The Coffee Shop (Wellenore)

seventeen

"Edgar, boxes everywhere is not a good look on the apartment and I've noticed that none of them are the ones that I've told you a hundred times to get out of my attic," Lenore commented as she floated into the kitchen where she found Edgar looking into the cupboard that housed the pots and pans.

"I don't need pots and pans, do I?" Edgar questioned.

"I mean you dont cook, like ever," Lenore pointed out. "But like seriously Edgar, what are all these boxes for and where did they come from? I saw one with that giant weird self portrait you usually have hung in your study. The picture does not fit in the box by the way."

"I'm not very good at packing," Edgar confessed.

Lenore paused for a moment, staring at Edgar with a confused expression. "And why are you packing? You've literally never been on vacation. In case you didn't know you don't pack in boxes when you go on vacation and you certainly don't bring your giant weird self portraits."

"Oh, I'm not going on vacation," Edgar explained slowly, a nervous look slowly taking over his face.

"Then why is your entire place filled with boxes?" Lenore questioned, copying his slow words.

"Well you know how I've been struggling to get my poems published recently. I sent my work to the other publishing house and they've also declined and my contract for my other book is about to run out, so if they decide to, they can remove it from shelves and it sounds like they want to. Basically I am out of money at the moment and can't afford to keep this apartment to myself while I work on finding people who do want to publish my work," Edgar explained. He paused for a moment, waiting for Lenore to contribute some words but she stayed silent. "Annabel and I were talking and she had the spare bedroom in her apartment that her friend who moved out used to stay in and she has offered for me to rent the empty bedroom. Splitting rent with someone is much more in my ability to pay."

Lenore struggled to find words to respond with. "You can't just move in with Annabel," she finally exclaimed after a few failed attempts at beginning a sentence. "And why wasn't any of this told to me when you first began to think about it. I shouldn't be finding out that you are planning to leave me because I found boxes all over your apartment." Lenore hated that she couldn't hide the toned of pain that cracked in her voice.

"I didn't realize I had to tell you," Edgar explained.

"So what, you were just going to secretly leave in the middle of the night one day and never speak to me again?"

"No I-" Edgar began but he never finished his sentence, drifting off into silence on his own.

"You're like supposed to tell your roommates before you move out," Lenore pointed out, trying to keep her voice in an uncaring tone.

"I figured that was usually more so that the roommate could find a new roommate and since you well-" Edgar waved his hand through the air, "you know, I didn't think it was necessary. I'm sorry. I should have told you, I'm not used to how roommates behave."

"I can't believe you are just going to leave me," Lenore frowned. "I thought we had formed a friendship," she sighed dramatically.

"You were the one who suggested I move in with Annabel," Edgar pointed out.

"I was joking," Lenore exclaimed, "and since when do you listen to anything I saw? Yes, I noticed that the raven that I told you to remove from the table was never removed. Besides I was suggesting that Annabel move in here, not that you go to her place because the three of us would be like a dream team of roomies."

"Annabel's apartment is much nicer," Edgar tried to explain.

"Since when do you care about how much something is? You literally use dead ravens as house decor."