Along Came a Spider Ch. 01

She hadn't even heard him come in.

"You're up late," that quiet voice mused, and a pair of brilliantly dark eyes sparked as they met her gaze. She quickly swallowed, then busied herself with separating the load of darks with a new, terrified sort of enthusiasm. There's no such thing as vampires, she decided as she tore through the fabric. There's no such thing, and you're being completely stupid...

"I always do laundry at night," she replied before stuffing an armful of clothing into the washing machine. Even though she was looking determinedly away from James, she could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke again.

"Is it the ambiance?"

"You tell me," she fired back warily, and he laughed.

"I'm a bit of a night owl, myself. My shifts run late, so I can't afford to start the day early. It throws me off." He opened his washing machine door with a clunk and crammed a haphazard handful inside, and Tabitha's left eye twitched slightly when she observed the motley assortment of colors he was washing together. Despite her trepidation, part of her wanted nothing more than to yank the basket away from him and sort out his clothes properly. "What about you?" he added, wrenching her out from her thoughts, and her eyes jerked up towards his face as he shut the machine and began to insert quarters. He was facing the washing machine and watching her from the corner of his eye, quiet and curious.

"I guess I just like the quiet," she admitted.

James raised his dark eyebrows. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"It's fine." She turned to measure out a portion of fabric softener and some detergent, and he seemed somewhat captivated as she shut the lid and dug out a few quarters from the depths of her pockets. She glanced up to catch his stare, and he slowly tilted his head to the side.

"Sorry," he said. "You're just very...tidy." Tabitha felt her face grow hot, and she turned her head to the side to hide her glowing cheeks behind a length of her brown hair. "I didn't mean to embarrass you," he continued, but his voice was lit with amusement.

"It's a blessing and a curse," she finally bit out. "It drove my last roommate crazy." She shoved the quarters in with a clunk and turned the dials accordingly, then sang along in her head with the familiar series of rattles and clicks as the machine rumbled to life. He followed suit and leaned against the machine. She wished he would leave. Although he was being far from aggressive, the steadiness of his dark eyes made her feel like a gazelle conversing casually with a big, hungry tiger.

"Is the new one more tolerant?" he inquired, and she shook her head.

"I don't have one. It's probably for the best." As soon as the words left her mouth, her body went cold. He leaned a little closer, and for several moments she was completely incapable of moving.

"So you live alone?" he murmured. Her fingers trembled over the pair of socks she was holding, and she tried to calm her racing thoughts before she responded.

"Y-yeah." She forced a jerky little smile. "But...well, you know, Lily's over all the time, so she--"

"The pink one," he said absentmindedly.

"Wha--oh, right. Um, yes. The pink one." She placed the white socks on top of a white sweater, still staring hopelessly into her basket.

"I live alone, too." She looked up at him worriedly, but his expression seemed to have softened. "It's nice, but it can be...quiet. You can stop by sometime, if you want. I don't have a lot of food, but there's always movies to watch. And I have an Xbox." His eyes glittered a little in his pale face. "That's what neighbors are for...isn't it?" She gaped up at him wordlessly. An Xbox.

This week couldn't possibly get any weirder.

"I..." she began, and then she paused to clear her throat. "I don't know. I usually just...keep to myself."

He shrugged. "The offer's always on the table, if you change your mind."

"...Thanks."

"Sure." He flashed her a bright grin with lots of white teeth, and she felt herself go pale. Then, to her relief, he hoisted the newly-emptied basket back into his arms. "Maybe I'll catch you during the next load."

"Oh, maybe," she replied in a tone that she hoped sounded casually noncommittal. The words catch you seemed to hang in the air between them. He nodded and stalked towards the flickering exit. "Wait," she blurted out, and he paused and turned to glance at her from over his shoulder. A hot, heavy flush made its way up her neck and stung at her cheeks, and she quickly looked back down at the grimy tile. "The...the timers on these things are completely twacked. They're about fifteen minutes slow," she told the floor. Then, hesitantly, she turned her gaze towards him. "I just...figured I'd save you the trip where you had to find out yourself," she finished quietly. For a moment, she felt pathetic. Thanks for not killing me, let me help you with your laundry. But he smiled at that; broad and sincere.

"Thank you, Tabitha."

"Yeah." He bowed his head and turned to make his way slowly into the hallway, and Tabitha let out a long, shuddering breath she hadn't realized she was holding. There's no such thing as vampires, she repeated to herself, but it was with a new sort of franticness, like she was trying to convince herself that a pair of lions preparing to spring at her didn't exist.

--

Hi, friends! Treasure is almost finished, (two chapters left), and you know what that means...

NEW SERIES TIME! Awww yes.

I conjured this up a few months ago while I was procrastinating during finals week. I'll let you know off the bat that it's a bit of a "slow burn." Don't worry--I haven't given up on Treasure. I'm still hammering away at the next chapter and it's nearly ready to submit. I figured this would give you something to read until then. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story. I'll talk to you all very soon!