Picture Perfect Blue
stars shinin' as your bones illuminate (8 MAY)
The bookstore's owner had the habit of donating old children's books to the local hospital, which Nikki had always thought was a good way to get rid of old inventory while at the same time bringing a smile to someone's face. The exchange with the man had already been forgotten, buried underneath fixing the leaky pipe in her bathroom sink and developing her film in the dark room at the university. She wasn't a student there, but she was allowed to use the room from time to time because she'd dated a professor there - briefly, really insignificantly.
Since Miranda was stocking that afternoon, it was up to Nikki to take the books to the sixth floor of the hospital downtown. She had taken the train, since it was raining much too hard for her to walk with all those bags. The twenty six minute ride was spent thinking about her latest series and about what kind of things she could do to spice up her portfolio, but she was unfortunately coming up blank.
She lacked emotion, according to most people. She was unfeeling. But she wasn't, Nikki thought as she walked through the busy doors of the station to the busy street, pushing open her red umbrella. She had plenty of emotion. Didn't she? It wasn't like she was frigid. She was protecting herself, and that was a normal thing to do.
The streets were still full of people despite the heavy rain, bustling and quick paced. Nikki walked past the sliding doors of the hospital, pulling her umbrella closed in the elevator. She was pulling out her headphones when the doors opened, so she quickly shoved them in her pocket and headed to the nurses' station. The older woman sitting there pointed her towards the playroom, where most of the ill children could be found during the day, unless they were receiving some sort of treatment.
Nikki should have, in hind sight, really known what she was walking into. But she didn't, which was probably why she was so surprised and taken aback to see the man from a few nights ago having a tea party with his little sister. Her cheeks flushed as she stood there, frozen and guilty and almost ashamed of herself because she'd probably made him feel really bad and embarassed when he was just trying to be nice.
"Oh, you're here!" a blonde nurse called out, drawing attention to Nikki. She tamped down the look on her face into something more calm and a little less panicked. Her arms stuck out awkwardly as she held the paper bag out, huffing a quiet laugh meant to mask her cough. The children looked at her, and so did he, of course, quirking an eyebrow up curiously with that same infuriatingly calm and simple smile.
The children thanked her and started to clamor over the books, while she stood there and tried not to look at him (futilely). She felt dizzy and faint as the nurse told her how happy they were and how much they appreciated her donation (except it wasn't hers and she kind of didn't even like kids), and felt even worse as she stammered through a half plausible excuse to leave.
Nikki's fingers slipped off the button for the elevator a few times, but she eventually did get the hang of it, hanging her head and feeling her cheeks burn bright red. Why did she even feel guilty, or, like, bad?
"Hold the elevator!" someone called out as she walked in. She pressed a hand against the door, poking her head into the hallway. It was him, whatever his name was. She should have hit the close button, but he was jogging into the space before she could think twice about it, a small smile on his face. "Thank you," he commented as the doors shut, pulling his hat out of his pocket. "Do you come here often?"
"Sometimes," Nikki replied, glancing at him warily. "Every once in a while. Why are you here?"
"My sister's getting treatments here, and my family lives far away, so," he shrugged, flippant. "Are you hungry? I'm going to grab a bite in the cafeteria downstairs, if you want to come with?"
Nikki didn't say no, was the thing. She probably should have, but she didn't, smiled and nodded. It was just one lunch. Just one.
Since Miranda was stocking that afternoon, it was up to Nikki to take the books to the sixth floor of the hospital downtown. She had taken the train, since it was raining much too hard for her to walk with all those bags. The twenty six minute ride was spent thinking about her latest series and about what kind of things she could do to spice up her portfolio, but she was unfortunately coming up blank.
She lacked emotion, according to most people. She was unfeeling. But she wasn't, Nikki thought as she walked through the busy doors of the station to the busy street, pushing open her red umbrella. She had plenty of emotion. Didn't she? It wasn't like she was frigid. She was protecting herself, and that was a normal thing to do.
The streets were still full of people despite the heavy rain, bustling and quick paced. Nikki walked past the sliding doors of the hospital, pulling her umbrella closed in the elevator. She was pulling out her headphones when the doors opened, so she quickly shoved them in her pocket and headed to the nurses' station. The older woman sitting there pointed her towards the playroom, where most of the ill children could be found during the day, unless they were receiving some sort of treatment.
Nikki should have, in hind sight, really known what she was walking into. But she didn't, which was probably why she was so surprised and taken aback to see the man from a few nights ago having a tea party with his little sister. Her cheeks flushed as she stood there, frozen and guilty and almost ashamed of herself because she'd probably made him feel really bad and embarassed when he was just trying to be nice.
"Oh, you're here!" a blonde nurse called out, drawing attention to Nikki. She tamped down the look on her face into something more calm and a little less panicked. Her arms stuck out awkwardly as she held the paper bag out, huffing a quiet laugh meant to mask her cough. The children looked at her, and so did he, of course, quirking an eyebrow up curiously with that same infuriatingly calm and simple smile.
The children thanked her and started to clamor over the books, while she stood there and tried not to look at him (futilely). She felt dizzy and faint as the nurse told her how happy they were and how much they appreciated her donation (except it wasn't hers and she kind of didn't even like kids), and felt even worse as she stammered through a half plausible excuse to leave.
Nikki's fingers slipped off the button for the elevator a few times, but she eventually did get the hang of it, hanging her head and feeling her cheeks burn bright red. Why did she even feel guilty, or, like, bad?
"Hold the elevator!" someone called out as she walked in. She pressed a hand against the door, poking her head into the hallway. It was him, whatever his name was. She should have hit the close button, but he was jogging into the space before she could think twice about it, a small smile on his face. "Thank you," he commented as the doors shut, pulling his hat out of his pocket. "Do you come here often?"
"Sometimes," Nikki replied, glancing at him warily. "Every once in a while. Why are you here?"
"My sister's getting treatments here, and my family lives far away, so," he shrugged, flippant. "Are you hungry? I'm going to grab a bite in the cafeteria downstairs, if you want to come with?"
Nikki didn't say no, was the thing. She probably should have, but she didn't, smiled and nodded. It was just one lunch. Just one.