The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven novel Chapter 10

We drove past the bus terminal in silence. Teddy’s demeanour became more relaxed, he reached forward to turn on the stereo to let soft classical music into the room. If he felt triumphant he did not voice it aloud. I watched a single finger tap against the steering wheel as he listened to the tune, enjoying the song that put him in a better mood. It could be my imagination, but it seemed that his mood lifted the further he drove away from his home. There was lightness to his face, a particular glow that seemed to capture my attention. I do not know how long I was staring at him, except that when he turned his head in my direction I could feel heat come over the sides of my cheeks in embarrassment. A look transpired between us, but he said nothing to solidify the gravity of our unspoken words. Teddy looked back onto the road, and decided to let the silence speak for itself.

***

Teddy’s car was parked outside of my apartment building. He let his hands relax over the steering wheel before turning an earnest gaze towards me. “Here you are,” he declared. “Safe and sound.”

A shy smile escaped me, while I tried to ignore the nervous butterflies that fluttered in the pit of my stomach. His gaze was unyielding, so focused on my visage that I feared he could read every expression.

Rain was pouring down over the windshield, but with the engine off it allowed water to cover the whole of the glass until you could barely see past it. My fingers curled together in a ball over my lap, while I let my eyes fixate on the curve of my wrist. “Thank you, Teddy.”

I never heard a sound from him, although I had the sense that he took my gratitude rather well. When I finally looked up he was still gazing at me, his eyes full of a strange enchantment that he could not hold back. I found my teeth biting down on my bottom lip, twisting it cruelly before I forced myself to speak up. “Would you like to come inside?”

His eyebrows shot upwards in surprise.

“For coffee,” I continued. “I might have some lemon poppy-seed loaf left. Although, tea would pair nicely with that.”

“Are you sure?” he asked through barely parted lips, for he was caught off-guard by my suggestion.

“It’s the least I could do.”

“Then I accept.”

I broke my gape from him to retrieve my bright yellow raincoat. I handed Teddy his carefully folded jacket as well, ensuring the water droplets did not drip all over his lap. The umbrella was retrieved next. Water sprayed over the front of my pants from the dripping wet umbrella that was longer than I was accustomed to. “Should we go?”

“Yes,” he said with confidence, and with a certain grace that only he could possess, Teddy opened his car door wide and stepped out into the pouring rain. I watched him move in front of the hood of the car and only when he was in front of my door was I willing to push it open. He took the umbrella from me, only to open it wide enough to block out the rain. His free hand was used to close the door, and then he laid a light hand in the center of my back to lead me to the front door. Rain splashed hard against the smooth pavement; the blaring horns of the bustling town was a stark contrast to his own settings. Teddy was looking across the city block while I was retrieving my set of keys from my small purse. You could hear the roar of the engines down the street, the heavy pounding of shoes against the pavement as people tried to outrun the rain. My key was finally placed into the lock, allowing me to open the first set of doors before I could enter the second one. A short whizzing sound was heard behind me, a peculiar sound Teddy’s umbrella made when he shut it closed so abruptly. I watched him shake out the long umbrella to make it less wet before I stepped through the open doorway. He followed me as quick as he could, stepping into the small area where I opened a second set of doors. We entered the main lobby in no time at all, and once we were there we shook out our raincoats and tried to get as dry as possible.

“I am on the fifth level,” I told him, and then motioned my hand towards the elevator. He followed my sure footsteps, only stopping once we reached the main area where I could press the button to bring the elevator down to the main level. A metallic scent lingered in the air, coming from the machinery that was in front of me. We could hear the faint splashing of water against the faded grey floor where a custodian was mopping the tiled surface. Teddy let his eyes linger over the middle-aged woman for a moment, while I stared blankly at the closed elevator door. “I don’t really have visitors,” I nervously stammered.

“I know the feeling.”

“But I wanted to thank you for everything.” I was finally brave enough to turn my gaze towards him. “Driving me home and all.”

“A gentleman first,” he assured me. The elevator made a sharp binging noise, before it swooshed open. “Ladies first,” he exclaimed. His hand was raised upwards to direct me forward, encouraging me to step into the elevator door before him. Once he was at my side, I pressed on the black circular button that would bring me up to the fifth floor.

“My place is very small.”

“Are you comparing your place with mine?”

“Yours is very fine,” I feebly explained. “Mine feels more like a closet in comparison to yours.”

“I would not judge you, Sela.”

I pulled off my bright yellow jacket with nervousness, hoping it was not a mistake to invite a man I barely knew over to my place.

“I feel nothing but gratitude,” Teddy continued. “That you should even invite me up here.”

“Well, that was my intention.”

A sharp bing rang from the elevator speakers, and soon enough the doors spread apart to let us through. We walked together in perfect unison, though Teddy looked at every door we passed by as if he expected me to open it. “I am all the way down the hall.”

“I see.”

“Be right out,” Teddy called out. I left the spot to attend to business, hoping to clean up the kitchen and start a cup of tea before he had a chance to find me. It took several minutes to put it into a manageable state. The small dining room table had been cleaned off, and now there were two small plates and two mugs that did not match upon the table. Teddy walked into the room, wearing my hoodie with the sleeves rolled up slightly. He was a tall man, so the sleeves did not exactly reach the curve of his wrists. He offered me a tiny smile, doing his best to appear comfortable when he was filled with nerves.

“I hope you like regular black tea.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Lemon?”

“Lemon will suit me fine.” He was standing on the other side of the table, staring at me intently. It was interesting to see how shiny his dark hair had become, and the bulkiness of the sweater that made him look two times his size. “Do you need any help?”

“Everything is done actually.” I turned away from him to retrieve the tea pot. Teddy continued to stand in front of his chair, not wanting to take a seat just yet. I placed the teapot down upon the table, and then went away to bring back some milk and sugar.

“I see you have a lavender plant next to your windowsill.” His hand was pointed outwards with a single finger gesturing towards the only plant in my room.

“I like the scent of it,” I informed him. “And lilacs.”

“What about roses?”

“Roses are sweet smelling,” I admitted. “But they have such prickly thorns.” I went around the countertop to retrieve the last of the lemon loaf I had purchased from the bakery two days ago. “I should be used to it by now because of my job. Then again, my mother was never fond of them. I believe my grandmother was, but she had a fondness for anything that was beautiful.”

“She must have liked you then.”

“Yes, she did,” I laughed, before I realized what Teddy had just implied. I froze in front of him, startled by the directness of his words. He watched me with care, taking in my every expression. I managed to walk forward and place the tray of lemon loaf upon the table. Teddy observed me slicing a thick piece of the loaf, and gently raised his plate so I could lay it over the flat surface. His eyes were ever so resolute in seeking mine out, but I would not give in.