The courier was taken aback—also baffled at Arka's question. "Ah, no... I was just joking ma'am" He said with a smile, as he raised his arms, chest level meaning he meant no offense with his joke.

"Oh..." was all she could say.

"Sorry..." He apologized.

"It's okay..." She said, still staring at him; bewildered. She was disappointed, as her expression dwindled.

That was a horrible joke. She thought.

Based from his joke, maybe he knew of her reclusive lifestyle. So then, does that mean he already had such an impression of her? Just what gave it away? Arka was perceptive of these things, or perhaps paranoid... However, Arka didn't know, so Arka tried not to care.

Moments passed, and Arka began to realize she was looking at the person directly. She immediately looked back down, and straight through him. She felt shy and awkward.

"What business does... Lightspire have w-with me?" She asked him trying her best to look up for eye contact.

"Ah, uhm..." The courier picked up and repositioned the package he held. He cleared his throat "I have no idea, ma’am but I was told briefly that you were picked among one of the chosen, two hundred persons to be delivered this package,”

She looked up at him as she was reminded of their height differences. "Wait, why was I picked...? S-sorry... t-this... this all just sounds too suspicious... I hope you understand,"

"Well..." The courier said. "To be frank, I really have no idea ma’am, but based on the sticker of this package, the delivery fees were already dealt with,”

Arka still had a lot of questions in her mind about the purpose of this package being delivered to her. However, she felt greedy for whatever was in the box, and she felt she knew just enough about whether to accept this package. There was something the courier said that did make her curious...

Picked among the chosen two hundred people... what does this mean?

She didn’t press further.

"I see... that sounds merciless of them... to make you go back and forth like that without knowing what you are even delivering."

"Oh, not to worry about that ma'am, I'm not alone delivering these packages. We have a team doing this,"

"Oh." Arka felt dumb with what she said. Although, what she really meant was, what if the receiver of the package declined? Wouldn't they just be forcing the delivery services couriers to travel for nothing? Arka pushed back those words that will never be said into the back of her mind.

Some familiar ground was established with the stranger in front of her. She paused and made a quick glance at the man one last time for a final decision on whether to open her door for the said person.

Arka closed her door. The sound of her removing the chain on her lock can be heard on the other side.

Arka opened her door and placed her hand on the entryway; sticking close to the entrance. She was wearing a purple tank top, black sweat pants, and on bare feet with her long and outrageous, black hair sprawled on the floor.

The courier saw Arka as she revealed herself in front of him—astonished. Arka saw him look at her from head to toe. Actually... more like head to hair-end for that was the most noticeable part of her. For Arka, she felt insecure— uncomfortable. Perhaps it was a mistake to show herself in such unkempt clothing. Maybe she should have turned off the lights in her apartment room before showing herself to dim her figure. At the back of her mind, this bothered her a lot.

Still, she fought this anxiousness and kept a straight face looking through the person with rugged hair.

"Please leave it here... and leave your boots outside." She said to the courier. She was supposed to tell him to follow her instead. Her thoughts got mixed up.

Still, she welcomed him into her apartment as she tried to gesture with one hand, some of her hair snagged between her fingers but she quickly got them out of the way. "Er... this way please." She gestured with one hand.

"Yes, Ma'am." The courier put down the box next to him as he removed his boots unstrapping each.

He followed in suit while holding the package leaving the door open.

Arka felt the courier's eyes wander to her, and across her apartment. He was the first visitor she has had in a while after her friend's last visit from... years ago before she began her habit and soon-to-be lifestyle of sustaining herself through gaming tournaments.

What was he thinking? She had start to wonder what the person behind her thought of her. Maybe it doesn’t matter. After all, what does she have to worry about? The man will leave soon anyway.

Inside the kitchen that they are walking through, all he was seeing was her tiny house plant in its growth stage, planted inside a cut-out and shaped cardboard tissue paper roll near the window. A line of assorted spices in small, magnetic, mason jars and their lids attached at the bottom of her kitchen wall shelves; packets of biscuits, candy, and tea neatly assorted inside an over-the-door shoe organizer mounted on a wall inside her kitchen—and so on...

Arka continued walking silently, focusing on her breathing. She felt insecure now that she let someone else inside her home. She felt a state of unease.

