Chapter 13


    Luna made a small meow, urging me to join her in the kitchen. Her master was not far behind, subtly


    watching me from around the pale white wood of the doorway. Bravely I stepped forward, allowing my


    fingers to lightly rub against the left side of the hallway wall. I stopped over the archway, still feeling that


    heated gaze from him. My body was starting to respond to him, but I forced that thought away and bent


    down to pet the back of Luna’s ear. She purred instinctively, loud enough for Teddy to hear. He


    abandoned his post to clear away his dishes.


    “Hello Luna,” I whispered. She was brought upwards to rest in front of my chest, cuddled like a small


    babe that had just been born. She was sweet and innocent, and I found myself being drawn to her


    immensely.


    My right hand drew out my chair and I happily took a seat. She was the cure I needed to calm myself


    down, a wee distraction from the lustful look that continually escaped Teddy’s eyes. I suppose it


    was unintentional, but this morning it had increased more than ever before. A lot can be said in a


    person’s eyes and looks, and Teddy’s was most telling.


    Luna soon grew bored of me and wanted to be put down. I had no choice but toy her down on the


    kitchen floor and watch her small paws pad their way towards her master.


    While I was eating I could hear him speaking to Luna. “Hello, little Missy,” he affectionately cooed. “You


    missed me?”


    I nced upwards to see he was just drying off his hands with a dish cloth. His whole attention was on


    this small creature,pletely forgetting I was still in the room with him.


    “You’re going outside today?” he continued, before he bent his knees and reached for his cat. “Or are


    you going to spend the day with me again?” His dark brown eyes searched out her pale blue ones, and


    once they connected a warm smile spread across his face. “I know you like S too.” A happyughter


    escaped him before he averted his gaze from his cat towards me. “I’m speaking to her aloud. Forgive


    me. I am used to living alone.”


    “I’ve heard it is normal to speak to your pets.”


    “Yes, but…” he looked down at Luna with something of a smile. “She’s my only friend.”


    “Now, you have another one.”


    “Yeah?”


    “Yes, Teddy,” I confirmed for him. “I am done with my food now.” He watched me rise up from my chair


    with a surprised look to him. “Please move so I may wash my dishes.” He moved to the right, allowing


    me enough space to ce the dishes down in the sink. I could feel him staring at me again, examining


    my side profile as I soaked the water upon the pure white te. Luna squirmed in his arms, forcing him


    to ce her upon the kitchen floor. He never moved when I reached behind him to obtain the kitchen


    towel, probably enjoying the closeness of our bodies. “Anyone tell you that…” His gaze strengthened


    two-fold. “You have a certain look to your eyes.”


    “What kind of look?”


    “I can’t describe it.”


    He blinked slowly, and then finally dropped his eyes from mine. Iid the dish towel down on the edge


    of the countertop; Teddy was quick to retrieve it and fold it neatly to his liking. His quirky mannerisms


    were exhibited once again, an uncontroble side to him that Teddy had trouble hiding. “I like it neat,”


    he said as an excuse. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”


    “No.”


    His head jerked backwards, for he was puzzled by my answer.


    “No, you never offended me.”


    He looked down at my lips, and I could see the strain to his jawline since we were standing so close


    together. A sharp gust of air escaped his partially open lips, and then he suddenly looked over his


    shoulder as though we were being watched. “We should go,” he said as a way ofmand. He left the


    spot as quickly as he could, abandoning a crumbled dish towel over the countertop in the process.


    ***


    “I specialize inndscape paintings.” The canvas was brought upwards, braced hard against his chest


    because of the weight and sheer size of it. “I live along the English coast.” He shrugged his shoulders,


    but it looked amusing when his arms were spread so far apart. “I thought I might as well make a living


    out of it.”


    “People would kill for a house like this.”


    His face darkened substantially, a dangerous pulse of anger ignited in his eyes. “What did you say?”


    “It’s- it’s,” I stammered out nervously. “An expression. ng.”


    He lowered his painting, which brought a wave of sadness to me. I stepped forward to stretch out my


    hand. “I like how you added the wildflowers in the foreground. Red campions,” I pointed out with my


    finger hovering over the canvas. The man in front of me nodded his head in agreement. “Yes, and there


    is…” I tilted my head with a mischievous smile. “White bluebells! Weren’t you worried it would blend in


    with the white foam of the sea along the coast line?”


    “Never even entered my mind.”


    I stepped forward even more, until I was right on top of him and the painted canvas. “It looks nice at


    dawn.”


    “It looks nice at any time,” he ryed in almost a hush. “I could take you there, if you don’t object.”


