Girl Getting Bitter
A Map of the World
The two sat on the porch for a while, conversing and smoking together. Niklas shared his childhood with Anastasie and she listened, nodding occasionally. They would've stayed out on Charlot's porch longer but the rain started again, pouring down with thunder booming in the skies and loud lightning crackles. Anastasie was the first inside as she yelped and jumped for the door. Before she could get inside, Niklas grabbed her leg and pulled her back so she could see the flashes of lightning in the sky. He stood up and wrapped his arms around a Anastasie's trembling frame but he soothed her with gentle hushes and whispers.
"Isn't it beautiful? It's like. .a dancer, bounding across a stage, hiding behind a gray curtain. What do you think of lightning, Anastasie?"
The younger girl didn't answer and Niklas continued to press the question.
"What does it remind you of?" he asked a little louder.
". .It scares me," she choked out.
Anastasie pulled away from Niklas and went inside, trembling and cold. She curled up on Charlot's couch, and tried to warm herself up. With a sympathetic look on his face, Niklas walked slowly into the living room with his fur-hooded jacket in hand. Placing it on top of Anastasie, he lifted her up and sat down, letting Anastasie's weight rest against him.
"I'm sorry. Could've just said you were afraid of storms," Niklas whispered grimly, smirking while his hand idly played with Anastasie's hair.
Anastasie looked up at Niklas and huddled herself closer to him, savoring the warmth of his body and jacket.
"It doesn't really matter. I just don't like 'em," she mumbled drowsily.
Noticing Anastasie's sleepy tone, Niklas reached over and wrapped Charlot's blanket around the two of them. He soon fell asleep to the inconsistent tattoo of the rain on the roof.
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
The two awoke later that day when Charlot shook their bodies with a yell.
"Hey! Wake up, you two!"
Anastasie groaned and looked up at Charlot with foggy eyes while Niklas only shifted position. Anastasie gave him a few shakes before Niklas finally opened his eyes, yawning rudely.
"What's up, man?" he grumbled.
"I'm about to go out to get some groceries and I wanted to know if you two wanted anything," Charlot said.
Anastasie looked up and then reached over into her bag. She felt around for her box of cigarettes, which was almost empty. She opened her mouth to ask Charlot to get some for her, but instead she changed her mind.
"I want some of those little patches. .the ones you put on your arm. They help you to quit smoking. Get two boxes of those, please?" she asked.
Charlot nodded and looked to Niklas, knowing that he wanted another box of cigarettes. Niklas had promised to quit smoking half a year ago but Charlot understood how much more difficult it is than to just promise. Pulling on his coat, Charlot said he'd be back in two hours and left.
Anastasie hesitated before rolling off the couch. She stretched her legs and scratched at her neck before turning and shaking Niklas' head with a slender hand.
"Wake up. I need your help to find Charlot's room so I can borrow his clothes," she whispered as Niklas left behind the world of sleep.
"Mmmm. . .you can borrow mine. C'mon, I'll take you to my house." he grated out.
Niklas, needing a shower and change of clothes himself, slid off the couch and grabbed his jacket. He put it on Anastasie's shoulders and crossed his arms as they left Charlot's house, locking it behind them. They walked down the boulevard d'Athènes, the same way Anastasie had the day they met, and turned down a rather narrow alley behind a large brick building. Niklas showed her how he would usually sneak into his apartment through the back door because he didn't want to bother with telling the landlord where he'd been all night. Niklas looked out into the hall before taking Anastasie's hand and rushing to the stairs that led to the second floor.
"It's always . .easier to take the stairs. They're as old as the elevator, but they won't break down as easily." Niklas joked.
The two young adults went up two flights of stairs before coming to the third floor. The entire hallway was a dirty mustard-yellow, with diamonds of orange and brown adorning the floor. The hallway looked so unattractive that even the sunlight shrunk away from its windows. As Niklas unlocked and opened the door of his apartment, a fat gray cat jumped out with a shriek. Anastasie yelped and jumped back as the cat lunged at her but Niklas caught it by it's rounded belly.
"Bartholomew! What have I told you have attacking our guests? Hm? You bad kitty." He teased, rubbing his nose against the cat's.
The apparently named Bartholomew the cat growled in warning, making a strange noise in its throat before wriggling from Niklas' hands. He strutted into the kitchen and waited for Niklas to fill up his bowl with angry eyes and a wavering tail.
