Chapter 10

Yui woke up with tears silently streaming down his face. He wished he wasn’t able to remember that nightmare. It flashed through his head all too vividly as he sat there on the bed. A large man with long dark hair and a beard had held him down as he struggled against his weight. He shook off the thought and tried not to remember the rest.

Yui ran his fingers through his bleached hair and sighed. Why did he have a dream like that? What happened yesterday that would give him a nightmare about getting assaulted like that?

He looked to his right, where he thought Al would be laying, but he wasn’t there. He turned to his left and looked at the floor. Al was sleeping in his usual spot: that uncomfortable-looking clump of blankets that he used as a bed. Yui had held his hand as they dozed off last night. But apparently at some point, Al had gotten up and retreated to the floor.

Yui wiped his tears away with the sleeve of his baggy pajama shirt. He’d been having a lot of nightmares lately, and he didn’t know why. He figured it might be stress. He stepped carefully out of bed and looked down at his friend. Al was laying on his left side with his blankets falling off. His heavily bandaged arm was laying in front of him. Yui gingerly tugged at the blanket and covered Al’s shoulder and wrist. It made him sad to see how much Al had suffered. Yui began to wonder if maybe he should take Al back to his desert home where he’ll be safe and sheltered. He didn’t want to torture Al by bringing him to his appointments. He could find a bodyguard somewhere else. If he looked online, he could probably find plenty that lived in the city. He pondered this as he went downstairs.

Yui found Anabelle reading a book on her couch in the living room. “Good morning, Ana,” he said.

“Oh, good morning, Yui,” she briefly looked up from her book and replied serenely.

Yui hadn’t really thought of it before, but when he looked around the room, he realized… “You don’t have a TV?”

“Oh, I do,” she informed him. “Just in my bedroom. I like to create the illusion of a nineteenth century home in this room. Isn’t it romantic this way?”

“Uh, sure,” Yui said, but he didn’t really get it. If he had a place like this, he’d want to invite friends over all the time to watch movies and play games on the living room television. He wondered what people did in a living room without a television, besides read. He didn’t really like reading. He couldn’t sit still and focus long enough for that.

“If you’re looking for something to eat,” Ana said, as she saw Yui walk into the kitchen, “there are eggs and bacon in the fridge.”

“Oh, thanks a bunch,” Yui said. He opened the fridge and realized… they weren’t cooked yet. He had gotten his hopes up and assumed she had made breakfast for them. It’s okay, Yui said to himself. I’m an adult. I can handle this. He rummaged under the cabinets and found a pan. You need oil to cook eggs, right? He asked himself. He looked around for the cooking oil, but couldn’t find it. “Hey, Ana,” he called into the other room. “Where’s the oil?”

“In the cabinet above the stove, to your left,” she directed.

He opened the cabinet and saw a variety of cooking oils. “Uh, do I use olive oil or vegetable oil?”

“That depends on what kind of flavor you want,” Anabelle informed him. “The olive oil has a stronger flavor, but it has a lower burning temperature, so you have to keep an eye on it.”

“I’ll go with the veggie oil,” he said, nervously. He pulled it out of the cabinet. He looked at the pan and fidgeted a bit in a way that looked like a nervous little tap dance on the kitchen floor. “How much do I use?”

Anabelle chuckled quietly and put her novel down on the sofa, with a bookmark in it. “I’ll come help you,” she said. She got up and walked into the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Al was getting up, out of his makeshift bed. He stood up straight, and he felt a sharp pain in his lower back. “Shit,” he grumbled, “I’m getting old.” First, he twisted his back to and fro. Then, he stretched his arms upward, leaned forward, and placed his hands on the floor in front of him while keeping his back and legs straight, in a downward dog position. He breathed slowly. Then he lowered his body to the floor and lifted his shoulders into an upward dog pose. He made a sharp inhalation as he felt the pain singe his lower back. “Nope,” he said in a strained voice. “That’s not happening.” He quickly straightened himself back up to his feet. While rubbing his lower back to ease the tension, he went to the bathroom. He washed his face and looked at the bandages on his arm. A little spot of blood soaked through the fabric, but it was dark and dry. He pressed on the area lightly with his fingers, and it only felt the tiniest bit sore. He took a deep breath to remind himself that he’s okay now. After peeing and brushing his teeth, he made his way downstairs.

The smell of bacon wafted up the stairs as Al descended into the lobby. He followed the scent through the living room. His hand was still on his aching back, so his elbow jutted out. He knocked it into the lamp on the end table next to the sofa. He tried to catch the lamp but couldn’t manage to grab it before it hit the floor. Luckily the maroon rug provided enough cushion that it didn’t break. He bent forward, not without significant back pain, and picked up the lamp. He carefully placed it back on the table and readjusted the stained glass lamp shade. Then, he noticed something peculiar. The picture of Timmy wasn’t there. He looked around and did a little spin. He thought maybe he had knocked that off the table as well. But it was nowhere in sight. He thought to ask Anabelle about it, but when he looked up and through the kitchen doorway, he was distracted by the sight of Anabelle and Yui giggling and cooking together. They were very close together. They both looked so happy. Anabelle’s dainty little finger playfully tapped Yui’s nose.

The sight made his stomach sink. They were both so pretty. A picture-perfect couple. It made him feel like a monster next to them. Not only was he huge and hairy, but he couldn’t communicate well. To him, it seemed like these two got along as though they’ve known each other their whole lives. The eerily blissful air emanating from Anabelle didn’t assuage Al’s feelings. The negative emotions of others were often more successful at overpowering Al’s own emotions than positive ones.

