Chapter 10
~37's point of view~
Due to my time in living on the streets I always listened for the slightest sound of movement when asleep. Early in the morning I awoke to soft thumps coming from the floor below me. I jumped out of bed, ready to fight if necessary. I then remembered where I was. I as I looked around the room I had chosen I realized that I felt a lot better than I had in a long time. I felt more relaxed and refreshed. I had taken my first shower of a few years. Sure I had bathed but I had almost never taken a full shower, not to mention I slept in a real clean bed. It had been even longer since I had done that. As I came down stairs to investigate I found my clothes, which I had put in the washing machine the night before, folded on the table for me. Beside the clothes were a plate of eggs, toast, bacon, and pancakes and a note that said 37 on it. I listened closely and heard the thumping coming from down the hall where I had found my current clothes. As I followed the sound I noticed a door directly across from the large closet. The thumping seemed to be coming from behind it. As I inched the door open, I saw where the thumping was coming from. Behind the door was a gym with several pieces of equipment to workout but also a weapons rack and a large open space. Near the corner was a punching bag hanging from the ceiling. It was swaying back and forth, but I was not focused on it. Beside it was 128. He was hitting the bag several times as it swung close to him. He wore a tank top and shorts which displayed the muscles he usually hid behind his jacket. I decided to leave him to his training. I went back to go eat my breakfast. By the time I was finishing it he came out with a towel around his neck.
"Oh, did i wake you?" He asked.
"Yeah, but don't worry about it." I replied.
"Sorry." He told me.
"It's fine." I said.
"If you say so." He muttered. As he walked past me to get water from his refrigerator, I could smell the sweat on him.
"God! You need a shower." I exclaimed.
"I just worked out, what were you expecting?" He asked sarcastically as he grabbed a water bottle and started to walk toward the stairs.
"Whatever, now go shower." I joked. He went upstairs and started his shower. Within an hour he was ready to go to his work.
"I'm trusting you with my house, don't make me regret it." He told me.
"You won't." I replied. With that he walked out, closing the door behind him. Once he left I proceeded to do something I rarely ever did. I relaxed. I sat down on his couch and, upon seeing a remote, picked it up to watch T.V. I couldn't figure it out, since it was a very complex device, but I saw a button that looked like a shade rolling down over a window. I pressed it. Once I did a large screen rolled down in front of the mantle. Suddenly a projector flicked on behind me. It showed the news was on. It was boring so I flipped through the channels until I found a James Bond movie on. After a while of watching I fell asleep. I woke up with a start and looked over at the clock to see that it was almost six in the afternoon. I decided to get up and stretch I decided to go do a workout in the gym. An hour later and I was worn out. After a nice shower I decided to cook dinner for 128, to repay him for letting me stay here last night and today. After looking through his kitchen, which was loaded with all kinds of spices, peppers, vegetables, rice, and meats, I decided to make an Indian dish. I pulled out a pan and started gathering the materials I would need. With the limited cooking knowledge I had I was praying I wouldn't burn his kitchen down. I pulled up the recipe online and I began. After several hours it was finally done.
~Jack Randall's point of view~
After a long and uneventful day at work with overtime, I was ready to come home and relax. As soon as I walked through the door my nose was bombarded with all sorts of vibrant smells, and I saw two plates filled with rice and peppers and all sorts of food with 37 standing behind them.
"Did you make dinner?" I asked. She nodded
"To repay you for your hospitality." She replied.
"It smells delicious." I told her.
"Well I hope it tastes as delicious as it smells." She said bringing both plates over to the table. I set my bag down and went over to the table. As I sat down she placed the dish in front of me with some silverware. As I took a bite I realized how long it had been since I had had Indian food, and how much I loved it. The dish tasted absolutely perfect.
"...How is it?" I was pulled from the dish by its maker asking me a question.
"This is the best dish I have ever had!" I told her.
"Oh come on, you must be exaggerating." She said.
"I'm not." I stated.
"Thank you." She said.
"I should be saying that to you." There was silence for a moment.
"Why don't we make a deal?" I asked.
"A deal?" She questioned in return.
"Yes. If you make amazing dishes like this all the time, I'll let you stay here."
"Really?!" She almost screamed at me.
"Yes." I replied.
"Thank you."
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