And that’s where the excitement in my life started. Don’t get me wrong. If I say, excitement, I don’t mean sexual excitement or anything like that, although sometimes I wish for that. By excitement, I mean, being able to feel what you’ve never felt before. It’s complicated but, you’ll get it eventually. Anyway, we decided to live together because: a) we’ve already paid for it. B) we can’t just leave it at that, our money’s at stake and c) we urgently need a place to live.
The teenager’s name is Patrick. So far, these are the facts that I know about him. He’s in a band who wants to make it big in America. He’s the vocalist and he doesn’t shave his armpit. The last one was an observation. Anyway, we barely talk. In the house this is what always happens: We are always out in the morning. I’m off to work. I don’t know where he’s off to. Then when I get home, he’s not yet there. I leave him dinner, shower and go back to my room to finish some paper works and type something in my laptop. Then I sleep. I don’t know if he goes home at night, because I barely even hear him enter the door. But I always notice the dinner every night, finished and empty every morning. So I guess he goes home late and eats the dinner I made for him.
Then one night, I went home. I was shocked to see him in the house already, with an apron, as if he was cooking something. I looked at him blankly, like I just saw some ghost enter the room.
“What are you doing standing there? Sit down and I’m gonna serve the food.” He said, and then he turned around. “By the way, I didn’t mean to see you naked last time. It was a mistake. I didn’t mean it. So don’t get me wrong.” He then looked at me. “Well, you were gaping at me the other time so we’re even.”
I blushed and I sat down. I can smell that he’s cooking pasta. “Mmm. smells delicious. It’s pasta, right?” I asked him. He just nodded. “Hey Patrick.”
“Yeah?” He turned around. “What is it?”
“Why are you cooking?” He gave me a look, indicating liked, ‘duh, I’m hungry’ “I mean, you barely even go home. And now you’re here cooking pasta. Why?”
“Let’s just say, we don’t have a gig tonight and every night when I go home I always see dinner in the dining table ready just for me.” He blushed. How cute. “And this is like a ‘thank you’ for you. Because I don’t usually say the word, ‘thank you’, you know.”
I smiled so badly. I can’t stop it. I can’t believe I’m smiling with just simple words form this kid. “Really? That’s nice of you, teenager. You’re ready to become an adult.”
“Stop calling me a ‘teenager’” He frantically shouted. “I’m already twenty, for Christ’s sake.”
I laughed. “You don’t look like it.”
“Shut up.” He said, I can clearly sense that he’s smiling as well. “Anyway, can you close the lights, please.” I closed the lights.
“What’s up with that turning off the lights?” I asked. He didn’t respond.
He got a big candle and placed it in the middle of the table; he lighted it using a lighter and he arranged the plates, spoons, and forks carefully. I looked at him with curiosity.
“Here you go.” He pulled a chair for me to sit. He was acting like a formal waiter in an expensive restaurant. “Here’s the special of the day, mademoiselle.” He gently placed a plate of pasta arranged beautifully, with the cheese, meatballs and all those seasonings above. I stared at him. He was smiling. His smile was something that really came from inside of him. Like he was really happy of doing this. BTW, he was smiling at me.
He sat across me, so we’re facing each other, with the bright candle in the middle of us. I should say, the pasta was really good. It was the best candlelit dinner I’ve ever had. After dinner, he turned on some really old, mellow music and faced me. “Shall we dance?”
I looked at him, left eyebrow arched up. “What? But I don’t know how to dance.”
“Come on. Don’t tell me you’re too old for dancing.” He laughed.
“I am not that old.” I said hastily. “I can dance. Come on, let’s dance. I’ll show you.”
So the whole night we were dancing. Honestly, I can’t dance so Patrick had to teach me how the foot goes. Eventually, I got it. So we were dancing, formally and correctly, which was nice because it’s the first time I’ve ever danced like this in my whole life. The reason could probably because I always ditch my junior and senior prom. Anyway, this night has been the best. I will never forget it.