    “It’s right outside,” I noted. “Ah, but I have work to do.” His smirk grew wider, for Teddy knew that I was


    toying with him. “Another time then.”


    “I could show you the exact spot where I painted this,” he said with utter pride. The canvas was


    lowered swiftly, and then he moved backwards to take up another one. This painting was very simr


    though it was taken at a different angle, and on a cold foggy day. “This one has trouble selling. I enjoy


    these sort of days, but my clients don’t.”


    “Why not?”


    “They want happy scenes,” he softly bemoaned. “Scenes of bright sun-lit seas and swathes of lush


    greenery. Yes, there are those days,” he admitted. “But you cannot have light without the darkness.” He


    brought the painting closer to me, disying the sheer rage of the sea that crashed harshly against the


    ghostly grey rocks. From the precipice you could see the looming shadows and misty fog that added


    more dimension to his painting. There was life to this image, but as Teddy noted it was not a painting


    for everyone. “But I must find some way to pay the bills,” he said in a dejected voice. “And so, I paint


    scenes of beauty… or what some may say joy.” The canvas lowered over hisp, exposing the deep


    heaving of his chest. “But what do you think?”


    “I like them both.”


    “Which one do you prefer more?”


    “Well, the first one made me want to travel to that exact destination. To see it with my own eyes. It is


    the kind of painting that you would like to put up on a wall.”


    Teddy turned around to lower his painting to the ground, somewhere close to Luna where she was


    silently roaming. “And not the other?”


    “I wasn’t finished,” I quipped with a beguiling smile. Teddy turned around to face me, slipping his hands


    deep inside of his trouser pockets. “I think the second one reflects you more. We all have inner turmoil


    inside of us.”


    “Yes.”


    “And you are right,” I assented with a sort of forcefulness to my voice and physical gestures. “We can’t


    have light without the darkness.”


    “But we can’t let the darkness consume us either.”


    “I agree.”


    He stepped forward, bringing his chest nearly against my own. His hands were still in his trouser


    pockets, which was a safety indicator for I had the sense that he wanted to touch me. He bit down on


    the corner of his lips while he looked down at me, making me feel the stark difference in our height.


    There was that look again, increasing by the second since we were in such close proximity to each


    other.


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    “You are very talented,” I hushed out softly, a vain effort to not break the natural silence of the house. “I


    think you chose a career that suits you.”


    He cleared his throat with purpose. “I’d like to say the same thing about you.”


    “Even though I am not out there gardening,” I nervously giggled.


    “Are you free Saturday?” he spoke out quickly. “Please say yes.”


    “I might be,” I lied. “Well…”


    “S,” he said with more determination, but just then we heard a harsh hissing of Luna that spelled


    disaster. I looked to the open doorway and saw nothing, but the manner of Teddy had suddenly


    changed. He stormed towards the doorway and looked left and right at the empty hallway. His


    mannerism grew stiff; his left foot prodded Luna away from the doorway so he could shut itpletely.


    He held his hand over the top of the heavy door with some forcefulness once it was fully closed; a long


    sigh struck the air added with the faint hissing of Luna that was as sharp as ever. Teddy patted his


    fingertips against the door in a strange rhythm. “I must leave this ce,” he muttered to himself.


    I was motionless next to his painting of a stormy day, not wanting to disturb him when my nerves were


    so frazzled. The darkness of the house seemed to loom over me, clutching like an unseen hand with


    long tendril-like fingers around my throat. I could not feel this sensation physically, but my spirit


    quivered at the queer feeling of it.


    Teddy approached me slowly, probably aware that I was not looking in his direction. The wind howled


    throughout the house, particrly down the hallway where Teddy had just shut the door. “S.”


    I blinked harshly, feeling the full weight of my emotions.


    “S.”


    “Yes?” I said in an exasperated breath.


    “S,” he repeated for the third time, until I turned my fearful gaze in his direction. “Sometimes cats


    see things…” He looked over his shoulder, noticing how protective Luna was in front of the closed


    doorway. “Hear things.”


    “She looks rmed.”


    “The wind is picking up,” he suggested. “It makes odd sounds throughout the house. It is an old one. I


    should show you…” He turned away from me and pulled out a drawer. A small hardcover sketchbook


    was held in his hands protectively. “I have something here.” He flipped through the pages quickly,


    although he made sure it was positioned so that I could not see the contents of it. “A sketch.”


    I stepped closer, awaiting to see the image that Teddy wished to reveal to me. His hand motioned me


    forward and soon we were leaning over an old pine table to look at the image.