She felt her thoughts go wild just for inviting a person into her home. Now that she thought about it, she invited a man inside her home... didn’t it kind of look like it was an invitation to—

Arka thought of the most ridiculous lewd concepts in her brain that she just kept pushing back into the back of her head. She swore that her decisions so far did not mean anything malicious.

There was clearly nothing to worry about... he will be gone the next morning. Arka thought. And I won't be dealing with this anymore... The supposed expectation she has slowly eased her.

"Wow... so many displays." The courier let out a breath—mesmerized with Arka's rigged life hacks apartment unit.

This isn't a museum! Arka thought.

Arka continued leading the courier in her apartment. It was just a short walk into her room, but it felt like a long passage of time passed by for Arka. She wasn't even walking slowly. She felt her sinuses run cold and dry as she continued walking. Was she about to catch a cold? It was the La Niña season. Maybe she will.

Eventually, they reached her room which was through a wide, open archway connected to her kitchen.

Arka saw the messy stack of plastic containers of food that she ordered for delivery near her tiny garbage bin.

Oh man... my room is a mess... This was a mistake...!

As they entered, Arka felt the man's eyes once again, wander all over the place.

Stop looking around! She felt ashamed of her own room. And then, she stopped which cued the guy behind her to stop as well.

"J-Just leave it there, please." She made a gesture by pointing her one hand near her computer. The courier walked over to the spot Arka pointed at as he carries the package.

As the, courier squatted and placed the package down at the spot Arka indicated, he sets his sights on Arka's computer.

"You have a great gaming rig," He said, admiring Arka's wide, 32" screen, neon-lighted Predator casing, Roccat keyboard and mouse, and Hyper X Cloud Revolver headset as he stands up.

Arka felt excited for some reason as the courier mentioned her PC.

"Oh. So, you... you like computers too...?" Arka asked the courier with her slow speech.

The courier turned his head to Arka. "Yeah, I mean... I wish I could afford one someday,” The man said.

"I see... I thought you're also... f-familiar with video games too, is all..." she said.

"Oh, I mean, I do also like computers and video games... these days though, I just feel like I'm just too slow on playing those, you see," He laughed softly scratching his eyebrow.

"T-That’s understandable... there are... casual games so you can have fun too..." Arka was rubbing her arm out of nervousness with the sudden conversation she didn't foresee starting. "They're not as fast-paced, and they're a good start... to gaming. Like, there are even games called party games so you can have fun with some friends. So, like, you can have fun at your own pace,"

She suddenly felt a faint pang in her chest upon mentioning the word friend. A hollow-like feeling she has had that she knows all too well. One of the symptoms of being alone for so long.

Arka has only had fun with a party game with one person who also doesn't visit her anymore because of work. Her friend works night shifts, so they don't have any time left to spend time together like how they used to.

"I see... so video games like that exist. Well, I guess I could try them sometimes when I'm free. Thanks for letting me know, ma'am," The courier said.

"Sure..." she said.

Out of reflex, her hand scratched the part of her chest where she felt the hollow feeling.

At her apartment's open doorstep, Arka led the courier and showed him out with a gesture of her hand.

She held the doorknob, about to close her door. "Thanks for... delivering the package," She told him.

"You're welcome, ma'am," The courier said and nodded as he began walking away.

It sounded like I got handed over a stash of drugs. She thought, and immediately shrugged off the funny idea.

She closed her door.

Arka locked her doors once again, with the chains and the bolts back in place. She leaned back on her door and made a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad that's over... Arka said.

Are you really glad, now? Her thoughts told her.

“Yeah...” She told herself.

She began walking through the archway at her doorstep, and into her kitchen. At her counter, she saw her glass of orange juice that she left just fifteen minutes ago.

"Oh... right," She said to herself as she remembered her occasional drink.

Heading to the counter, she leaned back on it while still looking at her beverage, now at room temperature made for herself. She sighed; and again, had the same downcast eyes, staring into space. She reached for the glass of juice.

She held it up once again as if offering a toast to herself—eye level. After a long pause, she drank it straight down with some of the juice trickling down the side of her mouth; drowning the hollow feeling in her chest by enveloping her taste buds with sweet, orangey, citrus.