You were officially moved in. It had been a week or so, or two, and not every spare hour had been devoted to unpacking, but all the boxes were flat now, stacked beside your very own recycles trash can. At first you were offended at having to buy your cans, but now you feel a dim satisfaction in ownership. They were yours. Everything is yours, it's your house. Everything is as you like it. Most of the procrastination was due to figuring out how best to spread your aesthetic over the place. It's perfect now. The only thing missing now is... No. You don't need anyone else. You did all of this by yourself, didn't you? But wouldn't it be nice?
It's been so long, hasn't it? You've not touched anything but boxes and doorknobs and walls for the past couple weeks; before that, how long was it since you felt another heartbeat or another's hand? You should really forget about all that, though. Isn't that what got you here in the first place? Isn't this place a good one, though? A young woman, her own house, all by her own hand? Why not find a hand to hold it for a little while?
Your mental back and forth is interrupted by a knock on the door. Four knocks, actually. You look at the clock, wondering if it really is as late as the arrows say. You don't feel scared, as your other half supposes would be appropriate, but curious. You go to the door and look through the peephole.
It's a man. That delivers a reasonable dose of apprehension both sides of you are receptive to. He doesn't
look
all that menacing, though. In fact, he's the one that looks timid, swaying in place like a sapling under your porch light. More than anything else, he looks familiar. That hair, those little, sad eyes, and those arms... Why did you already know what it felt like to be held by them? You shake yourself and take a deep breath. And then you open the door.
He's spooked by you; maybe you did open the door rather suddenly and all at once, but it is your house and he is on your porch. "Hi, can I help you?" you say.
He looks you up and down, as much as you show yourself from behind a door, and gulps. Strange. He smiles awkwardly, and nods, and then says, "Oh, hello. Yeah, I-I live next door, right there," he points, "I know you're new, so I, uh, wanted to say hi."
You blink at him and look at his house again. It looks like it could be his house. He looks to be your age, so either he lives with his family, or he's as driven you are. What a weird man, if he is, and still seems so out of place. You realize that he's the first person you've met in the neighborhood. There's something special about that, but still you point out, "This late at night?"
It sounds a bit meaner than you intended, but really, it isn't unreasonable; it is late.
His jaw works a moment, but nothing's said, He looks around and then gives up. "I... I don't know. I just had to. If I didn't do it now, I never would, I guess."
You nod. "That's true. What's that?" you ask, pointing at his hand.
He picks up his hand and looks at it like someone had taped the little book to it without his knowledge. "That, oh. Do you like Sci-fi?"
You like Star Wars. "Yes, I do. What book is it? Is it for me?"
He hands it over to you before he's said that it is. "I don't know; you're not supposed to meet people empty-handed, right? And I couldn't ask you for sugar or something, this late. And you just moved in so you probably don't have any sugar yet."
You blink at him again, your smile and your hand frozen in mid-reach for the yet-to-be described book that you now recognize as
Gateway
.
"Anyway, sorry. It's about prospecting for alien treasure in space. It's really funny and heavy and real! It might be too much to give a stranger," he thinks out loud, starting to retract the book.
"What! Are you kidding? We're not strangers, we're neighbors; of course I want to read it!" You take the book from him and he is relieved.
He nods and tries to downplay the shock that your brief contact with his hand was to him. What a strange man. Why doesn't he say anything else? Why does he stare at your feet. Your feet! You're barefoot, as always; your feet are dirty, as always. Does he like that? Does he not like that? He makes no face at all. You know he moves to take a step backward and say goodbye, so you reach out for him, and your free hand catches his wrist. Your eyes lock, and something opens. Your heart skips a beat. Didn't you chain it up, all that time ago? Oh, but why has the key appeared on your doorstep?