Unfinished- add on
Rena:
His eyes lazily staring at me with one eyebrow cocked up. His smile almost seemingly crooked, but straight. That was what I constantly thought about. The way he was never afraid or drawn away from anything made me want to know more. How was he able to live on the outside, with no worries? Was it easy?
I quickly ordered some puzzles to see him again, but he didn’t show up. A different delivery boy’s face appeared as I slightly opened the door. “Where’s Matt?” I whispered.
“Out,” was his reply. He snatched the clipboard as I held it out and left.
It was a week into the last set of puzzles I bought. I wasn’t even finished with the third one before I signed into Dico’s Puzzles and ordered five more. I realized that not only did these puzzles give me closure when I bought and made them, but seeing Matt same as always did too. Maybe it was just how he tried to get to know me. Or maybe it was because he was the breath of the outside that I so wanted.
He came to the door two days after I ordered my last set of puzzles online. I peeked through the tiny fish-eye peephole. It was him. My palms were sweating as I turned the bolt lock. With my heart pumping, I opened the door, cautiously, but with excitement.
“Hi, I have your puzzles,” his smile was the same.
I sheepishly took the clipboard and signed it. “Thank you.” We lingered, staring at each other, not sure what to do. “Could you-“
“Yeah?” he automatically replied, laughing afterwords.
Giggling for the first time in such a long time, I realized how good it felt. I finished my sentence, “Could you bring the puzzles in?”
“Sure,” he picked up the boxes and walked in. After placing them down, he turned toward me. “You’re not done?” he questioned, seeing pieces broken apart and unfinished puzzles.
Embarrassed, I leaned against the far wall, “I wanted more puzzles.”
“Want some help?” he plopped down onto the floor. I crept over, skipping the floorboards that groaned every time I stepped on them. I scrunched my knees up to my chest as I watched him go piece by piece, contemplating on each one, memorizing the edges before placing them into the right grooves.
He glanced up at me after a while. I immediately looked down at my toes. “Don’t you want to do them with me?”
Silently, I picked one piece up and tried to push it into one of the holes, but it didn’t fit. As I was about to put it down and pick up another one, Matt held out his hand. “It goes here.” I gently gave it to him, gracing his hand with my fingertips. Chills ran through my fingers as our skins touched. I almost felt the outside air, the touch of another person.
Matt:
“Hey, Matt, I was wondering if we could meet up some time this week. I need your opinion on something I’m working on for my class,” Jen’s voice chirped through the phone.
I locked my apartment door, “Yeah, sure. Just give me a time and date and I’ll meet up with you.”
I heard the excitement in her voice, “Alright, sounds good! I’ll let you know when I have a free schedule and we’ll work things out. See you soon.”
I shoved the phone into my pocket and exited the apartment building.
“Matty. My office,” Mr. Cohen called me in as soon as I entered.
With everyone’s eyes on me, I dropped my stuff off at my desk and walked in to the decent sized office. He gruffly sat down at his desk and leaned back, unbuttoning his suit jacket. I sat across from him.
“Tell me something will you? Why is it that you only delivered two out of the eight deliveries I needed you to do?” he rubbed his balding head.
I closed my eyes, realizing that I forgot to finish my route yesterday. “Sorry, it was my fault. I’ll get them done today. I guess I was-“
“Look. Matthew, I need someone who is willing to take on this job. It’s not that hard. One day, I want someone who I know will take care of this business like I would have. You’re the closest person I’ve known as a second son. I need the best.”
I nodded. “Sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“I know it wont.”
I walked out of the door and sat down at my desk. Bradley was a tough subject to talk about. No one knows where he went or why he ran away. It was a big tear between the Cohen’s and they never really discussed it. If he’s out there, does he know how much Diana hurt, knowing her son will never come back? He was never the thinker in a problem. He was always on the go and never missed an opportunity to anything. He took every chance he got, in whatever, and it cost him everything he loved to be left behind.
