My Neighbor and I say “Itadakimasu!”

6:47 PM outside of the Aoi Family residence.

John had excused himself for a few minutes after Sky had issued the invitation to join her for dinner in order to change into something more comfortable and also to recompose himself after that embarrassing moment when his stomach growled. To be honest, he really was looking forward to having a meal cooked by Skylar. Outside of takeout food or the occasional meals he had with his peers at the station, he didn’t really eat as well as he thought.

He approached Sky’s apartment door and made sure he looked presentable. He had discarded the ill-fitting suit for his more comfortable jeans, a long sleeved shirt with the faded logo of his favorite band and a pair of comfortable sneakers. He didn’t bother to fix his shaggy looking hair since it was just a casual invitation. His nose caught the scent of whatever it was Sky was cooking and felt himself salivating a bit. Had he always been so easily affected by food before? Setting those thoughts aside, John cleared his throat and knocked gently on the door.

Once again, from within the apartment, he could hear the hurried steps of Sky with a few pauses in between… as if she were trying to tip-toe around things. “Coming!” He managed to hear from within. “Just a minute!”

A few seconds later, the sounds of bolts and locks being undone was heard from the other side of the door. There was a brief pause and slowly the door opened a bit. One of Sky’s blue eyes peeked out and looked at John who held a simple smile on his face.

“It’s John,” he said to her simply, “Hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”

Sky opened the door completely and smirked. “No need to be so formal and proper, Officer Roads. Without the suit you’d almost pass for a regular guy.” Her smile widened and giggled.

“Is it that bad?” John inquired as he pulled on his shirt a bit.

“I’m not criticizing! Just pointing out something that could be of help one day.” Sky stepped aside to allow John to step through the threshold. “I’ll have to ask you to leave your shoes here in the small reception. We… kinda follow the Japanese customs thanks to my dad, so…”

“You’re Japanese?” John looked surprised at this possibility. By all accounts, Sky did have a few of the telltale signs of her Asian heritage due to the shape of her eyes, and her manners were typically seen on those of Japanese heritage - just like his coworker Officer Okada.

“Only by half. From my father’s side. As you can see, I don’t exactly fit the bill of a full-blooded Nihonjin.” Sky smiled again as it was clear as daylight that she didn’t look like most Japanese with her auburn, blue eyes and western physique. “Let’s talk inside! Dinner should be almost ready.”

“Thank you, Skylar.” John nodded at Sky and stepped inside and did as she had instructed, leaving his sneakers in the small reception spot. Sky had prepared a pair of comfortable slippers for him to use while inside the apartment. He caught the meaning of this and nodded gratefully.

“You’ll have to excuse me if my place looks a little… umm… messy,” Sky said with an embarrassed tone, which John caught with his usual puzzled look, “I made sure to tidy up a bit.”

“It’s alright, Skylar,” John said as he took a step inside the true living space of the apartment, “I’m sure it’s just per-” John froze on the spot when he saw the state of the apartment.

Bags of trash had been lined up against each other in a corner of the living room poorly hiding between a loveseat and a couch. There were two empty pizza boxes on top of the central coffee table. Several piled boxes of Chinese food were neatly placed next to a lamp. There were dozens of fashion magazines scattered on the floor in front of the TV, which had a plastic bag hanging by its side with empty energy drink cans by the dozen. There was a large cloth bag which, by the leggings that were spilling out from it, he accurately deduced that it was her laundry bag.

John’s eyes scanned this chaotic scene and was forced to hide his troubled expression. He had seen all sorts of messes before in his job. From time to time he was asked to assist in clean-up duties at the precinct. He was used to seeing such things. Nothing could’ve prepared him when he saw the state of Sky’s apartment.

“This place looks like a crime scene… but… I can’t tell her that!” John used his mastery of his own emotions and facial expressions to keep his stoic face after he saw the overwhelming chaos before him.

“So! What do you think? I know it’s a little messy… but it’s home!” Sky smiled sheepishly and giggled. The fact that she wasn’t aware of the real size of this mess was making John even more reluctant to tell her what he thought of her “little mess”.

