Ian was hungry. He dealt with the additional food in the kitchen. Giselle saw him chew on a few french fries through the half-open kitchen door. She shifted her attention back to Annie and casually tied her dark, brown curls into a pony tail. The woman had shed the tension while explaining about her work and the challenges she was facing on a daily basis. It was all casual.

"You also bought the flat, just like us, didn't you?", Giselle sipped from her wine and changed the topic again. Annie nodded. "But you're living alone. I don't mean to pry, I'm sorry", the brunette offered an apologetic smile. "Ah, no, don't worry", Annie waved off, "Back when we all bought the flats, it looked like I might have found someone, but that didn't work out, so I worked towards the promotion at work instead!". The blonde neighbor's expression changed and Giselle's voice grew softer, "I'm sorry, I didn't know. If you need to talk, you can always reach out, y'know".

Ian balanced two plates of french fries, a bottle of ketchup, a third plate with the cheese dip and a couple of forks and knives on his big hands. Giselle cleared some space on the table, which got quite cramped now. Annie on the other hand asked, "Do you have any experience waiting tables? You sure got some skills!". After he had set everything down, he bowed and acted as if he had a top hat and he had just finished a circus performance.

The bow showed his head was starting to bald and first hairs turned gray. Giselle knew that it bothered him and he was self-conscious about it. "Alright, Director, sir? Are we ready to dig in?", she said ceremonially, to which Ian responded, "The show will go on! It must go on!". The impromptu director pranced his chest and sat down. Annie laughed in amusement.

And all of them dug in. Ian told a story about a broken printer at work that caused his co-worker to anger the board of managers as no one had double checked the printouts and half of them were empty. Giselle offered a tale of an older customer that got lost in their shop and started to see colourful lanterns which they demanded to extinguish right this instant and they would not be convinced otherwise until their guardian arrived to take them back home.

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As they ate, time flew by. The rain clouds were swallowed by darkness. The small green stretch behind the apartment building was lit by small, dim lights to illuminate the small paths. Ian flicked through his phone for a while and one by one the background lighting in the living room turned on. Just beneath the ceiling a hidden ridge went all around the room and cast a dim, yellow light. Next to the TV an old umbrella-type lamp went on and finally one underneath the photo wall and the wall clock. Together with the music, it was all too cozy and romantic. Giselle looked at Ian longingly, and Annie surprisingly picked up on that look. "I interrupted a special evening, didn't I?", she said with a kind, guilt-ridden expression. The brunette smiled at their guest. "It was couple's night. It's not special special", she pressed her lips together into a thin line to suppress her emotions. Annie didn't know what to say. She stared at her third glass of wine, uneasy.

Ian pushed his wife slightly and smiled at her. "What's with the gloomy face? We can just move it to..... the day after tomorrow!", he suggested and took her hand. Giselle nodded, "Yeah, I guess?". Her spirits lifted slowly and she glared at the ceiling. The impromptu director got up and balanced everything back into kitchen in a single go. Annie just stared with an open mouth. "He's good, isn't he?", Giselle complimented and traced the stare. Both women stayed silent. In the bright kitchen light, Ian quickly sorted through the dishes. The dishwasher took in most of it and the trash took the rest. On his way out, Ian hit the light switch, put another bottle of wine on the table, snatched the Nintendo Switch from under the TV and waved at the two women. "It was a long day. I'll leave you two here and I'm going to have another go at that wicked Elvish king boss", he pumped his fist in anticipated victory and both women shook their heads. Then he was gone.

Giselle stared at the bedroom door in disbelief. "Did he just leave us two here with a new bottle of wine?" and Annie nodded and shrugged.

The quiet eventually got to her and since Giselle still stared at the bedroom door, she asked, "What's on your mind?".