I put the key into the lock of my front door and turned it with a sigh. I was home earlier than expected. My blind date had turned out to be a disaster.
I inherited the house from an uncle who passed away a couple of years ago and it just so happened to be in the town where I ended up going to university. It would save me a bundle in accommodation fees and I really was not into the partying student life. My friend came along at first but dropped out after a couple of months. We had thought about renting out the other room but nobody was suitable so I had invited another friend to share the house with.
I had known Annette for longer than I had known Mark. We had met in primary school and had remained friends ever since. Once we moved on to secondary school we maintained our friendship and that is where I met Mark. I liked Mark but he did tend to be impulsive so I was not surprised when he dropped out of university. This just left Annette who like me was 20 and I in the house together.
As I had known her for so long I just viewed Annette as a friend. A mate who happened to be a girl. We did have quite a bit in common, similar tastes in music, films and books. In our home town we would often go together on a Saturday afternoon to cheer on our local team and would go on day trips out to London to see the sights. Annette was, you could say, my best friend.
I opened the door and stepped into the hall. The house was quiet and I assumed that Annette was out. I hung my keys on the hook and went into the kitchen and flicked the switch for the kettle. After the miserable couple of hours I had just spent, a cup of tea sounded perfect. After I had made the tea I would go to my room and chill out. I had been binge watching a series that I could finish or maybe even play a game.
Not bothering with lights I climbed the stairs in darkness. I passed Annette's room. The door was open and even in the darkness I could tell she was not in it. The familiar, comforting smell of Annette filled my nostrils and I smiled. It smells better than when Mark had the room. Annette had swapped when he moved out so she could have the bigger of the two spare rooms.
I then noticed light coming from under the bathroom door. I tapped on the door and there was the sound of water moving about as the occupant shifted position in the bath tub.
"You're home early." Annette exclaimed through the closed door.
"Yeah, I know. Bit of a disaster."
"Oh dear, I'm sorry."
"It wasn't your fault."
Still standing at the bathroom door I took a sip of my tea. If only I could find someone like her I thought.
"Have you got a cuppa?" She called out.
"Yeah, why?"
"You could have made me one."
"I didn't know you was even here."
"Where else would I be? Hot chocolate please, if you're offering."
"Well I wasn't but I can make you one if you want."
"You're such a sweetie. Love you."
The 'love you' came as no surprise. She would often say it when trying to wrap me round her finger and as always, I fell for it. I headed back downstairs to make Annette a hot chocolate.
The milk was just coming to the boil in a saucepan on the hob when I heard movement from upstairs and the sound of the bath water running away. I was just tipping the milk into her mug when I heard footsteps on the stairs.
"I would have brought it up." I said as she entered the kitchen.
"You might be sweet but you're not my slave." She said taking the mug from me.
She sniffed the cup and made appreciative noises. I thought that she looked cute in her pink fluffy bath robe and a towel wrapped around her head. Despite living together for the best part of a year we had never seen each other naked. A few times I had chatted with her while she was just in her underwear but we never seemed to bat an eyelid.
"So what was this Gladys like then?" She asked sitting down at the kitchen table.
"Her name wasn't Gladys it was Ruth." I replied with a chuckle, "And she was boring as hell and smelt a bit funny."
"She had a smelly fanny?" Annette giggled.
"No, I didn't say that. I said she smelt funny."
Annette seemed to love poking fun out of my failed love life. I had never had a steady girlfriend, ever, but that was not to say I was still a virgin at twenty. Thinking about it, Annette had never brought anyone home and in all the time I had known her, had never had a steady relationship herself. A fine one to talk.