“It’s… a nice place. Thank you… for having me over.” John was sweating bullets to keep himself from frowning.

“Please, make yourself comfortable!” Sky was feeling chipper and in good spirits of having visitors. Usually it was mostly her friends, but now she felt pleased that she’d be able to fulfill her promise.

“Yes… thank you… don’t mind if I-” John had been walking very slowly and very carefully like a man in the middle of a minefield. But when he felt he had stepped on something, he froze again. For a second he glanced at what he had stepped on, but when he barely caught on what he had he immediately looked up and stood at attention like in his days as a Police Cadet. His face suddenly turned a light shade of red. “Ummm… M-Miss A-... I mean!... S-Skylar… I… I might’ve… stepped on something… but I can’t really tell what it is. Could you… take a look, please?”

John knew damn well what it was! He just would never dare say it outloud!

“Huh? What do you mean?” Sky noticed that John was looking up at the ceiling looking terribly troubled and perfectly still. Was he always that stiff? “You said you stepped on-”

Sky’s eyes opened widely with shock and embarrassment!

John had stepped on one of her “unmentionables”!!!

“YOU JUST STEPPED ON A PIECE OF TRASH AND NOTHING MORE, OFFICER ROADS!” Sky jumped on the piece of undergarments and quickly shoved it under her sweatshirt while her whole body steamed up from the embarrassment!

“Yes! I thought as much!!” John spoke out clearly as if he were delivering a report to his superiors, “Thank you for your understanding and cooperation, Miss Aoi!!!”

John kept staring up at the ceiling while Sky turned away from him, curled into a ball for a few seconds out of embarrassed shame and covered her face with her hands!

“Oh dear… how embarrassing.” He thought.

“OH CRAP! HOW EMBARRASSING!” She thought.

John finally cleared his throat and spoke normally, “Have you already discarded the ‘piece of trash’, Skylar?”

Sky looked back at him from her crouching position. He still wasn’t looking at her. She noticed the desperate attempt to not look at her until given the clear by her. Her face just couldn’t get any more red! HE KNEW! But he didn’t make a mention of it for her sake! He was playing along!

She scampered away towards her laundry bag, quickly hid the unmentionable inside it and with herculean effort she picked it up and tossed it inside of her room and closed the door behind her, hastily returning to where John was who remained still at attention.

“Skylar? Are we in the clear?”

“Y-Yes!” Sky gently pulled at her hair to try and get a grip of herself! She’d been on a non-stop embarrassment ride all day! First at school and now in her apartment! She took a deep breath to try and cool herself down and looked at John while crossing her arms over her chest protectively.

John slowly lowered his gaze and just kept staring at Sky’s eyes while relaxing his posture.

“S-Sorry… I should’ve cleaned up this place a bit more.” Sky looked aside in apology.

“Skylar, I may be overstepping my place as a guest, but may I say something in the hopes you’ll understand I mean no disrespect towards you or your skills at house cleaning?” John was trying his best to use the most gentle words he could find in his dictionary.

“I-I’m… I’m not sure what this’ll be about but… I guess… it’s okay?” Sky twirled her fingers in her ponytail.

“This place looks like a disaster zone.” John said in his usual laconic tone.

“I KNEW YOU WERE GONNA SAY THAT!”

“I’m sorry, Miss Aoi! But this place is more than ‘a little messy’!” John could see the fire in Sky’s eyes and decided to offer an olive branch. “But! If you’ll allow it! And under your supervision, I could help you clean up this place and leave it in more proper conditions. I promise we’ll get done in no time if we can work together. Please!”

In truth, John just couldn’t handle the chaos that was Sky’s messy living space! He would’ve begun cleaning even if she didn’t allow it! This wasn’t how humans were meant to live! He’d lived and seen his share of messy places, but this one was too much!

