Would You Fall Too?

Pushing a hand back through the mess of ginger hair that sat on her head, Emilie spared a little yawn, her feet dragging her towards the kitchen which appeared to be the source of the noises that had woken her up. It wasn’t particularly late, it had only just gone eight in the morning, but still she was a little irked to be out of bed. With an afternoon shift and little else planned, she had hoped to get a decent lay in before she emerged from her bed. Trying to straighten her hair out, she quietly padded through the kitchen doorway and paused for a second, her blue eyes landing on Sergio who rifled through the cupboards, his shirt nowhere to be seen. Blinking, she pulled her eyes away from him and settled them on the floor, clearing her throat a little to make him aware that she was there.

“Emilie” Sergio smiled as he pulled his head out of the cupboard, setting a pan down on the countertop “Buenos dias” he added.

“Buenos dias” Emilie replied gently, stepping a little deeper into the room “How did you sleep?” she posed.

Sergio shrugged. “Alright, I suppose, but after last night, I was just grateful to get any sleep. What about you?” he returned, quickly shaking the thought of Pilar out of his head. He didn’t want to think about her, the way she had shot him down was still fixed firmly in his mind, and he would have killed to have thought about anything else, even if it was just for a moment. He was already sick of feeling bad about it.

Emilie studied him for a moment, pondering the idea of asking why last night has been so bad, but she opted against it. It wasn’t her place to pry. “I slept well” she noted gently “At least, I did until you started banging around in here. Can I ask what it is you’re attempting to do?” she asked gently.

Sergio grinned. “I was going to cook for you” he announced “I am not much of a cook, but I do make some pretty wonderful breakfasts and I thought I could make one for you, a little way of saying thank you for last night” he added, gesturing to the small pile of equipment and ingredients that he had found. It wasn’t much, Sergio had never really been one for cooking, but he wanted to make an effort to do something nice for Emilie. She hadn’t had to help him, if he had been in her place, he doubted he would have gone out of his way like she had, and he wanted to thank her for it. He’d not been at his best the previous night and Emilie hadn’t questioned it, something he was a little grateful for.

“You were going to cook for me?” Emilie posed.

Sergio nodded his head. “I have to thank you somehow” he replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world “And I thought breakfast would be a start” he added.

Emilie furrowed her forehead a little before she shook her head. “You don’t have to make a big deal out of thanking me, Sergio” she noted gently as she moved to sit at the counter “It was the right thing to do” she added.

“You didn’t have to do it, Emilie” Sergio reasoned as he moved to place the pan on the stove, quickly cracking two eggs into it “You could have just left me sat there, it’s not like I am your responsibility, but you didn’t and I want to thank you for it. It was very nice of you, especially since you are not the most comfortable around new people, and I would like to do something to show my appreciation” he explained gently.

“A thank you would suffice” Emilie shrugged “I am not one for fuss” she added.

Sergio shook his head, checking on the eggs briefly before he padded towards the toaster, slipping a couple of slices into it “It’s breakfast, Emilie” he mused “It’s not like I bought you a car or anything” he teased.

Emilie made a small noise at his joke before she padded towards the fridge, collecting a cartoon of orange juice which she sat in the middle of the island. “I assume you’re staying for breakfast” she mused without looking at him.

“I’ve made breakfast for two, if you don’t mind me imposing on you for a little longer” Sergio noted.

Emilie shook her head. “You’re already here” she noted “It would be rude to toss you out after you cooked for me” she added, quirking the first genuine smile that Sergio had seen on her face. It was sweet, her pink lips curled up into a delicate set of dimples, and Sergio couldn’t help but admire it for a second. They’d been neighbours for years, 3 or 4 at least, and he couldn’t quite believe that he’d never seen her smile before.

“You know that you’re staring, right?” Emilie quipped, hiding her face away from him as she moved to gather some cutlery.

Sergio nodded. “I am aware” he shrugged “But I was just looking at that smile of yours. I think that is probably the first time I have seen a real one” he noted.

Emilie shrugged. “Given that you and I have had about 2 conversations in 3 years and they’ve all been about the weather, that’s not the greatest surprise is it?” she commented, swallowing a mouthful of juice.

Sergio noted the slightly sarcastic tone to her voice and smiled. He had to admit he kind of liked that she was a little sharp. “I suppose it’s not, but now that I have seen it once, you know that I am going to try and see it again, don’t you?” he smiled.

Emilie frowned a little at his comment before the sound of her smoke detector blared, causing the defender to jump, turning back to the stove. Emilie watched him for a second before she moved to open the window, letting the small amount of smoke that had come away from the burned eggs out. “You did say that you weren’t much of a cook” she mused, placing the pan into the sink.

Sergio shook his head. “That’s not on me, Emilie” he returned “Your first smile around me distracted me” he pointed out.

“It was just a smile, Sergio” Emilie pointed out as she ran cold water over the burned pan “It’s not like I am stood here in the nude” she joked softly.

Sergio smiled. “You make jokes” he enthused.

“I make jokes. I smile. Aren’t I like an actual person?” Emilie quipped.

Sergio nodded his head. “A very nice person” he complimented gently, earning a small blush on her cheeks.

“Don’t you have a locksmith to call?” Emilie mumbled as she turned back to her drink, trying to ignore his stare.

Sergio nodded. “I do, but since I ruined breakfast, I will have to come up with another way to thank you, Emilie” he reasoned “I haven’t got time now, but you should definitely expect something” he vowed before he stepped away to collect his things.

Emilie watched after him and sighed. She didn’t want things to change, their pleasant indifference towards one another was good for her, and she didn’t want it to change. She liked being the neighbour he didn’t notice.