The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven novel Chapter 11

“I see the loaf is from a bakery.” He offered me a false smile, hoping it would be enough to start a conversation.

“There is one next to my workplace. I go there from time to time. Oh! Will you excuse me for a moment? Feel free to pour the tea when you are ready.” I ran out of the kitchen, hoping to find my phone so I could call my employers. The rainstorm would mean I would not have to go into work later in the day, but I wanted to have confirmation with them.

I was gone for more than five minutes, mainly because I had to call my other three employers. The last one was quite adamant for me to come in, stressing the fact that the storm could not last forever. I assured him that I would give him a ring in another two hours, considering the weather could drastically change by then. By the time I walked into the living room, Teddy had finished his lemon loaf and his tea cup was empty. “I was gone so long.”

“What were you doing? I heard your voice.”

“I was talking to my employers.” I sat down on my chair, and hoped that the teapot was good enough to still retain some heat. “But the last one wanted to have an argument with me.”

“I understand.”

My hand rested over the side of the teapot, seeing it was still hot enough for me to enjoy. I fancied it would be strong in taste, and not feeling like a bitter cup of tea, I raised myself from my chair and decided to have a cup of instant coffee instead. “I hope you weren’t bored.”

“I was tempted to look around,” he confessed. “But I thought it would make a bad impression.”

My back was to him as I poured out the hot water, watching it swirl around the sink. The wind was still fierce outside, but it was nice and warm in my apartment space. I filled the kettle with some fresh water and clicked it on before I returned to my seat.

“You have a lot of family portraits here.”

“Yes.” I looked over my shoulder, seeing the closest one was against a wall beside me. “We are very close.”

“Do you live in close proximity to your parents?”

“In a different town,” I admitted. “And my brother is working abroad. He is living in Boston right now.”

“So far away.”

“Have you ever been to America?”

“No. Have you?”

“I haven’t,” I told him in truth. “But I think it suits my brother more.”

“Have you no interest in visiting him?” Teddy asked with all politeness.

I took my first bite into the lemon loaf, realizing how cold it felt once it was placed inside of my mouth. I would have to do better next time, but then again inviting Teddy up here was a rather spontaneous decision.

“Sela?” Teddy urged, since I did not answer his question at first.

“No, he comes here,” I answered him with a stuffed mouth. I used my hand to cover the front of my mouth with embarrassment.

The kettle suddenly popped, so Teddy took the liberty of starting up my coffee. He must have watched me earlier, for he knew where the spoons were and scooped the appropriate amount of instant coffee into my mug. “You drink this stuff,” he commented, while trying to disguise his disdain.

“I don’t enjoy it, but it works.”

“I guess we all can’t have elaborate coffee machines.” He looked over his shoulder to make eye contact with mine. “I like to collect antique things.”

“I noticed.”

“I like old stuff,” he continued. His hand was raised upwards to pour hot water into my mug. “I don’t know why I do. It is a rather expensive hobby.”

“You could open an antique store,” I teased him. “Or you could even sell your car.”

“Yes, it is a bit out of date,” he laughed. “Would you believe me if I told you that I don’t even own a cellphone?”

“You don’t?!”

“No.”

“How do you live?”

His smirk was broad and mischievous as he answered me: “I have no idea.”

Teddy made his way over to me and placed my mug down on the table. It was only then that I realized he was serving me in my own household. “Ummm.” I let my fingers tap against the side of the mug. “Thank you.”

“You mind if I take a bit more lemon loaf? It is quite good.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“And turning off the fan overhead,” he added. “I don’t want to catch a chill.”

“Do you want a blanket?” I watched him head over to a switch I pointed out to shut off the light and ceiling fan at the same time. The living room descended into darkness, but fortunately the windows were wide open to let the natural grey lighting seep through. In normal cases I would have been scared, but oddly enough I was not. “Teddy?”

“No, I will be fine.”

“Let me know if you need anything else. I am not a good hostess.”

“Is that what you think?” he asked from the darkened part of the room.

“I feel incompetent.”

Teddy was silent on his end, although I could hear the steady patter of his footfalls as he made his way over. He passed me, moving behind my chair to pull up the last of the blinds. He went over to the second set of windows to perform the same task, letting me see the bleak grey skies with clear rain falling down from the heavens. “Do you have any candles, Sela?”

“I do.” I pushed back my chair and went around the living room to retrieve one. “Where should I put it?”

“On the table would do nicely,” he said with utter civility. “Or is that too much?”

“It will be nice.” I settled it down neatly, and then walked around the countertop to bring myself unexpectedly to Teddy’s side. “The box of matches are in the drawer.”