“I-I can’t allow that, Officer Weirdo!” Sky said indignantly, “Y-You’re my guest tonight! T-This m-mess is mine to c-clean and me-”

“Miss Aoi. This isn’t the time for petty pride!” John stepped up to Sky who looked up to him startled. “We need to clean this up ASAP! Or the delicious meal that you’ve made for us will not taste as good as I know it does. Please, Skylar. It’ll just take a little while.”

Sky was still reluctant to go with it. This was her mess. This was her house! She’d been taking care of it on her own without help!

But the truth was she was lazy when it came to house cleaning… she’d always leave it “for later” but later never came. She didn’t want to admit it, but she needed help in that, but wasn’t too comfortable allowing her neighbor, whom she just met, to help with cleaning.

“Y-You handle the trash and only that!” Sky pouted as she relented, “I’ll… take care of dusting a bit… but no more! You’re a guest in the Aoi residence! Not… not a maid…”

“Understood!” John smiled and stood at attention again.

Sky turned around to find the cleaning instruments while John began to sort through the garbage and discarded food boxes.

Sky glanced back at John who looked happy while he was picking up garbage and stuffing it inside the trash bags. She still couldn’t understand this guy…

“Weirdo…”

7:21 PM inside of the Aoi Family residence.

Sky was still a bit hesitant to allow a guest in her house helping out with the chores that SHE had to have taken care of. For a moment, she felt ashamed of being such a slob and thought she had embarrassed herself in front of company!

If her father ever saw her in this position! The shame! The dishonor! He’d probably threaten to commit seppukku like those old Samurai movies he loved to watch!

But, as mortifying as it was to get help from Officer Weirdo, Sky couldn’t help but have a sense of calm having him helping her with the heavy lifting and the icky stuff!

While she was dusting off some of the furniture, cleaning the tables and discarding small bits of trash, John would fill up large bags for the garbage and effortlessly carry several of them to the trash chute. What would’ve taken her a couple of hours to carry back and forth, it took him a handful of minutes while she wiped the surfaces clean and scrubbed them when necessary.

Having a busy little helper does have its benefits!

Sky knelt down by the sofas, noticing that there were some bits of trash under them and huffed. Out of reach… For a few moments she thought of using the broom to try and push the trash to an open space, but even that wasn’t enough to reach it. Guess it couldn’t be helped…

She looked behind her and saw John lifting the last bag of trash in his gloved hands and putting it aside while he checked every nook and cranny he had worked on. This guy certainly did his cleaning right!

“Umm… excuse me, John?” Sky called out to which John immediately perked up and looked at her. “Could you give me a hand moving this sofa a bit to the side? There’s… more stuff under it.”

Sky grumbled low to herself since she was still feeling embarrassed. But John smiled his simple calming smile, approached and nodded.

“Okay… so we’re both gonna-” Just as Sky was starting to give the instructions, John crouched for a moment, placed his hands at the bottom of the right side of the sofa and using a dead-lift movement he picked the sofa up with ease. Sky’s eyes grew wide with surprise.

“Will this do, Skylar?” John couldn’t see her while he lifted the sofa from that side, so he couldn’t see the shocked look in her eyes.

“Y-Yeah! This’ll do! This’ll do pretty well.” Sky quickly scampered to pick up the last bits of trash that were now easy to grab and finally got them all! “Okay! You can set it down.”

John was very careful when he set the sofa down. Sky watched how easily he had moved the sofa by himself and was able to notice his strong physique in action. This was the second time he had impressed her! John seemed to roll his shoulders a little after the effort, but didn’t seem at all bothered by it.

A few minutes later…

“ALRIGHT!!! The place is now sparkling!” Sky jumped triumphantly as she gazed at the perfectly clean and garbage free apartment! It had been ages since she’d seen the apartment this clean! Well… actually ever since mom and dad had to leave for their business trip. “Thanks so much for your help, John!”

When she looked around for John, she noticed that he was looking at a picture of her family and her. She approached him to try and get his attention, but the long look he gave that picture and the sadness she saw in his eyes kind of made her feel like he wasn’t too happy…

“John? Is everything okay?” Sky tried to get a better look at his eyes. Those light brown eyes of his turned slightly to look at her, which made his sad smile and lost gaze disappear into his usual expression.

