Chapter 4
Ascending the Staircase
We arrive at Misty’s house, and she begins to show me around the place. She leads me to the living room, which I've already had a glimpse of previously. The blinds of the large window on the left wall are open, allowing light from the sun to enter inside and illuminate the room.
“That’s quite a nice television set you have there,” I comment as I point to the forty-inch flat-screen TV.
“Yep! I rarely watch it though, but maybe that’s something we can do later on.”
Next, she leads me to the kitchen. Being that it's connected to the living room, I've seen it also earlier in the day. There are pots and pans and cutlery and various other things that belong in a kitchen all lined up neatly. Connected to the kitchen is a small room that branches off in two ways: a door on the left and a hallway to the right. Beyond the door is the entrance to the garage, which houses Misty’s parked car. We go down the hallway and turn left at the bathroom door, continuing until we reach yet another door.
“This is the spare bedroom,” Misty says as we walk in, turning the light on.
As we stand in the room, I take a good look and absorb the pristine surroundings. The air in this room has a very fresh smell, like that of newly cleaned laundry. In the center of the room, there's a white bed and a nightstand next to it with a lamp standing on it. There's a window on the right side, through which rays from the sun enter and bathe the room with the glow of white light. On the same side the doorway is on, there's a different set of doors, presumably leading to a closet. A wooden cabinet with a mirror on top of it is pushed up against the wall on the left side.
“I'll show you my room next,” Misty says.
She leads me back through the kitchen, through the living room, and up a set of stairs. I wasn't expecting to get to see her personal room, and it makes me feel as though I'm being allowed into an exclusive club where we're the only two members. After ascending the staircase, we keep going, and soon, we're at the entryway to Misty's room.
“Come on in! You can take a seat,” she calls to me, sitting down on her bed and tapping twice on the spot next to her.
I walk in and stand nearby for a few seconds before plopping myself down onto the bed. I look around, noting that the layout of this room is similar to the spare room, only the walls here are painted bright pink, with hot-pink bed sheets to compliment them. She stares at me with her dreamy eyes as I anticipate her next words.
“That was really generous the way you bought those clothes for me today.”
She moves herself closer to me, puts her arms around me, and gives me a little kiss on the cheek—the first time I've ever been kissed by a woman.
“You're very welcome, cutie,” I say to Misty, with her arms still around my waist.
“If you'd like, I can put on one of those outfits for you. Which one do you like more?” she asks as she temporarily pulls away.
“You can choose one; that way, it'll be a little surprise.”
Retrieving the light-yellow shirt and pair of shorts, she steps off to the side to change and emerges shortly afterward wearing them.
“This one matches your blonde hair perfectly, baby,” I compliment her and the outfit.
“Awww, you’re so sweet!”
At the back of my mind, I wonder whether it's too soon to be calling her that, but it just comes out naturally. I'm comfortable around Misty and don't feel like I have to follow any ridiculous rules telling me how I should interact with her. She sits next to me once again and inches her way closer and closer to me. For several minutes, we sit like that, her arm around my side and mine around hers.
“If you want, we can try to see if there’s anything good on TV right now,” Misty suggests.
We make our way back downstairs to the living room and take a seat on the couch together. Reaching over, she picks up the remote lying on a small table next to the couch and then turns the television on. The large display is as bright and colorful as I would've imagined. After flipping through several channels, she stops at one which is showing an episode of something that looks interesting.
“Oh, I love this show. I used to watch it all the time,” I say.
“I like this one too actually, so let’s watch!”
The episode only began a few minutes ago, so we still have plenty of it left to enjoy. Obviously, I've watched television many times before, but it's a very different experience with Misty and I keeping each other company.
After the program ends, we continue watching several shows that follow on the same channel. Before we know it, several hours pass, and it's starting to get late. The TV is very entertaining, but hours of sitting always manages to wear me out anyway. The more tired I get, the more difficult it becomes to even keep my eyes open.
“Are you getting sleepy?” Misty asks in a caring tone as she gently nudges my side, her voice suddenly awakening me.
“Yeah, I guess I am. It's probably time for me to get some rest,” I admit to her.
“Since you’re really sleepy, I’m sure you don’t want to wait for me to drive you back, so you can stay in the guest bedroom if you'd like.”
I'm a bit surprised that she'd let me do that, but being that she's always so kind, it may as well not be so unexpected.
“That's fine by me if it's okay with you.”
“Of course! Besides, I’m getting a little tired myself, so I don't want to drive,” she says before letting out an adorable yawn.
Misty stands up and waits for me to get up off of the couch before escorting me to the spare bedroom. Once we get there, I lie down on the bed and get under the sheets.
“Is it comfortable for you?” she asks me.
“It's perfect—much better than the bed I normally sleep on. Thanks for letting me stay here tonight.”
“It’s the least I could do after the kindness you showed me today. If you need anything else, then you know where to find me,” Misty says to me from behind the doorway.
“Okay, good night.”
“Good night. Sleep well,” she replies, quietly closing the door before making her way to her room.
I fall asleep within minutes, only wishing that I could stay here every night.