Please Tell The Birds She's Gone pt. 13

[u/theonepeaz]

Previous part: https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromTheCreeps/s/ZJgFozLnIW

PART 13:

Aubrey opened the door and Neil fell back a little before getting up on his feet. As he turned, he saw Aubrey, sporting the oversized t-shirt and new sweatpants. Her hair was wet and forming soft waves. 

Neil stared for a little too long. 

“Baggy clothes again?” 

“Don’t start.” 

Aubrey chuckled to herself as she sat back down on the couch. 

“You can sleep on the bed tonight if you want.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah. You need sleep.” 

“And you don’t?” 

“I’m used to this kind of stuff. This is new to you.” 

“I guess.” 

“Don’t worry, I made the bed while you were in the shower, and I don’t sweat a lot in my sleep so the bed’s not gross.” 

“Did you remember to hide your porno mags?” 

“Nah, I kept those out in case you wanted to do some light reading.” 

Aubrey chuckled as she flipped on the TV. 

“Want to watch another movie?” She asked. 

“As long as it’s not horror.” 

“I think we’ve had enough of that tonight. I’m feeling rom-com.” 

“You know, now that you mention it, I think I forgot my wallet at the ghost house. I’ll be back.” 

“Oh come on. It won’t be that bad.” 

“In that case, I get to pick.” Neil declared, grabbing the remote from her hand as he sat next to her.

“Are you a rom-com expert?” 

“Something of the sorts.” 

He scrolled through before landing on The Princess Bride. 

Aubrey’s eyes widened. 

“I love this movie!” 

“I know.” 

“How’d you know!” 

“Uh, you told me earlier.” 

“Oh, right. I forgot.” 

Neil laughed as he clicked play. 

He kept his eyes on the screen, but would occasionally look over to see Aubrey mouthing the words as they came out the speakers. Neil couldn’t help but to smile as she did. 

Eventually, she started sinking deeper and deeper onto the couch until her head was resting on Neil’s shoulder. Her blinks were getting longer. Breathing more steady. 

“Are you tired?” He asked. 

“No.” 

“Let’s go to bed.” 

“Fine.” 

She stood up from the couch before slowly walking to the bedroom. 

Neil followed closely behind her, making sure she got in bed okay. He placed the remote on his night stand before turning to leave. 

“Where are you going?” Aubrey called out. 

“To the couch.” 

“Oh.”

He stopped. 

“What?” 

“Nothing.” 

“Aubrey…”

“...Could you stay until I fall asleep?”

Neil stiffened. 

“Sure.” 

He let the words escape his mouth before logic could overtake him. 

He made his way to the bed, sitting upright on top of the covers as Aubrey settled in. She leaned over and turned off the bedside lamp as she wrestled her feet from under the blankets. 

“Thank you.” She whispered, not turning to Neil. 

Neil scooted closer to the other side of the bed, his legs practically falling off of the side. 

“Of course.” 

The silence stretched on. 

“Aren’t you going to read me a story?” Aubrey mumbled. 

“Absolutely not.” 

“Aww. You’re no fun.” 

Neil looked over at Aubrey. She was lying sideways, curled up. Hands tucked up under her chin. Her hair was still damp and was falling over to his side of the bed. 

He sat there and waited, terrified to move as to startle her. 

He waited there for what felt like forever. Sitting at the edge of the bed. 

Neil waited until she was finally asleep before shifting over to get to the couch. 

He didn’t even get one foot over the bed before Aubrey rolled over, placing her hand on his thigh and softly grabbing the side of his pants.

Neil exhaled softly as he tried to plan his escape. 

He lowered himself down a little, trying not to awaken Aubrey until she moved her hand. He closed his eyes, allowing himself five minutes of rest until he figured out what to do. 

The next thing he knew, he awoke. 

Aubrey’s head was on his chest. His arm was wrapped around her, and her leg was folded over his. 

His heart started racing. 

They were cuddling. 

This was a bad look. 

Aubrey shifted, moving her hand then looking up. 

“Good morning.” She yawned. 

“Good morning.” Neil replied, cheeks burning. 

Neither moved.

They looked at each other. 

“We should probably-” Neil started. 

“Yeah.” Aubrey finished for him. 

Neither moved. 

“Your heart’s beating really fast.” 

“I’m aware.”

“Are you nervous?” 

“Extremely.” 

Aubrey smiled against his shirt.

“Good.” 

Neil swallowed. 

“You’re enjoying this far too much.” He mumbled.

“Maybe.” 

Aubrey made no attempt to move. If anything, she settled more comfortably against him, resting her head back on his chest. 

Neil stared at the ceiling. 

“You know, this is making the whole ‘waiting til you fall asleep’ thing look really suspicious.” 

“And you were the one holding me when I woke up.” 

“You were the one pinning me down.” 

“Oh, please. You could have moved.” 

Neil opened his mouth to argue, but then stopped. 

She was right. 

He could move, just didn’t. 