“I’m alright, Skylar. Thank you. I was just…” He pointed at the picture of her family. “Your parents look like good people…”

“Oh! Yeah… I guess.” Sky pouted and crossed her arms in a petulant way. “Sure, they’re nice enough to pay the bills and have a place for me to live in. Not that they’d ever consider that being all by myself sucks! Good people indeed, leaving their daughter all by herself…”

She caught herself noticing that she was openly accepting that she didn’t like to be alone. Darn it! She didn’t want anyone to see her this weak! Especially this guy! But something in the way he said that her parents were good people made her angry and petty. Like saying something nice about her parents was enough to ruin her mood.

John didn’t seem to mind her mild tantrum. Instead, his eyes returned to look at the picture. He was no longer smiling when he spoke next…

“I never knew my parents…”

Sky’s eyes widened a bit as she looked at John. She felt a strange tug in her heart when he said those words.

“Oh… J-John… I-I’m sorry… I…” Sky turned her face away for a moment. She didn’t know how to act in these situations anymore.

“It’s alright, Skylar. Nobody’s perfect…”

There he went again saying those words that had soothed her all day long. But this time he said it with a bit of sadness in his voice.

“O-Okay…” She let the silence linger for too long. All she could hear was the low hum of the power and the low whisper of the stove. Feeling strangled by the mood, Sky was about to walk towards the kitchen when…

“I was an orphan. My whole childhood I lived in an orphanage.” John carefully picked up the picture he’d been staring at for a while. “By the time I became a teenager, I was so full of anger and bitterness that I ran away from the orphanage. Started fending for myself…”

Sky approached John to get a better look at him. Then she looked at the picture: There she was, smiling and holding on to her parents - she was the perfect mirror image of her mother with the same color of eyes and hair. Her father was also smiling, but his expression was less friendlier than her mother or hers. He always looked like he had a frown on his face, even when he smiled. She remembered the day they took that photo… were they THAT happy back then? She then looked at John who was smiling again… like a memory had given him back some joy.

“One day, I met Detective O’Malley. He talked to me, told me what every boy needs to know to become a real man and straightened me out. He’s my mentor and the person I admire the most. I guess you could say he was like a father to me. Though I’m not sure he actually thinks the same.” As carefully as he could, John placed the picture back to its place with a sense of utmost respect. Sky saw the way he took a deep breath and let it out in a deep, heavy sigh.

“W-Was… no… never mind,” Sky had started but looked down embarrassed, “It’s none of my business… apologies. I shouldn’t ask.”

John turned to look at Sky and noticed how her mood had changed dramatically. He noticed how her eyes were downcast as if trying to hide her emotions. He knew that trick himself… he used it when he was a kid… Having pity on the emotional girl, he reached out and gently placed his hand over her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

“Ask me all the questions you’d like, Skylar. If your question might cross a line, I’ll politely let you know. I promise.”

Sky looked up at John who was trying to comfort her. She was still puzzled as to how John was so trusting of her and why she felt like she could trust him in turn. Other than her closest friends, she rarely trusted others. John felt trustworthy enough after all the shows of kindness he’d done so far.

“Thank you, John. Umm… let’s leave the moody talk for another time, shall we? We still haven’t had dinner yet.” Sky slowly backed away from John’s hand which he pulled back and gave her space.

“Of course. What new cooking miracle did you create tonight, Skylar?” John smiled expectantly at the prospect of enjoying Sky’s cooking.

Sky took a deep breath and recomposed herself as fast as she could as she led John to the dining table. “Well you seemed to like the dish I made last night with the small bits of ingredients you had. So, tonight you’ll get to taste the REAL DEAL, Officer Roads! Blue Sky’s Super Curry! You just set the table while I get the food, okay?”

John nodded and dutifully began to arrange the table as instructed. Sky dashed into the kitchen and once John could no longer see her she sank on the floor.

