A knock at my door woke me up.

Huh? I was discombobulated, trying to process where I was.

Oh, right! I checked my hands. Nothing. I scanned for the gnat using my limited vantage. No dice. My body was begging for food and water.

Five more minutes. I closed my eyes.

Louder knocks came from the door.

“No one’s home!”

More banging. “Cash, open up!” It was Candy’s voice.

“The door’s open!” The lock had been broken for a while. My valuables could be counted on one hand. Between being able to notice if one went missing and the policing in Eumalia, I didn’t bother fixing it.

I would have gone to open it, but I felt too weak to stand. Raising my voice took most my effort.

The door opened. Heels clicked at the doorway. When the clicks made it close enough, I looked up to meet her eyes, an arduous task.

“Hi. Welcome to my home.” For once, Candy was in regular clothes.

“Cash…”

“Would you care for a cup of water? That's everything we got right now.” My laugh was strained. I hoped she understood it was a joke, I didn’t want to clean a cup.

“I’m taking you to the hospital.” She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me up. Her hand felt like it had touched my bone.

“Not the hospital!” I tried to throw myself down in protest, but she kept me up. The attempt was lackluster. “They take all my money away. I just need some food.”

“Fine.” The worry didn’t leave her voice. “But put some clothes on first.”

I only had my heart boxers from the day of the event on.

Two weeks had passed. Apparently, Candy grew concerned when I consecutively missed class. Eventually, she looked into what happened and hounded Gus for the details. That led her to visit. She didn’t press any questions.

With the assistance of Candy, I made it to her dorm. She placed me at a kitchen table, while she cooked. I watched her to pass the time.

I wondered why she was being so kind to me.

“I didn’t know you knew how to cook.”

“I picked it up recently.” All of her pans, pots, and utensils lacked any rust or wear. However, her skills didn’t show it as she efficiently switched between dicing vegetables, cooking chicken, and measuring herbs and spices.

After she finished prepping all the ingredients, she added them to a pot of water. She moved the pot into what looked like an oversized rice cooker, hit some buttons, and one minute later a light indicated it was finished.

Fancy. I had no doubt she had plenty of pretty pennies to afford it.

“Doesn’t that take out of the joy of cooking?”

“Normally I take my time, but someone starved themselves for 14 days and needs food asap.” Her tone was harsh. Out of the fast-cooker came chicken noodle soup.

“I’m sure that someone greatly appreciates it.”

“If they do, then they should finish their soup.” Candy plopped a small bowl of soup in front of me.

Candy gave me a warm smile as she joined me at the table. “Careful, it’s hot.”

The stream from the soup heated my face. The hand I used for my spoon felt like it was in front of a fireplace. I didn’t realize how cold I was.

The clanging of my spoon broke the silence. I gently blew at my spoonful of soup.

From the first bite, I held back tears. The food was making me emotional. It had been years since I had a home cooked meal. When’s the last time I ate at a kitchen table with someone else?

I continued eating, each bite filled me up with warmth. Each bite poked holes in the dam I built inside myself. Ah, now I’m actually crying. I tried to wipe my tears away.

They weren’t staying down. My tears made ripples as they landed into the soup. Stop it. Stay away.

I didn’t notice Candy's approach until she placed her hand on my shoulder. And at the moment of her warm touch, the dam broke. A flood of emotions I had held back poured out. Every emotion I buried with mental shutdown and physical pain resurfaced all at once.

My tears turned to sobs. Ugly sobs. That were muffled by Candy’s chest. She had embraced me tightly. Overwhelming feelings that could only be verbalized as cries came out of me. I only managed one coherent thought. I’m ruining her shirt.

Eventually, I ran out of tears. Multiple times I thought it was almost over. I would try a final calming breath, only for it to start back up.

“I didn’t want to kill anyone.” My body and my voice shook, but I remained a hold myself. She stroked my head.

“Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.” She parted the space between us and tugged my shirt. I had made a mess of her shirt. She pulled me to the bathroom.

Like the dorm rooms, the bathrooms were spacious. They included a bathtub shower with easily enough room for two as luck would have it. Candy stripped my clothes then her own.

Nothing happened. Not the badass ‘nothing happened’, when something obviously happened. Bare back washing was the most we did.

C’mon I wasn’t sexless. I don’t need to justify it. I just needed sleep.

A borrowed toothbrush, towel, and comb later, I was clean. The steam from the shower had made me drowsy. Candy picked up on it.

“Ready for bed?”

I nodded.

I woke up with Candy beside me. I noticed her wall of toys was missing. With a woman’s intuition, or from the rustling of the sheets, Candy noticed I woke up.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Good morning sleepyhead.” She hugged me with her body.

I couldn’t see from above the covers, but I could feel we were both naked. Little Buck woke up before I fully did. I met her with reciprocation.

Hugs escalated to grabs escalated to gropes escalated to her on top of me. Before any further escalation, she lowered her head for a kiss. Our lips met.

And with it, I was met with the memory of my final kiss with Meryl. I know it was wrong to think of another woman while physical with someone else, however I couldn’t repress it. I didn’t have feelings for Meryl, but the guilt of my inadequacy was heavy.

Candy was rounding to home. My little guy stayed active, but I stopped her.

“Let’s slow down.”

Candy paused. She was caught off guard. Caught with her pants down some may say. “Sure.”

I worried if my request was insulting but was caught off guard myself. Is that a smile? Was it genuine or polite, I wondered.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yes.” She nuzzled into my chest. We cuddled for hours until my stomach protested.

“Hungry? There’s leftovers.”

“Let’s go out. I don’t think I can handle any more chicken noodle soup?”

We arrived at our destination, a homely brick building along the outskirts of the city. It had an oversized chimney. At the insistence of Candy, I ate a small portion of soup before the drive. Inside the establishment was a single receptionist.

“Table for two?” The receptionist rose when we reached the counter.

“Yes. Thank you. Our destination is the movie theater on 5th. We’ll go with number three.” We looked into the different options on the drive over. It was my treat for the day.

“Okay.” They seemed glad the interaction was kept short.

After the transaction, the receptionist hit a button and a picnic basket came from underneath the counter. They guided us to the fireplace. In the fireplace, there was a table for two. Given it was a common date place, it wasn’t surprising it was already set for two.

They placed the basket, a pitcher of water, and glasses on the table. We took our seats.

“Have you been here before?” I asked. Compared to my normal density of conversation, we shared a comfortable silence throughout the afternoon and drive. I appreciated that, and I hoped the feeling was reciprocated.

“No. I don’t get out much, actually. I’m looking forward to it.”

The receptionist seemed to be holding back a groan. They were probably tired of these sights. “Okay, off you two go.”

They pulled a lever. The entrance of the fireplace closed. Behind Candy, a transparent film started to form. The film expanded in each direction until it met itself behind me. We were in a bubble. Once the bubble formed, we were off.

The bubble floated out the chimney. It floated out of the city at a leisure rate.

“Pretty.” Candy’s eyes seemed to reflect the sky above and sea below.

“It is.”

We unpacked the basket. Inside were cheeses, sandwiches, fruits, dreadful vegetables I went along with eating, and macrons. The people looked so small from way up high, if we could even make one out. I would’ve thought the same on the buildings, but one reached further up than my eyes could render.

We dined while pointing out different buildings we recognized or making up different purposes for the buildings.

“That one looks like it transforms into a spaceship,” Candy mused. It did.

“That one’s the Australian embassy.” It was an upside down tower along the rim of the city, touching the ground at a single point. I had no clue if I was right. My outdated joke didn’t get a laugh, only thoughtful nodding.

The comments were sparse, and after I finished my meal, I found myself staring at Candy as much as the city. It was nice.

