Theo

At that thought, I hear a light knock on the door, and spin around in a hurry. A face filled with sorrow stands in front of me.

"Hi, I just wanted to say..." She looks down at the clothes in my hand. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving."

"What? Why?"

"Look, thanks for the opportunity and everything, but this was a mistake."

"A mistake how?" She asks, walking into the room. "Don't you like it here?"

"It's not that I don't like it... I just don't fit."

"You seemed fine at dinner." She eyes me with a suspicious glare.

"Yeah, well things change."

"Did my mom say something to you?" My silence causes her to continue. "She did, didn't she? What did she say?"

"Look, it really doesn't matter. I don't need a home. I've survived out there long enough, I can do it some more."

"What did she say to you, Theo?" She repeats more loudly.

"She just said that... I'm not welcome here. And that I'm here for something. From you."

"Is she kidding me?" Her voice reaches a higher octave, before she storms out the room. I follow behind her as she races down the stairs and we eventually find ourselves all back at the kitchen again.

"Mom, what the hell is wrong with you?" Her voice echoes through the room.

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" Her mom questions as she lowers her mug from her lips.

"What gives you the right to tell him he's not welcome here and that he should leave?"

"Um, I didn't say that. Did you tell her I said that?" She asks, turning to me.

"No, I said-"

"I said that he wants something from you. And that he's not welcome here," that voice chimes in, the words sending fury through my body one more time.

"But he is welcome here," Eliza states, and I can feel the struggle in her voice to be composed.

"Not by me. And in the long scheme, whose opinion do you think really matters here?"

"Look, I think I'm just going to go." I look down at the dirty clothes still in my hands, and shift them around to stop them from falling, before I turn on my heels to walk away.

"No, you're not going anywhere Theo," Eliza's voice pounds into my ears as she touches my shoulder.

"Uh, yes, he is. Do you really think this is your decision to make? As if it wasn't enough that you brought a stranger into my house without my knowledge or consent, but now you want to disrespect me by telling him to stay when I clearly have a problem with it?"

"Because your problem is not valid, mom. His situation outweighs any concerns you have with this-"

"And whose name is on the lease, Eliza? Yours or mine? This is my house and I decide who lives here, not you."

The mundane back and forth between them causes my patience to become so unbearably thin that I can feel it holding on tightly for dear life before it snaps. "Look, just stop this please. I understand where you're both coming from but I know why you don't want me here. So I'll respect that and leave," I say to the woman whose scowl on her face cuts deep into me.

"No, Theo, just wait one moment," Eliza says, before turning back to her mother. "If you really don't want him here then you will have to physically kick him out."

"I beg your pardon? Eliza, I am your mother. You do not have the right to tell me what to do."

"I'm not trying to defy you, mom. I just want you to have compassion for this boy who doesn't have as easy a life as you. So that's why I'm saying this. If you physically kick him out, that shows that you really want him gone. I won't argue against you anymore. I'll accept it."

"Do you realise how ridiculous you sound? I do not have to physically kick anyone out, and now out of respect for me and my house, I think you should just leave, Theo," she concludes in her stern voice, the venom in her eyes highlighting to me just how serious she is.

"Yeah, so do I." I attempt to take a few steps forward again but become blocked by the body of Eliza. "Eliza... It's okay. Thanks for looking out for me."

She walks over to her mother, and places both her hands on top of hers.

"Mom... I love you, okay? And I'm grateful for you even agreeing to let him stay when I didn't even tell you about it. But, please mom, he's homeless. He hasn't got any drugs, he's not drunk, he hasn't done anything to disregard me, or you for that matter. He just wants somewhere to stay, just like you would if you were in that position and you had nobody. Anything could happen to him out there, and I'm not saying it would be our fault, but... We can prevent it. Please, mom. Just a few nights. And then we can work out what happens from there."

Eliza's speech ends as I realize my eyes are at the brink of popping out of their sockets, whether that is logically possible or not. I didn't think I would be flattered by her attempt to get me to stay, but she's wasted far more breath on me than I could ever imagine.

More than her mom could imagine either, as I hear a soft "okay" escape her mouth, almost as if it didn't want to.

"Okay?" Eliza repeats, removing her hands from her mother's.

"Okay," her mom reassures, but her flushed tone doesn't.

"Oh, thank you mom!" A high pitched sound resonates from Eliza's mouth as she suffocates her mom in a hug.

I walk forward, standing awkwardly as they end their embrace.

"I, um... Thank you, Mrs..." My voice stops as I realise that I don't actually know her last name, nor her first name for that matter.

