Safety....first?

Wallpaper that was peeling off, the sound of water dripping in the corners, creepy fluorescent lights flickering – this is what made up the lobby of Sira's 'home'.

 Not to mention it smelled like rancid trash, old urine and sweat.

 "Just plug your nose." Sira said, pinching hers as she pushed open the rusted door to the stairwell.

 Azul followed her direction, not hesitating to protect himself from the putrid smell of the lobby.

 'How….how is she able to live in this dump…' he thought to himself as they made their way up to the third floor.

 The hallway leading to Sira's apartment wasn't any better, and he steeled himself as she opened the door to her apartment.

 However, it was a nice reprieve from the rest of the complex.

 Sira closed the door behind them and they both let go of their noses.

 The scent of earthy roses filled their nostrils, a stark contrast from the scent of the lobby.

 "Make yourself at home, I'm going to use the bathroom and then I'll make some…coffee?" She asked, checking his expression to see if he wanted any.

 Once he gave her a smile and a nod of confirmation, she ran to the bathroom, leaving him to investigate her apartment.

 The carpet was stained but she kept it clean and seemed to try and cover it with rugs. The walls looked like they hadn't been painted in a while, but she put up pretty paintings of ballet dancers and lakes with flowers that somehow made the old paint look like it went along with the art.

 From the front door, there was a small hallway with three doors, one to the bathroom she'd just gone into, he assumed one was a closet and the other must be her bedroom. It then opened up into a small kitchen and across from that was the living room.

 The kitchen didn't have enough room for two people to be in there without being cramped and the cabinets only made it feel smaller. Yet, she had it decorated with adorable stickers and cute appliances which made it feel brighter.

 He walked into the living room. There was a large white faux fur rug underneath a big plush couch with a coffee table in between the couch and a small tv.

 Azul sat down on the couch and examined the magazines on the table. They seemed to be just gossip and fashion magazines and he found himself wondering if she bought them just for the aesthetic or if these were things she was actually interested in.

 On the windowsills there were various succulents and books, the latter held up with book ends.

 In the corner of the room was a small, mint green, tin watering can.

 "Quite the gardener." Azul said as he heard Sira exit the bathroom.

 "Ohh no, not at all. I have these because they're easy to take care of. I tried to get flowers, but they all kept dying." Sira said laughing a bit as she filled the coffee pot.

 "I see you didn't skimp on your interior design. You spent your money on all of this, but not your safety? Tsk, tsk." He teased.

 "Hey! This is an investment! When I move, all of this will come with me. I'm going to be living here, that's decided. Shouldn't I at least feel comfortable?"

 Azul's mouth twisted as he considered her words.

 Part of him felt it was admirable that she had taken the time to plan out how she would achieve her dream, where she would invest her money and the fact that she wasn't just doing things without any care.

 The fact that she had thought things through was evident, however, the other part of him still couldn't let go of the fact that she was living in such an unsafe neighborhood when she could afford not to.

 "I'm sorry, I just can't agree with you living here." He said, shaking his head, his voice tinged with disappointment.

 "Well then, I guess it's a good thing that I'm not asking for your approval. Now, how do you like your coffee?" Sira's tone was sharp, obviously annoyed with his opinion on her choices.

 Azul caught on and felt a light blush come over his face as his embarrassment set in, his lips pursing.

 She was right, it really wasn't any of his business where she decided to live and why.

 They weren't in a relationship, nor did they have any kind of relationship with each other to begin with.

 After all, they had just met a few hours ago.

 It was understandable why she was annoyed, he couldn't say he wouldn't feel the same if the roles were reversed and a complete stranger started criticizing him like that.

 Yet, he couldn't help but feel drawn to her, to want to protect her, to want to make sure she was okay.

 "You're right. I'm sorry. I like it black." Azul turned his body so he could watch her from the couch.

 She reached up into the cabinets and pulled out two mugs, they were both pastel pink with little black line faces, although each cup had a different face.

 "I forgive you."

 For some reason, Azul felt his heart skip a beat as she uttered those three simple words.

 'I forgive you.' It echoed in his mind over and over again.

 As the scent of coffee filled the apartment, he found himself mulling over it.

 Had anyone ever….forgiven him before? Had he ever….asked or even wanted someone's forgiveness before?

 All of a sudden it felt like such a foreign idea, this 'forgiveness' thing.

 While he was busy allowing it to consume his thoughts, Sira came over and handed him the mug with the face sticking out its tongue.

 "Here is your coffee, black, sir." Sira said as he took it before sitting down next to him.

 Azul glanced at her mug which had a sweet happy face on it.

 "Why does mine have the tongue out?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

 "Because I think you're very cheeky."