86. Sandra's plan 3

I could hear the pots and chopping sounds from the kitchen as I got dressed in my room, I felt a bit excited, a feeling I hadn't felt in a while. I am not sure if it was because of Walter, the therapy session, or the idea of finally having a warm-cooked meal, but all I know is I was in a better mood. I put on a pair of short gray sweats and an oversized black T-shirt, still not as dolled up as I anticipated myself to be, however, my hair was clean this time. I took the time to properly wash it, in fact, I looked way more lively than earlier.

Unsure of what to say to Walter when I got out there, I sat in my room contemplating the next few minutes or hours that I was about to spend with him, 'What were we going to talk about?'. I was anxious, I most definitely did not want to talk about the incident and after the second disappearance, I honestly felt bummed out to even be curious about him and what he's been to.

I was drawn out of my deep thoughts by the aroma of the fresh meal he was preparing, my favorite, stewed chicken and rice, I could smell it from my room, and my heart was jumping with excitement. He was not done yet but I was already salivating and my stomach was growling like crazy, this was going to be my first proper meal of the day. He smiled seeing me drag my feet to the kitchen counter, 

"I can tell you are hungry...."

Seeing him in that apron instantly brought back a lot of memories, for a second, it was like the old time and I had forgotten everything that happened, I chuckled, "What do you mean?"

I saw him pause for a second in shock and then smiled, "I am glad you are looking at me again, especially like that....and smiling. That is more like it. I like it.", 

I was a bit stunned because I had not realized that he noticed, feeling awkward, I cleared my throat, "Must be the shower..."

He squinted his eyes clearly portraying his disbelief, "Riight, must be...", and I gave a subtle smile.

He took out a bowl of fruit salad and a bag of chips, "The food will take some time to be ready, so I hope this will do in the meantime-". 

My heart melted, despite everything, Walter was a perfect guy, a gentleman. I smiled and nodded, and he went on to check the pots.

and there it was, the silence I was so worried about, only the sound of pots boiling and the chips I was crunching filled the room. I didn't know what to say to him, so I began having this mini brainstorming session in my head, 'Should I thank him? Should I ask about how he's been lately? Would that be okay-', 

"I tossed out all the Vodka from your cardboard..." he suddenly said stopping my brainstorming session and I instantly had a lot to say. I choked on the snacks in surprise, I mean, okay cleaning the apartment without my permission was enough, invasive, but okay, I can accept it, however, throwing my alcohol out was uncalled for. Who knows how I would feel the next day, what if I needed it? I know it was the right thing to do, but at that moment it didn't feel like it. I couldn't fall asleep when I was sober, I needed it to quiet down the voices in my head, the temporal cure to my anxiety.

I threw him a deadly piercing look and I saw him jolt for a second and as if knowing what I was thinking, he quickly explained, "I -um...the thing is, I don't think now it's the right time to be drinking, you could easily become dependent. I have seen it happen... What if you become addicted...I am just worr-"

"Worried??", I chuckled in annoyance, "Worried? You? Worried? About me?". I could feel my blood beginning to boil. Forget the alcohol, but the same guy who disappeared on me without saying a word and suddenly showed up, because my friend requested was claiming to be worried about me. On what ground?