Your Colorful World vs. My Black and White World

Zacky woke up the next morning feeling extremely happy. It might have had something to do with sleeping in the same bed as Adeline. He yawned, noticing she was awake and still. He yawned again, pulling his arm away from her body so she could turn to face him. She never did though.

“How did you sleep?” he asked.

“O-okay,” she stuttered.

He pretended she didn’t sound so frightened. “What time is it?”

“I d-don’t know.”

He sighed halfheartedly. “I guess I’ll give you time to sleep then.” He left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Adeline sighed, pulling the covers over her head. ‘What is he doing?’ she pondered before falling fast asleep.

A few hours later, Adeline arrived to the kitchen with a smile on her face. She was glad she was able to make up for the hours she did not sleep last night thanks to Zacky’s weird behavior. She was glad Zacky already left by the time she woke up from her slumber. She really did not want to deal with him after the events that happened last night.

Matt’s words kept invading her thoughts. “…He likes you.”

But what if Matt was wrong? That would mean she was living with Zacky for no reason. Why did she ever agree to it? Better yet, why did her own mother, who didn’t even like Zacky, agree?

Groaning, Adeline reached for an orange Sunkist in the fridge and walked into the living room. There, she found a man sitting on the couch, flipping through channels faster than she could blink.

She gasped, dropping the bottle of soda. The man looked to find a timid girl standing close to the bookcase. He saw how scared she was. He stood up slowly, towering over her.

She flinched right away, scared he would actually kill her.

“Hey calm down. I’m not going to hurt you if that’s what you’re thinking,” the man said, his palms out towards Adeline. That made her back up against the wall even more.

“Trust me, I’m Zacky’s friend. I’m house-sitting since he said you’d flip a cat if you were the only one here.”

She looked disbelievingly at him then gave him a curious look. ‘I wasn’t going to freak out if I was alone…and cat?’

“Cat?” she voiced aloud. “Isn’t it lid?”

The tall man shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Well…um, I’m going to take a shower?”

“Sure, your house. Unless you want me to join you?” He smirked and raised his eyebrows seductively.

Adeline’s face flushed a deep red as she coughed. “It’s okay…”

She took her morning shower, feeling relaxed and happier. She had completely forgotten that Zacky’s friend was still “house-sitting.” She was all alone to the peacefulness she wanted in the beach house.

She was even able to hear the sounds of the ocean from this distance. That only enhanced her happiness so much that she began to dance and sing to a song she listened to on the radio the other day and liked.

Jimmy watched in delight at the girl that was currently dancing in the kitchen. She was skipping around, grabbing a pot and cooking utensils before heading over to the fridge. Even after taking out eggs and veggies that he assumed was for an omelet, she used the different foods as props to her dancing.

He chuckled from behind her, amused she was able to act like a child when she was an adult. In some form, her saw a bit of himself in her. He was always the one who enjoyed life, not caring what others thought about him as long as he and his friends were having fun.

Adeline finished cutting up all the vegetables and whipped around to grab the empty bowl on the table. She gasped when she saw Zacky’s friend sitting at the far end of the table with a polite smile on his face.

“I’m sorry!” she apologized.

Jimmy gave her a weird look.

“I didn’t ask you if you wanted food!” she groaned, slapping her hand against her forehand several times. She seemed to have a moment of scolding himself before her dark brown eyes returned to Jimmy’s blue eyes.

“Would you like food?”

The smile he had before grew at her kindness. It had been a while since he met a stranger who held such gentleness. It was going to be a very interesting day.

“I’ll only eat if we can play a game I like,” Jimmy replied slyly.

“What kind of game?” Adeline asked with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

“Nothing bad,” he shrugged. “Just 20 Questions.”