Al looked at Anabelle. Her chestnut ringlets were shiny and bouncy, while his black waves, speckled with gray, were unkempt and frizzy. Her eyes were large and round like a doe, unlike Al’s small narrow ones. She had a tiny pointed nose, while he had a huge hooked beak. She had softly rounded, rosy cheeks and a delicate little chin, while he was stuck with a harsh, angular, chiseled jaw. Her body was so small and sleek, even next to Yui, who was on the petit side for a man. It was the complete opposite of Al’s. Her slender arms and legs poked out from her little dress. They made her look so very graceful, as though she might start dancing a ballet any moment. Her rosy little hands were even daintier than Yui’s. Her gown complimented her feminine figure so expertly, puffing out around her bosom to make her breasts look soft and inviting.

Of course Yui would want her. She was an angel on earth. He couldn’t blame Yui for growing fond of her, especially when they had such an intimate first meeting and she let him live in her house. It would only be natural for Yui and Anabelle to develop a romantic relationship. Al had no reason to feel jealous. Yui only held his hand a couple times, and it was to help him with his disability. It didn’t mean anything. Yui liked women, after all.

 Al lifted his hand and stared at his palm. It looked massive, worn and old. This wasn’t the kind of hand someone like Yui would love.

“Oh, Al, you’re up,” Yui exclaimed with a smile, when he noticed Al was standing in the doorway. “How are you feeling?”

“Good,” Al said. It wasn’t a total lie. He wasn’t dwelling on the emotions he felt from Rose anymore. And he hadn’t bled to death. So he couldn’t really complain.

“Is your arm okay?” Yui asked. He walked up to Al and took a closer look.

“It bled a little bit, but it’s fine now,” Al said. “It’s dry, see?” He lifted it up to show the blood spot.

“Oh dear,” Anabelle emitted a small gasp when she saw the bandage. “What happened?”

Al’s face got warm as he pondered how to explain himself.

“He had a little accident yesterday,” Yui said, simply. “But he’ll be fine.”

“Oh, I’m glad it’s nothing serious,” Anabelle said.

Al sighed with relief. He mouthed “thank you” to Yui, who winked at him in return.

Al blinked and looked away.

“Come join us for breakfast,” Yui urged. He gently took Al’s hand and pulled him further into the kitchen.

As Al sat down, he growled in pain.

“Are you okay?” Yui looked seriously worried.

“Yeah,” Al tried laughing, but it came out as a pained scoff. “I just woke up with a kink in my back, that’s all.”

“That’s ‘cause you keep sleepin’ on the floor,” Yui said. “Why didn’t you stay on the bed last night?”

“I…” Al froze for a second, and then continued slowly and carefully. “I’m not comfortable sharing a bed with other people.”

“If that really bothers you, I can take the floor,” Yui shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

“What about your nightmares?” Al asked, cautiously.

“I don’t know,” Yui pondered this, while he twirled his hair on his index finger. “But I’m willing to try. Who knows? Maybe it’ll make them go away.”

Anabelle put their plates in front of them.

“So, what kind of things do you like, Al?” Yui asked, suddenly, after taking a bite of an egg.

“Huh?” Al wasn’t sure how to respond. “That’s a vague question.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess it is,” Yui said. “Well, what are your hobbies? Do you play any sports? What do you do for fun?”

Al swallowed his food carefully before responding. “Uh… well, I don’t play sports, that’s for sure.”

“Why not?”

“I’m… well, I’m really clumsy, to say the least,” Al admitted.. “I can’t play a sport to save my life. Plus, I’m not competitive at all.”

“Really?” Yui asked, with eyebrows raised. “I’m surprised. You’ve got such a nice physique that I thought you were really active.” Yui couldn’t help but look down at Al’s chest, the curvature of which was showing through his thin shirt. 

“You?” Al asked, in an attempt to have a normal conversation.

“Oh, I love sports,” Yui said. “I played soccer with the kids at the orphanage all the time back home! I scored a lot of goals for my team!” He rubbed his nose with his finger and smiled proudly.

“Do you… miss your friends at the orphanage?” Al asked, hesitantly.

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Yui said, and his smile didn’t fade. “But we all grew up and couldn’t live at the orphanage any more, so we had no choice but to go our separate ways. I still keep in touch with some of ’em.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Al said. He took another bite.

“How ‘bout you?”

“Hm?”

Yui was going to ask if Al kept in touch with any old friends, and then he remembered their conversation in the drug store. Al had said Meredith had been his only friend while he was in isolation. “Nevermind. So, uh,” Yui quickly searched his brain for another topic. “Do you like animals?”

“Animals?”

“Yeah. Got any pets back home?” Yui asked. Then his expression became one of shock. “Shit, I hope you didn’t leave a dog home starving because of me!”

Al pulled his head back and raised a brow at Yui’s sudden jump to conclusions. “No, I don’t have any pets,” he said. “I had a cat, but… she passed away recently.”

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” Yui frowned. His big eyes looked teary.

“It’s okay.”

“So, you’re a cat person?”

“Yeah,” Al replied. “You seem like a dog person.”

“I love them both equally, actually,” Yui announced. “I love anything I can cuddle!”

Al snickered slightly at Yui’s self-analysis. “Yeah, you certainly seem like a cuddler,” Al commented.

“Yeah, I wish I could just fall asleep cuddling with my patients,” Yui admitted, “but that wouldn’t be very professional. I think falling asleep with someone would help the nightmares though. I had another one this morning.” Yui sighed.

“I still think you should consider getting a real girlfriend,” Al suggested. His eyes darted to Anabelle, who was washing the pans in the kitchen sink.

“Nah, not interested,” Yui said, as he twirled his fork.