Rick stood there, keys in hand, staring at the door. His eyes wandered back and forth between the number on the door and the knob. It was his apartment. He knew it well. Leah was silent behind the door. He knew why, but part of his brain didn't want to admit why.
He had gone to work that morning, everything had been as it was. Nothing changed, nothing out of place, the girl was even gone. He silently prayed he had not imagined her, or worse that he had frightened her off. The bird was silent. Some how, that gave him hope.
He stuck the keys in the lock and heard the click. Still he was frozen there; quiet, listening. A familiar squawk came and Rick's heart fell. Then he heard it; the giggle, a sound of tiny bells in a breeze. He knew it wasn't a dream then.
He finally brought himself to it and pushed the door open. There she was, in the kitchen, by the stove; Leah running up and down the counter, the sizzle of something frying and the soft smell of cooking food. Some things moved on their own, but there she was, just as she had been last night, doing a good portion of the work herself.
She looked through the window to the kitchen and smiled brightly at him. "Hey Ricky! I got started a little early, I hope you don't mind. I wanted it fresh when you got home."
The places had already been set around the same table she had summoned the night before. He guessed it would be called summoning, he didn't know what other word to use. He sat down wordlessly.
"What's up with you, Ricky? You look like an owl!" Gigi giggled. She began filling up the plates with food. She had prepared corn, green beans and some kind of chicken. It smelled wonderful. "I hope you like it; it's my own variation on the chicken the woman in 411 makes. She adds just a touch too much pepper in my opinion."
Gigi sat in her usual floating position and began to eat. Rick slowly took a bite. What most put him off was how she acted like this had been going on for years. He wasn't sure what to make of her.
After the meal, she took the plates and began cleaning up. She set most of this to work on its own. Rick leaned against the counter and watched her work. She was still in that same dress from the night before. He found himself staring at her shoulders.
"I can always take it off..." came a sultry voice. Rick's head shot up and stared into Gigi's face. She had a sly grin on her face and her eyes dropped softly. Rick jumped back as if he'd been shot.
Gigi's face froze as she realized she had just done or said the wrong thing. He looked like a deer about to flee. She quickly dropped her posture and looked down. "I'm sorry." She said softly and turned around. "I didn't mean to offend you." She murmured quietly.
Rick shook his head and released the tension in his body. "No, I'm sorry; I'm just not..." he sighed. "I'm just not comfortable with that right now..."
"It's my fault Ricky. I would never make you do anything you don't want to. I would never pressure you into anything. You must always know that." Her head moved but she did not turn to look at him. "The soul must be as willing as the flesh." She ended quietly.
Rick could see a partial reflection in the window above the sink. He could almost swear he saw a tear. "Gigi, I ..."
"My cookies!" she said suddenly. Gigi opened the oven. "Oooo, they're perfect! I hope you like chocolate chip!"
Rick doubted there were cookies in the first place, but he didn't press the issue. He smiled. "Actually, they're my favorite."
Gigi looked back at him and smiled brightly. The sadness forgotten or ignored, he wasn't about to ask. She made him a plate and took it to him desk. She floated beside his chair. He sat down and took a bite of a cookie. They were warm, and gooey.
