her. Then came the realization that she's read every book in here.

Now she had to go someplace else to read.

"Oscar, what should I do?" she sighed out to her only companion, a blink his response.

"Gee thanks bud," she said sarcastically, but there was a fond smile on her lips directed at the yawning Bengal. "Guess I should stretch my legs."

She went about her morning listening to the radio and re-reading some of her books, even resorting to skimming the girly glossy magazines she had lying around.

After lunch, she made her way to her small bathroom to brush her teeth but as she was doing so, her doorbell rang and her movements falter, fear and panic abruptly coursing through her at the possibility of the police being on the other side.

Was this how her story will end?

Forever sentenced to rot in a jail cell with nothing but creepy insects for company?

Three light raps sounded on the wooden surface of her door, dread creeping up Georgina's spine as she realized there was no way to escape.

Her apartment floor was too high to simply jump outside and her living space was messy and filled with litter all around; it was almost uninhabitable.

Steeling herself with toothbrush still in hand, she slowly walked across the floor and stood in front of the treacherous wooden door, heart in her throat.

There was another set of knocks—impatient this time—and Georgina took a deep steadying breath before flinging open the door, accidentally spitting the toothpaste in her mouth at the person on the other side.

It certainly wasn't the police. It wasn't even her annoying cousin or lovely best friend.

"What—what are you—" she stuttered, mind spinning and toothpaste bubbles still surrounding her mouth, hastily wiping them off with her arm to appear presentable, even if she was in baggy pajamas.

There stood the guy she didn't want to think about. The guy with the chestnut hair and green, green eyes that reminded Georgina of the large trees in forests. The guy who offered her, a thief, tea of all things, and who still had that ridiculous smile plastered on his face.

Why did he look happy to see her? This was absurd.

He calmly wiped away the toothpaste flecks that fell on him, and embarrassment filled Georgina at that.

"I was wondering if I could get my phone back?" he asked politely.

"Phone?" Georgina repeated owlishly, surprise coloring her tone. She still hasn't gotten over the fact that he was standing here on her doorstep.

How on earth did he find her anyway?

"Remember the first time we met?" he said, imploring look on his face.

She could only nod, tongue-tied.

"Well, you have my phone," he continued.

Her eyebrows scrunched, the initial shock fading.

"How do you know that?"

She honestly couldn't remember. Her days were always a blur.

He gave her a deadpan look but she stared back hard anyway, defiant and stubborn.

"I installed an app that could help me find my phone whenever it goes missing. It led me to your address, and I was already expecting to see your face."

She merely frowned at him, lips unknowingly jutting out to form a confused pout.

He sighed, head bowing.

"Can you please just look for it?"

They stared at each other a moment longer, Georgina noticing how his face was tight with worry over his phone.

"How can I be sure you won't tattle to the cops after this whole thing?" she said, eyebrows pinched and wary of the man in front of her.

He raised his arms in what seemed like surrender, palms facing her and expression open.

"I won't. When I get my phone back, I'll take that as my cue to not breathe a word about this to anyone."

Georgina studied him a little longer before her defenses plummeted and she stepped aside to let him in.

"All right then. Come in."

She swiveled toward her messy apartment, now feeling self-conscious she hadn't made any effort to clean up her living quarters.

But before anything else, she quickly headed to the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth before rejoining him.

She was thankful he didn't comment on the mess, instead bending down to pick up a few crumpled balls of paper and throwing them in an empty trash bin nearby.

"Sorry everything's so messy," she apologized, finding it in herself to gather some papers and shuffle them before in a cabinet. "I wasn't expecting visitors."

"I can tell."

For some inexplicable reason, a surge of anger flooded through her entire body, Georgina seeing red for a moment yet she regained enough composure not to act on it, choosing to look through her clothes and throwing them unnecessarily hard in his general direction to show her irritation.

"Don't you have a phone?" he said, a hint of exasperation in his tone.

"Why have my own when I can just steal?" she returned, shrugging carelessly as she dug through her many coats and continued tossing them.

She emphasized her point by pulling open a cabinet to show him her collection of phones, a satisfied smirk on her lips.

He was immensely surprised by the way his eyebrows jumped and his eyes popped but said, "Well kindly use one of them to call my phone."

She clicked her tongue and shot him a dark look at his whiny behavior.

"I really shouldn't be doing this. I should call the security guard to get you outta here."

"And I really should be reporting you for theft but here I am, asking you to return my phone," he retorted smoothly. "What are the odds?"

She harshly grabbed his collar and pulled him to her height, fear clouding his gaze as he had no choice but to meet her eye.

"I thought you swore you'd never breathe a word to the police," she said lowly, glaring outright at him. "Was I wrong to let you enter my place, after all?"

She visibly saw him gulp, Adam's apple bobbing as he attempted to rectify himself.

"I swore, I swore," he babbled. He seemed to steel himself before saying more confidently, "I am a man of my word and that extends to even a thief like you."

He grasped her hand, Georgina taking a moment to examine the size difference before he wrenched it out of his shirt and flattened it down to avoid any wrinkles.

They glared at each other a moment longer before Georgina got one phone from the pile and used it to call the guy's own.

A buzzing sound was heard, the pair glancing around for any sign of the gadget.

"Does cleaning your quarters cross your mind? You have a lot of clutter, and it isn't very advisable to live—"

"Shut up I can't hear your phone ringing over your useless blabber," she cut sharply, tossing an eraser she found on the floor at him and ignoring his yelp of surprise.

She eventually found the coat she wore that day, digging into the pockets and emerging with the ringing phone in hand.

Wordlessly, she handed it over to the guy who stopped the call and pocketed his phone.

"Now get out. And please forget this address," she reminded him, a pleading look in her eyes. "This is all I have." She gestured to everything with her hands, his brow raising.

"Well if you consider most of the things, they are not yours. But if we're considering the apartment itself, then yes I believe you have valid ownership."

Georgina's brow twitched at the formal way he spoke and the implications he said but decided not to retaliate and shoved him out repeatedly with her hands, him protesting all the while.

"I can walk you know."

"I can tell," she mocked with a sweet smile.

They reached the front door.

"You really have to work on your manners, miss. Being a thief doesn't excuse you—"

She shut the door in his face.

She can feel that migraine coming, thanks to him. A hand came up to rub her temples, leaning her back on the door.

Oh, he was such a pain.

She was about to get herself a snack when she heard his voice from the other side.

"The offer for tea still stands, just so you know. Or, if you prefer something else I'm open to suggestions."

Georgina stayed still, mulling his words over. Her eyes are vacant as they look to a distant thing, staring at it but not really seeing it.

Why was he like this? Why did he have to be so difficult? She couldn't tell if he was being sincere or not.

Removing her semi-rimmed spectacles, she ran a hand over her closed lids to process his words and think of a response.

"You serious?" she asked quietly, not expecting an answer.

"But of course," came his muffled voice through the door. "I try to always mean what I say. I'll keep my promise but if you're not interested that is fine by me."

She pressed her index finger to the skin above her upper lip.

This was a conversation she never expected to happen in years to come.

"You know I'm a thief, right? So why're you doing this? I don't get it."

"You seem lonely. Your living space says so."

A short and involuntary burst of laughter slipped through her mouth.

Well, he wasn't wrong.

"I'll think about it, buster. For now, let's pretend none of this ever happened."

"As you wish. Have a good afternoon."

She listened to his fading footsteps before deciding he's really gone.

With a sigh, she cleaned her lenses on the hem of her shirt and pushed herself to stand upright again, deeming the man strange and unusual.

Who in their right mind offers tea to a robber?