The bubble’s flight path minimized its time in the city. It wasn’t until the end of our trip, it turned back in. The bubble landed outside of a mall not far from the movie theater. It popped.

“This way I think.” I pointed down the road.

“It’s this way.” Candy corrected me. “You really should get a GPS add-on. There’s some cool ones out there.”

“Bah.”

We made our way to the theater, leaving the table behind. It was one of the old style movie theaters. None of those 360, interactive, or lucrative immersive ones. Perhaps that was why it was mostly empty.

We held hands while we watched a buddy cop movie. It leaned more towards comedy over action. I let Candy pick because I wasn’t up to date on any movies. We discussed the movie on the ride to her dorm.

The night consisted of cuddles. To fall asleep, not pass out, with someone beside you filled a hole I didn’t realize existed. I could almost cry from how happy I was. I had done enough of that though. I fell asleep with a smile.

The next morning Candy made pancakes. Plain, blueberry, chocolate chip, and banana. No fancy insta cooker was used. We were cuddled up on the sofa watching a sitcom Candy put on while we ate them.

“Are you sure you’re not gay?”

I choked on my pancake.

“Yes. I think you know that too.” I knew two things. One, that I knew nothing. Two, that I was straight.

“You never try anything.” It had been all of one day together, and my masculinity was being questioned.

“We’re eating pancakes.”

“No, when we’re not eating pancakes.” She dramatized her complaining. It relieved me she was acting playful, but her pouts indicated she wanted a reply.

“Do you mind the way I’m acting? I could be more lustful.” I placed down my fork and groped the air between us, throwing on a monkey face.

“No.” Candy stabbed a piece of my pancake with her fork, and shoved it into my mouth. It threw me off loop. “I like the way you are.”

She pulled closer into me.

“Does that mean if I wanna do something later, I shouldn’t?” I asked.

“No. You’re thinking too much.”

We debated over what she meant by that, and when, if not at that moment, sexual stuff would be cool then. And like how I never answered why I wasn’t trying anything, that debate was sidetracked with another topic. We talked for hours, while binging the sitcom. Yet in all that time, I never asked about her background, and she didn’t mine.

Days passed, hip by hip. We went thrift shopping, then to a bookstore where she got a cookbook. I tried to help while she tried new recipes. We went to bowling alleys, botanical gardens, and local restaurants.

Nothing sexual happened. The closest call was a message night. It quickly escalated to us showering together, where I de-escalated it just as fast by turning the water cold.

Whenever she went to class, I slept through it. The cycle didn’t last long. It was during one technically-not date. I ordered ice cream.

[One double scoop, chocolate ice cream in a cone, 3.47 Eumalian dollars.]

The issue was the “Accept” button was grayed out. I was out of money.

“Um, Candy, can you spot me for the ice cream?”

“Are you out of money?” She rolled her eyes.

“No. There’s technically some left, just not enough for ice cream.” I didn’t dare check my balance. It probably wasn’t zero, so I didn’t think I was lying.

“Fine. But you have to come to class tomorrow.”

I groaned. “Fine.”

That night, before falling asleep, Little Spoon turned to face me. I was a bit worried. Even though she already knew I wasn’t very active, women tend to like men who were competent. Lazing around may not be an ick to her but being a broke dead-beat could be. And depending on the lens, that’s what I was.

“You know, you’re welcome to keep staying with me. We can even share meals together.”

If the secret wasn’t blown yet, I was an emotional person. I compartmentalized a lot, and I was apathetic to a lot of things others found moving. But some areas hit home. My eyes were glassy.

“Thanks. I appreciate that.” I kissed her on the forehead. “But I can’t accept.”

“Why not?”

“My five minutes are up.” It would’ve been a lot more helpful if I used an actual timer over my money running out for once. It was time to leave the warmth of the sheets.

She accepted my crappy explanation with a kiss. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to stay for breakfast. It escalated.