“W-What was that…? W-Why did he tell me all that? It’s not like he’s all buddy-buddy with me. He’s not trying to get close to me! So why is he being so nice and honest with me!?”

He’s an orphan. He’s lived his whole life alone. He only has a mentor or something. And here she was! Complaining about her parents! He doesn’t even know who his mom and dad are… How can a man with such a sad story be such a nice person!

“It doesn’t make any sense…” Sky finally stood up. She went to the stove where the curry was still warm and ready to be eaten.

Going a bit on autopilot, she stirred the contents and made sure to serve it on two plates. She made sure John’s portion was larger than hers. But even as she did this, she kept thinking of her parents… that picture John was looking at… that sad look in his eyes, was it perhaps jealousy?

Or… was he feeling lonely, like her?

For a moment, she felt another tear fall from her eyes. She was surprised by how emotional she’d been feeling lately. Maybe her own loneliness was getting to her…

Meanwhile, John was silently setting the table, but his thoughts were on what he’d just confessed to Skylar. He had no business burdening the girl with his problems, let alone the story of his life before he was straightened out. She had her own problems and her own affairs to worry about to add his own traumas into the mix.

But when he talks to her, even with all of her chaotic energy and how loud she can get, he can’t help but notice something he’s deeply attuned to. Despite her smiles, her trendy looks, her emotional outbursts and outspoken demeanor… despite the way she spoke with such bitterness and anger directed to her parents, he could easily tell…

She was terribly lonely… like he was.

Maybe this was the reason why he revealed his past to her. Maybe this was all an attempt to connect with someone who was in need of company…

Maybe…

A few moments later, Sky appeared with two plates of the aforementioned curry. Her face was beaming with enthusiasm as she placed both plates on the table and arranged the naan bread for them. John was instantly drawn back to the real world when he caught the scent of the meal. His eyes lit up like birthday candles when he saw what real curry looked and smelled like!

“Holy smokes! Is… Is that the real deal, Skylar?” John stared at the contents of his plate with the admiration of a true foodie!

“Sure is! I bet you’re not finding a better plate of curry in all of Seaview!” Sky declared proudly as she sat down by her plate and remained still for a moment. When she noticed that John was just about to dig in, she tapped her finger on the table loudly. “Atatata! Not yet, Officer Roads! In this house we must show our appreciation!”

John stopped moving and simply waited for Sky to give the signal. “So… how do we go about that? Do we say grace or…?”

Sky smiled inwards because she had done this particular ritual in one of her livestreams when the topic of Japanese traditions became a trend. Now she had the chance to do it with an audience of one.

“It’s simple! You put your hands together, like you’re praying,” Sky placed both palms together at the level of her chest. John emulated her gesture while still listening, “Then we’re going to say the following together: Itadakimasu! Got it?”

John looked a bit puzzled. He seemed to fumble a bit with the words, which made Sky’s eyebrow twitch a bit. But then he said: “Itadakimasu… did I get it right?” Sky smiled and nodded. “What does that mean?”

“It’s a common phrase we say before enjoying a meal. Its literal meaning is: ‘I humbly receive’. In Japanese culture, it’s a form of gratitude and a show of respect for the food and all the people and efforts involved in bringing this meal to our table. From the fields, to our homes and to our tables. Got it?” Sky smiled brightly when she saw understanding in John’s nod.

“So… Do we say it on our own time or do we do this together?”

“We do this together, silly! On three. Ready?” John nodded. “One… Two… Three!”

“Itadakimasu!” 

Both of them said those words in perfect unison. When they looked each other in the eye, they both burst out laughing and finally began to eat.

