Between Worlds

Chapter 4: Misdirected Encounters

Cecilia stood on the other side, clutching a small package against her chest. The elderly woman's eyes twinkled with curiosity, her ever-present cardigan wrapped snugly around her shoulders.

"Oh, good morning, dear!" Cecilia beamed, her sharp gaze flickering to Lee almost instantly. "And who's this fine young man?"

She sighed internally. There was no escaping Cecilia's scrutiny.

"This is Lee," she said, keeping her voice even. "He's... staying here for a while."

Cecilia's brows lifted just enough to make it obvious she was already making assumptions. "Oh? Well, isn't that interesting."

Lee, to his credit, remained completely impassive under Cecilia's keen gaze. If anything, he was studying her just as intently, though with far less nosiness.

Before the conversation could derail, she cleared her throat. "Did you need something?"

"Oh! Right." Cecilia held up the package. "This got delivered to my door by mistake. Thought I'd bring it over."

She took the package with a grateful nod. "Thanks."

Cecilia lingered, her attention shifting between the two of them like she was piecing together a puzzle. "You know," she started, voice lilting with mischief, "it's nice to see you having company for once. I was starting to think you'd sworn off guests altogether."

She resisted the urge to sigh. "It's not like that."

Cecilia didn't look convinced. "Mmhmm. Well, I won't keep you two, but don't be a stranger, alright?"

Before she could protest, Cecilia was already turning away, her knowing smile lingering as she made her way down the hall. The door shut with a quiet click, leaving behind an awkward silence.

She turned to find Lee watching her, expression unreadable. "She thinks we're involved."

She groaned, rubbing her temple. "Yeah, she does that."

Lee seemed to process this for a moment before offering a simple, "Hn."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't 'hn' me."

Lee remained silent, but there was a glint of something unreadable in his gaze. Amusement, maybe? She couldn't be sure.

She exhaled, shaking her head as she carried the package to the table. "Anyway. Guess that solves our morning excitement."

Lee hummed in acknowledgment but said nothing more.

As she sat back down with her coffee, she couldn't shake the feeling that today was going to be... interesting.

Returning the package turned into an unexpected ordeal.

The intended recipient wasn't home, and what should have been a simple task spiraled into something much more frustrating.

They started with the apartment next door, knocking twice before the door creaked open to reveal a middle-aged man in a bathrobe, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He barely glanced at the package before waving them off.

"Not mine. Try next door."

Before she could even thank him, the door shut in their faces.

The next neighbor was a frazzled-looking woman with a toddler on her hip, who opened the door while trying to wrestle a crayon out of the child's tiny fingers. She glanced at the package, then at them.

"Oh! Yeah, deliveries get mixed up all the time. Hold on, let me—" She reached for it before hesitating. "Wait, what number is that?"

She checked again and sighed. "Oh, yeah, no, that's... not me. Maybe the guy upstairs?"

The guy upstairs turned out to be an elderly man who took the package with both hands and squinted at the label for an absurdly long time.

Finally, he gave a slow, knowing nod. "Ah, yes, this belongs to my friend."

Hope flickered for exactly two seconds before he added, "...I don't know his apartment number."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sir, are you sure it's even the right friend?"

He nodded sagely, handing it back. "Maybe. Maybe not."

She exhaled sharply through her nose. "Right. Okay. Thanks anyway."

As they turned to leave, another door creaked open, and a nosy woman with glasses perched on the tip of her nose peeked out, eyeing them suspiciously.

"What's all this about?" she asked, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

Before she could answer, the woman gestured toward the package. "I should take a look."

She pulled it closer to her chest. "Uh. No."

"You never know these days," the woman continued, undeterred. "Could be something dangerous. You see all those news reports? Strange packages, strange people..." She trailed off, pointedly eyeing Lee as she said it.

Lee, unfazed, simply stared back with the coldest, blankest expression she had ever seen on him.

The woman faltered under his gaze, muttering something about "keeping an eye out" before slowly closing her door.

"That was weird," she muttered, finally turning to Lee.

Lee, as composed as ever, merely hummed. "People often reveal their concerns through projection."

"Right. So she was projecting paranoia?"

"And an unfortunate lack of critical thinking."

She snorted. "I can't argue with that."

They tried two more doors, each interaction growing more ridiculous by the second. One neighbor claimed they had no idea who lived in the apartment the package belonged to—despite living on the same floor for ten years. Another just said "no thanks" before closing the door as if they were selling something.

Just as she was about to throw in the towel, a tiny white dog squeezed through an opening in one of the doors and immediately started yapping at Lee's feet.

"Oh, Poppy, hush!" a voice called from inside. An older woman appeared, smiling brightly as she picked her dog up. "Sorry about that! She just gets so excited."

She waved it off. "No worries. Uh, do you know who this belongs to?"

The woman peered at the package and beamed. "Oh! That's for my grandson. He's not home right now, but I can take it."

Finally. Finally.

She handed it over, sagging with relief. "Thank you."

The woman smiled at them. "You two are such a lovely couple, helping your neighbors like this."

She nearly choked on air. "Oh—uh—we're not—"

Lee, infuriatingly, didn't correct her. He simply watched as she stumbled over her words, offering nothing but silence and the faintest tilt of his head.

The woman laughed knowingly. "Ah, young love. Don't worry, dear, I won't pry."

She barely held in a groan.

By the time they returned to her apartment, she was utterly exhausted. Lee, of course, looked as unfazed as ever.

She slumped onto the couch. "Next time, Cecilia can keep the damn package."

Lee merely hummed, sipping the coffee she had given him earlier—finally, to her surprise.


Authors note:

Sorry for not updating, i was busy going through hell on earth. Midterms suck ass I swear to god.
Hope you guyslike this update!!