“How clumsy of me.” He stepped to the right, allowing me to pull it outwards and retrieve it. I could feel that heated stare again. “I can light it for you.”

I handed him the box of matches, aware of the way his fingers brushed against my hand as he reached out for the item. I hitched my breath, fearful that he heard the sound since he was standing so close to me. Nervous, I retreated from the spot and made my way to the table first. The coffee was bland against my taste buds, but I drank it down anyways. Teddy slowly made his way over to me, and brushed past his chair to light the candle. He was such a tall man, so much so, that he had to lean over and bend his long back to place the blazing match against the long wick of the candle. It took only a moment for the room to brighten, the small candle casting enough of a glow for me to see Teddy’s face more clearly. “Light,” he murmured from the back of his throat. The match was blown out, and only then did he turn his dark brown eyes in my direction. I felt my jaw clench by his stare, feeling as though his look alone had stripped me bare.

He eventually lowered his gaze, breaking the awful spell that threatened to consume me. A large hand was placed over the back of his chair and then he pulled it outwards so that he could take a seat.

I continued to drink my coffee, doing my best to focus on anything else but him. It was becoming harder to resist his lingering stare. I could hear the pulling of wrappings as Teddy tried to get another piece of the lemon loaf. His momentary distraction was enough for me to lean back in my chair and feel more comfortable. The candle cast a warm orange glow about the table, illuminating our faces with an alluring light that I was not prepared for. I watched Teddy slice the loaf into smaller pieces, desiring it to be in small equal parts before he could place it into his mouth. His peculiarities were subtle at times, but the more time I spent with him, the more I became aware of it.

His voice was smooth, almost musical-like as he uttered: “I suppose you have the evening off then.”

“Possibly.” I took another sip of my coffee, as I noticed the sudden stiffness to his hand movements. “For a few hours at least.”

“There is no way you can go out gardening in this storm.”

“You tell my manager that.”

He rolled his shoulders back, taking on a haughty air about him. “Maybe I should.”

I shook my head at him quite adamantly with an instant regret of ever making that suggestion to him. “Please don’t.”

“I can’t have my gardener catching a cold.”

I raised my mug to him, tilting it slightly in approval. He raised his chin upwards, absolutely pleased by my silent salute. His dark brown eyes glowed marvellously under the candle-light, captivating me once again. “No, you can’t.”

He placed the lemon loaf into his mouth, chewing on it slowly as he continued to peer into my eyes. I forced myself to look downwards, knowing it was at my peril if I continued to entertain this subtle exchange much longer.

Once he was finally done with his pastry I felt a sense of relief, finding the sexual tension was almost too much to bear. I was the first to abandon my seat, and looked around the room for a welcome distraction. Teddy followed my movements, bringing himself across the table to be at my side. I avoided his gaze, looking downwards at the shabby wooden floor. “What would you like to do now?”

“It is your home,” he emphasized in a soft, murmur. “I will let you decide.”

“You like art,” I noted. “I have nothing that will entertain you here.”

“I like many things,” he whispered, almost impatient for me to look upwards.

“I have music,” I suggested. “And books. We could watch the television.”

“No, not the television,” he quickly shot down.

“It bothers you?”

“I would prefer to spend time with you.” The sound of his voice, the energy that radiated from it made me glance upwards immediately. There was a certain look to his eyes again, like a wave of feeling that he was trying to hold back.

“We could sit on the couch,” I suggested in a small voice. I led the way, knowing that Teddy would naturally follow. I took a seat in the center, and it wasn’t until he was standing in front of me that I realized he was deliberating where to sit. “Sorry.” I moved towards the edge and took a spot, feeling awkward once the couch dipped downwards from his weight.

Teddy rubbed his hands together, finding it easier to stare at the rugged circular mat in front of him. “What do you do in your spare time?”

“When I am not gardening?”

“Yes.”

“I enjoy listening to music. I wish I could play an instrument like you, but I have tried and failed multiple times. I don’t have the talent for it.”

“Everyone has their gifts,” he said quite gruffly. “Yours is working the ground.”

“So is yours.”

“Years of experience,” he noted. “But I am not a professional like yourself. I confess…” He looked down at the palm of his hands. “It was enjoyable to be working side by side with you this morning. Normally I would put off cutting the grass, but when I saw you working in the corner of my eyes, it encouraged me to carry on. I like the fact that Luna takes an interest in you as well. She must get lonely, stuck up in the house with me all the time.” A faint smile travelled across his face. “A pity that you don’t have any pets.”

“I considered buying a fish a few times.”

“And what changed your mind?”

“You can’t really interact with it. They are pretty to look at, but that is all.”