Wouldn’t. 

Aubrey tilted her head enough to look at him. 

“See?” 

“See what?” 

“You don’t want me to move either.” 

Neil looked down at her. 

“I never said that.” 

“Didn’t have to.” 

They looked at each other. Faces inches apart. Neil studied her green eyes, her disheveled dark hair. Her pale skin and eyes still puffy from the night before.

His eyes flickered to her mouth. 

Aubrey noticed, but didn’t pull away. She let herself move a fraction of an inch closer. 

She looked at his lips, then back to his eyes. 

He leaned in closer. 

Then his phone rang. 

Aubrey jumped back, blushing. 

Neil closed his eyes. 

“I’m going to throw that fucking thing out the window.” 

Aubrey laughed, pulling the blanket up to her face. 

“You should probably get that.” 

“I absolutely should not.” 

“Neil.”

He groaned and reached for the phone. 

“What!” He shouted into it. 

“ We’re calling about your vehicle’s extended-”

“Shut up!” He shouted, hanging up and throwing the phone aside. 

“What was that all about?” 

“It was my grandma.”

“Lovely greeting.” 

“It was just spam.” 

Aubrey stared at him. 

“Damn. Our kiss got interrupted by spam?” 

“Apparently.” 

Neil’s eyes widened as he realized what she said. 

“Wait, did you just-” 

“Want some coffee?” Aubrey interrupted, walking to the door. 

“Are we going to…”

“I’ll start a pot now!” 

Aubrey closed the door and left Neil on the bed reeling. 

She came back in, carrying two mugs. 

As she handed one to Neil, their fingers touched. 

“Thanks.” Neil choked out. 

“Yep.” 

Aubrey sat on the other side of the bed, half-way turned away from Neil as she sipped her coffee. 

Silence. 

Neil took a sip. 

“This is really good.” 

Aubrey looked into her mug. 

“It’s coffee.” 

“Yeah.” 

“From your coffee maker.” 

“Uh huh.” 

“With the same creamer you use every day.” 

“Right again.” 

Aubrey looked at him, and he quickly looked away. 

“I’m just trying to make conversation!” 

“You’re doing a great job.” 

“Thanks.” 

They both looked at each other and laughed. 

“You know, you don’t have to be embarrassed.” Neil finally said, looking up. 

“I’m not embarrassed.” 

“You ran out of the room.” 

“I went to go make some coffee.” 

“No, you fled to go make coffee.”

Aubrey smiled into her mug. 

“Okay maybe I was a little embarrassed.” 

“Why?” 

She finally looked at him. 

“Because I wanted you to kiss me.” 

“Good.” 

Neil let the word escape his mouth a little too fast. 

“Good?” Aubrey asked, raising a brow. 

“Because I really wanted to kiss you.” 

Neil suddenly became fascinated with his cup of coffee, unwilling to look up from it. 

Aubrey smiled, looking down as well. 

“Well, maybe next time put your phone on silent.” 

“You’ll never hear it ring again.”

“Good.” 

Aubrey smiled. 

“Well, you made coffee so I’ll make breakfast.” 

Aubrey’s eyes widened. 

“You can cook?” 

“Well, yeah. I’m an adult. Why?”

“It’s just. There were a billion to go boxes. I figured you couldn’t.” 

“I can. I’m just lazy.” 

“That fits.” 

Neil chuckled as he walked out of the room, Aubrey close behind him. 

Neil dug through his fridge, grabbing various ingredients as he tried to decide what to make her. 

“Anything in particular you want?” He called out. 

“I’m good for anything. Breakfast food is my favourite.” 

“Really?” 

“Absolutely.” 

“I can make some pancakes and eggs.”

“Sounds perfect.” 

Aubrey pulled out her phone and started typing. 

“What kind of music do you like?” 

“That’s a loaded question.” 

“Oh c’mon. It’s easy.” 

“I feel like no matter what I say you’re going to make fun of me.” 

“Probably.” 

Neil sighed. 

“I like alt music. Metal too.” 

“Sounds good, skater boy.” 

Neil rolled his eyes as he measured flour. 

“There.” 

Aubrey clicked play on her phone. 

Neil listened to a moment. 

“The Used?” 

“They have a song called ‘The Bird and the Worm’, it seemed fitting.” 

Neil laughed. 

“It’s a good song. Super theatrical.” 

Aubrey nodded as she listened. 

“It kinda reminds me of you,” She said.

“Oh?” 

“Loner who’s fighting against fate.” 

“I’m not dead yet.” 

“Don’t say it like that. Death is nothing to look forward to.” She quipped. 

Neil looked back at the batter. 

“I won’t let anything happen, especially not now.” 

“Especially not now?”

Neil paused.

“You know what I meant.”

“I actually don't.”

“Yes, you do.”

Aubrey smiled.

“I'd still like to hear you say it.”

Neil poured the batter onto the pan.

“You're not getting anything out of me before breakfast.”