"It's Parker. And it's Miss."

"Oh, sorry."

"Mom," I hear Eliza say simultaneously.

"Just call me Rosanne, okay?" Her mom speaks again.

"Okay. Thank you, again."

"You should probably go and get some rest. I'm sure it's been a long day for you."

I can't help but sense severe sarcasm in her tone, but in the hopes of keeping my new home for a while, I simply just nod and head for the stairs. As I reach the top, I remember something that I have to do.

Eliza

A sense of peace soars through me as I realise I haven't wasted any of my breath in the last half an hour pleading for my mother to give Theo a chance.

After helping her wash up, I leave her in the kitchen to send out her emails, and retreat to my room. I shut the door behind me once I get there, but just a few seconds later, I hear a knock.

"Hi." Theo embraces me with a timorous face, surprisingly not tainted by a haunting grimace.

"Hi?"

"Um... Earlier, when you came in. You were gonna say something..." He begins but his voice trails off.

"Oh, right. Um... I was just going to apologise for asking you questions earlier. Personal questions."

"It's not really personal... Well, it is. It's just..."

"None of my business, yeah I know."

"I just don't share a lot. Especially with people I don't know."

"I get that. It's fine. But I'm kind of tired right now, so I'm going to get to sleep."

"Oh, okay. Well... I'll see you tomorrow then."

"I'm glad my mom let you stay." But before I shut the door on him, a thought passes me. "Um... Tomorrow, I have college, and my mom has work. Do you think you'll be okay on your own?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Do you think your mom would be happy me being in this big house by myself though?"

"Well, unless she wants to take you to the hospital with her, she's going have to just accept it."

"Your mom works in a hospital?"

"Yeah, she's a nurse. Don't worry, she's not going to bring any needles home and inject you with it," I say, adding a small laugh to relieve the tension.

"Maybe she will," he simply says, and somehow, despite the lack of humor in his words, I find my cheeks growing wider with every second that passes. "Well... Night."

"Goodnight."

***

The sound of my alarm pounds through my ear as my eyes shoot open from my peaceful slumber.

I retreat to the bathroom, locking the door behind me. The waves of the water in the shower seem to drown out any other sound, however as soon as I turn it off, I hear shuffling coming from my bedroom. My eyes light up in curiosity as I grab my towel and wrap it around my chest.

As I open the door, my eyes lock on Theo parading around my room, as if he is looking for something.

"Um... Are you okay?"

He turns around to me, his eyes widening slightly as he looks down at me. I see him take a gulp, and then proceed to speaking.

"Um... I'm sorry, I, um... I don't have any lotion. I forgot to ask for some yesterday when I... Showered."

"And you can't find any?"

"Nope. I've practically looked everywhere. I kind of ransacked your room, sorry."

I walk back into the bathroom, running around on my shelf full of my toiletries, and grab him one.

"Here," I say, as I walk out, holding my hand towards him.

"Thanks." He takes it from me, and I watch his eyes move up to gain perfect symmetry with mine. I feel them piercing into mine as I do the same to his for about five seconds before he blinks repeatedly. "Sorry. I'll leave you to get dressed." As he nears closer to the door, he turns around again. "And sorry for the uh, intrusion."

I don't look at him but the sound of the door clicking tells me he's gone. Instead, my eyes remain fixated on the air, but my mind has already entered another dimension of thoughts. My brain wavers in confusion, but only one question pesters my mind. Was that a moment? It had to have been a moment. It must have been a moment. The only person who has ever looked into my eyes that deeply was my fifth grade boyfriend that told me he was in love with me the first day we met.

But that... It was a moment. But with that conclusion made, a whole list of questions bombard my brain. Why did that moment happen? Why didn't he just look in the bathroom of his own room? There was lotion there. Why does he say sorry about everything? Why is he so awkward? Why does he pause after, like every word? And more importantly, the question that has been battling my head since the moment I met him: Why is he so good looking?

His long hair that flows down beautifully against his face; his light brown eyes that compliment his clear skin, despite the bruises that stain it; and not to mention, his plump pink lips that are the first things to reveal themselves to me every time I look at him. Without even realising, I've studied his face more in depth than I've ever studied for any test. And that worries me. Because that must mean... But it can't. Because I don't know him. He's a stranger. A mysterious one at that. One that doesn't like to say much. Or smile much. The only smiles that I have detected on his face so far are clearly ones to highlight how awkward he feels. So how could I possibly...

Oh, gosh.