Not a Fan (Wilbur Soot)

Strangers to Neighbors

"Oh my god, yes." Aurora mumbled, her mouth full with the hot gooey bread pudding. She walked over to her window ledge, looking out her window. The warmth from the ramekin in her hand, the steaming tea beside her, and her skin still tingling from her hot bath contrasted nicely with the cold and dreary scenery outside. 

She finished the small portion quickly, still feeling a bit hungry. She looked over wearily to her well stocked kitchen, no motivation to cook anything. 

"One more night of take out couldn't hurt?" She spoke to herself aloud. She opened her phone to the website of another comfort restaurant from her university days. She scrolled through the small menu of Thai food before adding a few items to her cart. 

She set her phone on the windowsill after ordering. The warmth from her snacks was now gone, leaving her with the chill of the window still pressed against her skin. Despite growing colder, she rested her head against her window, feeling it's temperature difference transfer to her warm cheek. 

Aurora didn't realize how much time had passed as she sat stagnant against the window until a knock on her door brought her back to the present. 

"Shit." She muttered, standing up quickly and setting down her empty mug and ramekin on the ledge before making her way to the door. 

She pulled open the door to reveal a young, tired looking, man standing outside. His uniform was a simple pair of a blue jeans and a seemingly homemade t-shirt with the restaurants name and logo on it. 

"Hi, sorry for the wait. Let me grab my wallet." She rushed, accepting the bag of food he held out in front of her. She turned quickly back into her apartment, making her way to her purse in the kitchen. 

She could hear vague talking in the hallway but couldn't be bothered to listen as she dug through her purse to retrieve her wallet that had sunken to the bottom. 

"-Have a good night miss!" The delivery man called out. She looked up to see him already walking away from her door's entry. 

"Wait, I still have to-" She jogged back into the hallway, wallet in hand, as the man stepped onto the elevator. She nearly missed his smile and wave as her vision was blocked by a much taller figure standing between them. She looked up to see the familiar face of the man she once painted. She took a hesitant step back, increasing the distance between them. 

"I got it." He spoke with a slight smile, his gaze not breaking from hers. 

"You didn't have to." Aurora said cautiously. This didn't feel real. Once an aloof stranger, then a friend of a friend, now standing outside her apartment door. 

Despite her hesitation, he didn't seem offended or hurt that she hadn't happily accepted his kind act. He simply continued to stare. She could feel his eyes flicking over every faded freckle on her cheeks.

"You're Niki's friend, Wilbur, right?" Aurora asked, desperate to get him to stop analyzing her every feature. 

"Yeah, she called me after you streamed with her." Wilbur confirmed. He continued to watch her and it was driving Aurora crazy. She once jokingly thought there wasn't a thought in his head after observing his clumsy demeanor in the grocery store, now she couldn't stop wondering how he was perceiving her in this moment. Her wet and unbrushed hair, her baggy pajamas, her flushed cheeks from her lengthy bath and the awkward reunion. 

"Um, how did you know where I live?" She blurted out, not even aware of  her skeptical and somewhat judgmental tone etching her words. He must've finally realized how uncomfortable she was because he also took a step back. 

"Oh, I didn't- I mean, I guessed- but I didn't know I was right until you answered the door." Wilbur fumbled through his words, aimlessly pointing between her and the elevator that the delivery man once used.