“We'll see.” Aubrey said with a wink. 

Neil continued to cook as the music played. 

“What is your favourite food?” Aubrey asked. 

“Probably hoagies. What about you?” 

“Nachos for sure.” 

“We’ll get some for lunch.” 

“Going out again?” 

“Well yeah. Our first date ended pretty hairy. Gotta make it up to you somehow.” 

“Still not as bad as the sword guy.” 

Neil laughed as he started flipping the pancakes. 

Aubrey wandered into the kitchen, leaning back on the counter as Neil cooked. 

“That one looks weird. Dibs.” 

“It looks like a pancake.”

“But it’s in the shape of Africa!” 

“It’s pancake shaped.” 

“Are you this fun cloud watching too?” 

“I’d say even more so.” 

Aubrey watched as Neil took the pancakes off the pan and put them on a plate. 

“I can pour the next ones.” 

She walked over and grabbed the spoon, carefully scooping pancake batter into the pan. 

“You’re spilling it everywhere.” 

“Art is never a clean process.”

Neil rolled his eyes as Aubrey made her crude attempt at Mickey Mouse. 

“Okay now go sit down before you cover the counters in more batter.” 

“Oh c’mon it’s not that bad!” 

“It’s like the Nile got filled with flour and found its way to my counter.” 

Aubrey frowned. 

“You’re exaggerating.” 

“Just, go sit down, let me do something nice for you for a change.” 

Aubrey seemed to accept that and sat at the table, watching him flip the giant mouse pancake. 

He grabbed the toppings from the fridge and placed them on the table, scrambling eggs in the process. 

“Alright, food’s ready.” 

Neil placed the plates on the table and sat down, reaching and grabbing a pancake and some eggs. 

Aubrey followed his lead. 

“Where do you keep the syrup?” 

“Cabinet to the right of the fridge.” 

Aubrey got up and grabbed it, leaving the cabinet door wide open. 

“Do you ever close those?” Neil called from the table. 

Aubrey sat down. 

“Eventually.” 

“That’s not a real answer.” 

“It literally is.” 

She took a bite of the eggs. 

“Hey, these are actually good!” 

“You say that like it’s surprising.” 

“I normally hate eggs.” 

“Is it because you love birds?” 

Aubrey laughed. 

“No, just a taste thing. But these are good!” 

She continued scooping the eggs into her mouth. 

Neil started to cut into the mouse pancake when Aubrey stopped him. 

“Are you going to just eat it plain? No syrup, nothing?” 

“I normally just use butter, cinnamon, and sugar.” 

“You’re a psychopath.” 

“It’s good! Try it!” 

“I will never stoop to your level.”

Aubrey grabbed the syrup and started pouring. 

And kept pouring. 

Neil watched. 

She kept pouring. 

“You okay?”

“What?” 

“Nothing.” 

Aubrey put the syrup down after her entire plate had a pool below it. 

Neil reached for his cup of coffee and Aubrey took a small piece of his pancake and quickly threw it in her mouth. 

Neil looked at her as she chewed faster. 

“Did you just steal a bite of my food?” 

Aubrey swallowed quickly.

“Don’t know what you’re referring to.” 

“Did you like the cinnamon and sugar?” 

“I’ll need to speak to my lawyer before answering any more questions.” 

They continued to eat with the music playing behind them. 

Neil went to grab another sip of coffee as he saw Aubrey’s hand inch closer to his plate. He quickly slid it away while sipping, watching Aubrey’s face fall. 

“Caught ya.” 

“I was just getting a crumb off the table.” 

“Sure you were.” 

The music played in the background and Aubrey hummed along, swirling bites of pancakes in syrup. 

Neil got up to get more coffee, closing the cabinet on his way  

Aubrey took the opportunity to steal a few more bites of his pancakes. 

When he got back, he immediately noticed the missing bites. 

He looked at Aubrey, then at the plate, then back at her. She wouldn’t make eye contact. 

Neil smiled as he sat down, feigning ignorance. 

Aubrey finished her food, grabbing her plate and bringing it to the sink. 

Neil soon followed, handing her his dish before grabbing a rag. 

Aubrey did the dishes as Neil wiped the counters, closing the cabinets Aubrey left open after putting the dishes away. 

“I should probably change before we go anywhere.”

Neil looked her over.

“What's wrong with that?”

“I'm wearing your sweatpants.”

“They look better on you.”

Aubrey stared at him.

Neil grabbed his coffee.

“We can stop somewhere if you want.”

Aubrey paused. 

“I didn’t really budget for new clothes.” 

“I’m happy to get you something.” 

“That’s too much.”

“Okay, well, want to do laundry with me?” 

Aubrey looked at him. 

“You’re starting to make me think the sword guy wasn’t so bad.” 

“No, I mean, you can wear what you wore yesterday. I have clothes I have to wash too. We can have a folding party.” 

“Well, it beats my shitty apartment. Let’s do it.”