"Hey! Don't even try to make me seem like a bad owner!" Niklas scolded, closing and locking his apartment door. "I fed you yesterday morning and you had plenty of food to last until this afternoon! You're such a pig,"
Bartholomew purred and meowed at Niklas' insult before falling over and rubbing his back against the tile of the kitchen floor. Niklas ignored him and kicked off his shoes as he padded into the small sitting room area and Anastasie followed him, peeling off his jacket and setting it on his couch.
"Um. .here. Come with me," he motioned, looking around for something that didn't seem to be there.
Anastasie followed him into his messy bedroom. Clothes were strewn about the floor and the ashtray on his bedside table was filled completely with gray and black ash and old cigarette butts. Inhaling, Anastasie coughed and covered her mouth and nose from the offending smell of cologne and cigarette smoke.
"I'm sorry about all this. .I'm not a very clean person when it comes to my home." Niklas apologized, lowering his voice to sound modest.
Anastasie just shook her head and joined him by the closet door. She peered inside and saw even more clothes, along with various other items. She hummed before plucking a few pieces of clothing from their racks.
"I like your fashion sense. ." she commented with a smirk.
Niklas blushed slightly and continued to dig through his closet until he found a jacket with a box of cigarettes in it and a lighter. He also pulled out a black wife beater and a pair of dark jeans, bending over to snatch a belt off the floor. Niklas looked to Anastasie and nodded at the bathroom door, signaling that she could go first. Anastasie stumbled through the mess of his room before reaching the door and pushing it open. At least his bathroom was clean. Anastasie shot Niklas one last glance before closing and locking the door.
The white bathroom seemed like it belonged to another apartment. Niklas' room was dark and dirty and had a awkward navy tinting passing over it, while his bathroom was white all around. Anastasie shrugged, grateful that the bathroom was cleaner than the rest of the apartment, and set her clothes down on the glistening sink. She pushed back the ivory shower curtain and fumbled with the knobs until the hot water came out at an even temperature. Anastasie shed herself of her clothes and stepped inside, borrowing Niklas' strawberry shampoo. She let the water cleanse her skin, as if she was washing away the very smell of Niklas' room from her body. Dripping with water, Anastasie turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She pulled herself into red jeans, a yellow tee shirt, and a leather jacket. Anastasie carried out her previously worn clothes as well and set them on Niklas' bed, smiling when she noticed that Niklas was taking his clothes and piling them up in the laundry room to be washed.
Dragging a brush from his desk, Anastasie went to work with combing through her wet and tangled hair. When Niklas noticed her, her smile widened and she stepped out of the room and into the kitchen. Niklas turned back around and smiled to himself, grabbing his clothes and entering the steamed bathroom.
"Isn't it beautiful? It's like. .a dancer, bounding across a stage, hiding behind a gray curtain. What do you think of lightning, Anastasie?"
The younger girl didn't answer and Niklas continued to press the question.
"What does it remind you of?" he asked a little louder.
". .It scares me," she choked out.
Anastasie pulled away from Niklas and went inside, trembling and cold. She curled up on Charlot's couch, and tried to warm herself up. With a sympathetic look on his face, Niklas walked slowly into the living room with his fur-hooded jacket in hand. Placing it on top of Anastasie, he lifted her up and sat down, letting Anastasie's weight rest against him.
"I'm sorry. Could've just said you were afraid of storms," Niklas whispered grimly, smirking while his hand idly played with Anastasie's hair.
Anastasie looked up at Niklas and huddled herself closer to him, savoring the warmth of his body and jacket.
"It doesn't really matter. I just don't like 'em," she mumbled drowsily.
Noticing Anastasie's sleepy tone, Niklas reached over and wrapped Charlot's blanket around the two of them. He soon fell asleep to the inconsistent tattoo of the rain on the roof.
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
The two awoke later that day when Charlot shook their bodies with a yell.
"Hey! Wake up, you two!"
Anastasie groaned and looked up at Charlot with foggy eyes while Niklas only shifted position. Anastasie gave him a few shakes before Niklas finally opened his eyes, yawning rudely.
"What's up, man?" he grumbled.
"I'm about to go out to get some groceries and I wanted to know if you two wanted anything," Charlot said.
Anastasie looked up and then reached over into her bag. She felt around for her box of cigarettes, which was almost empty. She opened her mouth to ask Charlot to get some for her, but instead she changed her mind.
"I want some of those little patches. .the ones you put on your arm. They help you to quit smoking. Get two boxes of those, please?" she asked.
Charlot nodded and looked to Niklas, knowing that he wanted another box of cigarettes. Niklas had promised to quit smoking half a year ago but Charlot understood how much more difficult it is than to just promise. Pulling on his coat, Charlot said he'd be back in two hours and left.