9:45 PM

Dinner had passed in a quick blur for Sky and John. Despite their cheerful mood when they began to eat, there was a certain feeling of cordial respect for the other’s privacy. Sky felt she didn’t have the right to ask anymore questions to John after he had so openly revealed parts of his past. John in turn felt he shouldn’t trouble Sky anymore than he already did after she kindly invited her into her home (even if it was “a little messy” at first), shared a meal and even her culture with him. He even felt like there wasn’t much he could do to repay this kindness…

By the time they had finished their meal, John had helped Sky with the dishes, which she was grateful for since every now and then they kind of slipped from her grip and ended up breaking a plate or two… When they had done cleaning up, Sky had been nice enough to split the leftovers so that John could take some for himself. He looked like he’d been blessed by the gods when she did this. He always had a way of making simple gestures like these look weird in her eyes… he was hopeless…

Sky led John to the small reception where he collected his sneakers and left the slippers he’d used while inside.

“Thank you again for dinner, Skylar. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this was the finest meal I’ve had in ages.” John’s words clearly made Sky’s ego grow as she stood proudly.

“Didn’t I tell ya? Best.Curry.In.All.Seaview! Hah!” Sky was now on cloud nine! Mission complete!

“Now if you could apply the same skill into cleaning your-”

“YOU WILL NEVER SPEAK OF THIS TO ANYONE, OFFICER ROADS!” Once again, John’s honest opinions had caused the volcano to erupt. “Geez! You’d think you’d keep those comments to yourself!”

“Sorry, sorry…” John laughed softly at her outburst. “I can’t help it, Skylar. I just can’t bring myself to lie or be dishonest with you.”

Sky felt something odd when he said those words… it wasn’t anger, it wasn’t joy or anything she might’ve felt before… what the hell was this pinch… in her chest?

“Well, thanks again for the meal, Skylar. I’ll be enjoying the leftovers you’ve given me as well.” He patted the small container she’d lent to him to bring the curry home with him. “Good night.”

“Y-Yeah… Good night. John! Wait a moment…” Sky called out to which John answered by staying put. “I.. appreciate your honesty… and… you sharing… you know… your story.”

She glanced to the side to try to hide how flustered she felt. What kind of sappy, cheesy scene from a movie was this!? But when John looked at her with those honest eyes and that simple smile on his lips, she couldn’t help but feel that strange pinch in her chest stinging just a little bit more.

“Thank you for listening to it.” John nodded at her with utmost respect.

“Umm… if you’re ever hungry again, or something… you can come knocking! I… wouldn’t mind having you over for dinner again.”

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING SKYLAR SORA AOI!?” She yelled at herself in her mind as her face exploded with embarrassment. “Don’t say anything else, Officer Weirdo! Don’t be a nice person anymore!!!”

“Only if I’m allowed to pitch in with the ingredients. Sounds fair?”

“What’re you doing, John? You can’t be socializing with this young lady. She’s a minor, a high school student and your neighbor. And you’re a Police Officer. Don’t you dare cross the line, John Roads.” John had perfect control of his facial expressions. If he didn't, Sky would be able to see the conflict written on his face.

“You’re on! I’ll send you the ingredients I need for the night’s dinner, you buy ‘em, I’ll cook ‘em!”

“OMG!OMG!OMG! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND, SKY!?” Sky’s inner monologue was quickly showing in her blushing face.

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Really smooth, John… now you can’t back out! Just remember! Don’t EVER disrespect her.” John continued to be the living embodiment of stoicism, even if his inner dialogue was cautionary.

“Good night, John!” Sky went into her apartment and closed the door behind her, locking it tight.

“Good night, Skylar.” John returned to his apartment and closed the door under lock and key.

10:00 PM

Sky had retreated back into her now-clean living room and sat on the large sofa while holding on to a large pillow. Her mind was racing after all the events that had happened during the evening since John had come for dinner. She’d seen through a crack of a window into the past of her unusual neighbor.

While she was trying to make sense of what she was feeling, her smartphone began to shudder intermittently without stopping. A call from mom!

“Hello?”

“Hey Sora-chan! It’s Mom! Sorry I’m calling you so late. Did I catch you having dinner?”

“No, mom. I… just finished having dinner with a… friend.”

“Oh? That’s nice to hear! I always worry that you’re all alone in that big apartment.”