Anastasie hesitated before rolling off the couch. She stretched her legs and scratched at her neck before turning and shaking Niklas' head with a slender hand.
"Wake up. I need your help to find Charlot's room so I can borrow his clothes," she whispered as Niklas left behind the world of sleep.
"Mmmm. . .you can borrow mine. C'mon, I'll take you to my house." he grated out.
Niklas, needing a shower and change of clothes himself, slid off the couch and grabbed his jacket. He put it on Anastasie's shoulders and crossed his arms as they left Charlot's house, locking it behind them. They walked down the boulevard d'Athènes, the same way Anastasie had the day they met, and turned down a rather narrow alley behind a large brick building. Niklas showed her how he would usually sneak into his apartment through the back door because he didn't want to bother with telling the landlord where he'd been all night. Niklas looked out into the hall before taking Anastasie's hand and rushing to the stairs that led to the second floor.
"It's always . .easier to take the stairs. They're as old as the elevator, but they won't break down as easily." Niklas joked.
The two young adults went up two flights of stairs before coming to the third floor. The entire hallway was a dirty mustard-yellow, with diamonds of orange and brown adorning the floor. The hallway looked so unattractive that even the sunlight shrunk away from its windows. As Niklas unlocked and opened the door of his apartment, a fat gray cat jumped out with a shriek. Anastasie yelped and jumped back as the cat lunged at her but Niklas caught it by it's rounded belly.
"Bartholomew! What have I told you have attacking our guests? Hm? You bad kitty." He teased, rubbing his nose against the cat's.
The apparently named Bartholomew the cat growled in warning, making a strange noise in its throat before wriggling from Niklas' hands. He strutted into the kitchen and waited for Niklas to fill up his bowl with angry eyes and a wavering tail.
"Hey! Don't even try to make me seem like a bad owner!" Niklas scolded, closing and locking his apartment door. "I fed you yesterday morning and you had plenty of food to last until this afternoon! You're such a pig,"
Bartholomew purred and meowed at Niklas' insult before falling over and rubbing his back against the tile of the kitchen floor. Niklas ignored him and kicked off his shoes as he padded into the small sitting room area and Anastasie followed him, peeling off his jacket and setting it on his couch.
"Um. .here. Come with me," he motioned, looking around for something that didn't seem to be there.
Anastasie followed him into his messy bedroom. Clothes were strewn about the floor and the ashtray on his bedside table was filled completely with gray and black ash and old cigarette butts. Inhaling, Anastasie coughed and covered her mouth and nose from the offending smell of cologne and cigarette smoke.
"I'm sorry about all this. .I'm not a very clean person when it comes to my home." Niklas apologized, lowering his voice to sound modest.
Anastasie just shook her head and joined him by the closet door. She peered inside and saw even more clothes, along with various other items. She hummed before plucking a few pieces of clothing from their racks.
"I like your fashion sense. ." she commented with a smirk.
Niklas blushed slightly and continued to dig through his closet until he found a jacket with a box of cigarettes in it and a lighter. He also pulled out a black wife beater and a pair of dark jeans, bending over to snatch a belt off the floor. Niklas looked to Anastasie and nodded at the bathroom door, signaling that she could go first. Anastasie stumbled through the mess of his room before reaching the door and pushing it open. At least his bathroom was clean. Anastasie shot Niklas one last glance before closing and locking the door.
The white bathroom seemed like it belonged to another apartment. Niklas' room was dark and dirty and had a awkward navy tinting passing over it, while his bathroom was white all around. Anastasie shrugged, grateful that the bathroom was cleaner than the rest of the apartment, and set her clothes down on the glistening sink. She pushed back the ivory shower curtain and fumbled with the knobs until the hot water came out at an even temperature. Anastasie shed herself of her clothes and stepped inside, borrowing Niklas' strawberry shampoo. She let the water cleanse her skin, as if she was washing away the very smell of Niklas' room from her body. Dripping with water, Anastasie turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She pulled herself into red jeans, a yellow tee shirt, and a leather jacket. Anastasie carried out her previously worn clothes as well and set them on Niklas' bed, smiling when she noticed that Niklas was taking his clothes and piling them up in the laundry room to be washed.
Dragging a brush from his desk, Anastasie went to work with combing through her wet and tangled hair. When Niklas noticed her, her smile widened and she stepped out of the room and into the kitchen. Niklas turned back around and smiled to himself, grabbing his clothes and entering the steamed bathroom.