For a moment, Sky felt her anger boiling. She felt like her parents were the reason why she was all alone in this big apartment!

I never knew my parents…

The memory of John’s words suddenly made her anger vanish.

“It’s okay, mom… It’s tough. But… you and dad raised a tough daughter!” She had to act strong. She couldn’t show weakness to them!

“We’re very proud of you Sora-chan, for your courage and understanding. It makes us feel better to know you’re able to stay strong. When we get back, we’d like to spend some time with you.”

“I’d like that. Ummm… is dad there with you?”

“I’m sorry, sweety. He’s currently in talks with the clients. You know he’s extremely busy.”

Sky curled into a ball again and felt resentful once more. She just wanted to talk to him for a second, but even her own father couldn’t spare a moment to talk to his own daughter! Then she thought about John again…

...I was so full of anger and bitterness... Sky felt a tear rolling down her cheek…

“It’s okay, mom… Nobody’s perfect... just… tell dad I love him.”

“Of course, Sora-chan! I have to get back to work. But I’ll call back tomorrow! I love you, sweetheart!”

“Love you too, mom…”

The call got disconnected… Sky was struggling to understand all these conflicting emotions she was feeling. She was angry, but also sad. She wanted to be independent, but she hated being alone. She resented her parents, but she also loved them… and missed them terribly.

And in the middle of that storm was her strange neighbor… John…

Just then, she heard the sound of a guitar playing from John’s apartment. The tune had a sense of longing and melancholy. Sky leaned closer to the wall, resting her back against it while she heard the song…

“Just who ARE you, John Roads?”

Meanwhile, in John’s apartment, the moment he entered his home, the officer went to the fridge and carefully placed Sky’s curry inside. Took one of his water bottles and sat down on his couch looking confused.

He was breaking his routine in ways that he’d never done before. He was doing police work that directly involved his neighbors. He even got Nick Banks to help him bring down the Law on the landlord.

And then he had the audacity to enter a lady’s apartment, offer to clean it up and step on one of her… the nerve!!!

Just then, John’s phone began to buzz. It was a message from Detective O’Malley!

“Hey, Johnny! Hope this message finds you well, ya lil’ scamp!

Just wanted to let you know my big case has finally been closed, so I’ll be heading back to Seaview in a couple days.

Let me know what shifts you’re gettin’ at the precinct so we can meet up at your place. We’ll grab some pizza, watch a game or two, just like ol’ times, eh boyo? Hah!

I’ll call ya when I hit the ground. See ya around, kid!

P.S. You know you can always message me when you need to talk. Don’t go waiting on me to text you or something. Don’t go hurting an ol’ man’s feelings, ya hear?”

John smiled at the message and sent his usual laconic answer of: “Yes, Sir.”

For a moment, he looked around his apartment and found it very quiet and very empty. He wasn’t sure if it was the absence of his mentor or the fact that his mind was still focused on the poor young woman next door.

Why’d she invite him for dinner again? Why’d he say yes? Why did he volunteer to do something completely out of character for him?

I.. appreciate your honesty… and… you sharing… you know… your story.

John kept seeing the honest and sincere feelings that poured from every expression in Sky’s face and couldn’t help but feel compelled to protect the fiery yet kind heart of his neighbor.

Unable to process all these thoughts and emotions, he grabbed his guitar and checked if it was in tune. Grateful that it was perfectly tuned, he began to play a soft song from when he was a kid… Every tune carried with it the emotions he had kept hidden from the world. He couldn’t cry anymore, he couldn’t express his emotions as openly anymore. He could always use music to express himself… He always poured all those bad feelings and sad emotions into his music.

Tonight, thanks to Sky’s hospitality and her honest heart, he wanted to let it all out and replace it with gratitude. To show gratitude and respect to the young woman who made him feel something he thought he’d buried a while back. His hands began to move with expertise and abandon.

To think that she’d been on his mind all day… even now she still lingered there…

“Who are you, Skylar Aoi?”

Guess “mystery” is for dessert tonight.