Hello everyone! First thing first, happy Halloween to those who celebrate it!

I feel like I owe you all an apology and explanation for my absence these past months. As a rule, I try not to talk about my personal life on the internet since I don't think I have any reason to weight anyone down with my problems, since I am quite certain you all have your own. On that note, I will not give you any of the intricate details, but a chain of events that have occurred since July have left me both physically and mentally exhausted, and I currently find myself with very little time and energy to pursue any of my interests.

This however does not mean that I will stop writing! It merely means that the updates will be a bit sparser than I originally planned, until things get back on track at least. I hope you all understand.

On a different and happier note…OH MY GOD WE REACHED 100 REVIEWS! AND OVER ! Thank you all so much! All your amazing feedback is the true fuel of this story. Here's to you! It will take me a while to answer to all your lovely reviews, but I will be thanking every single one of you (with the exception of my lovely anons, whom I cannot message, unfortunately)!

So to celebrate this landmark (and also because I owe you all an apology for the late update) I was thinking of writing an extra chapter! And I was considering that it would be nice if I re-wrote chapter 7 from Bucky's POV. Of course I am open to suggestions, so if you have any better ideas, drop them in the comments or PM me!

So, having all this said and done, here's the chapter! This one is dedicated to my best friends, who were the inspirations for Annika and Ekaterina.

XoXo,

Lady Turwaithiel

I own nothing but my OCs

Of flowers, coffee and plum tarts

Chapter 8: Of friendships and crushes

The sun was shining brightly over Bucharest, filling the streets with light and people enjoying the beautiful day and crisp air.

Chloe skipped cheerfully down the street, coffee in hand, grin on her lips. She looked around, searching.

"Chloe!" two voices echoed from her side, and her eyes finally found a waving Annika and Kat, standing at the corner of the street.

Aha!

"Good morning!" she chirped rushing towards them, slightly breathless; her nose a bit red from the cool air.

"Can you be in time for once?" Kat huffed and smiled brightly as she hugged her friend.

Annika said nothing; instead she stared at the object in Chloe's hands with horror.

"Please tell me you are not actually late because you stopped to get Starbucks." she finally murmured, aghast.

Chloe sniffed and raised her head defiantly.

"I did."

Annika pinched the bridge of her nose.

"And is that what I think it is?" she asked, looking almost pained.

Chloe raised an eyebrow and slowly took a sip from her Pumpkin Spice Late.

"Aaaah…" she sighed with pleasure "Tastes like autumn."

"If autumn was an overpriced, overly sweet, fake flavored mess of a beverage." Annika growled.

"Sue me, I'm not even ashamed!" Chloe grinned and raised her coffee "Cheers!"

Annika just shook her head with a smile, which dropped as soon as Kat smacked her on the head.

"Let the girl have her horrible taste in coffee!" she berated her friend.

Chloe gasped and clutched at her chest.

"Okay, you are both being judgmental and I'm very hurt. In the feelings."

The other two laughed, and Kat gave Chloe a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Eeeeewww…" Chloe whined, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand.

"It's punishment for being late!" Kat winked "And now let's get our asses shopping!"

Chloe smiled. Kat had been basically spamming them with request to go shopping, and although Chloe was not a big fan, it had been a long while since she had done this with friends; in fact she couldn't recall the last time she purchased an item of clothing.

The three girls crossed the road while Kat called the boys, whom she and Chloe would later find in the library in order to discuss their group project.

"So how's your grandpa?" Chloe turned to Annika with a frown.

The other girl shrugged.

"Just as he was; bones don't heal easily when you are his age. Worst part is he thinks he can handle himself just fine and just won't sit his butt down!"

Chloe huffed.

"My grandma is the same back home. And Mrs. K. keeps up the tradition."

"Mrs. K?" Annika asked, quite confused.

"Mrs. Adriana." Chloe explained "After the mouse incident, I have been telling her to give either Sergiu or me a pair of keys for her apartment; cause if anything happens, we really won't be able to go help!"

"Did she give it to you?"

"Yes, but only after Serge informed her he was about to break her door last time. She said he was a barbaric meathead and gave me the keys."

Annika laughed quietly, as Cloe drank her coffee.

"I am starting to pity the dude. He's caught between the scariest old lady I've ever seen and you."

"Hey!" Chloe almost chocked "What's wrong with me?"

"You're so noisy you could double as a white-sound machine."

Chloe squinted disdainfully.

"Don't make me hit you. You are so tiny, I will probably break you," she growled.

That seemed to hit a nerve, as Annika's nostrils flared.

"Call me tiny again, plant-head. I dare you."

Chloe smiled her evilest smile.

"What are you going to do, scratch my ankles?"

Quick as a snake, Annika poked Chloe in the ribs, making her yelp in surprise. Pouting, Chloe countered with a ferocious boop on the nose.

It would have gone on, if not for Kat, who was still struggling to make arrangements with the boys. Clearly annoyed, she pulled her phone from her ear and glared at them.

"If you two don't stop it, I will be forced to stop you myself."

The other two exchanged a look, and stepped away from each other with a pout.

"Killjoy…" Chloe murmured.

Kat just smiled victoriously and Chloe stuck her tongue out.

Joking aside, Kat was the last person on Earth Chloe would want to piss off, since she had almost twenty years of martial arts training on her back and it clearly showed.

Ekaterina was one of those people that command a presence; though she wouldn't be considered conventionally attractive with her hooked nose and overly sharp features, there was something mesmerizing about her. From her yellowish green eyes to her bone structure, she looked distinctively feline. Every time Chloe looked at Kat, she was reminded of a tiger.

At first Chloe had been weary of her, until the intimidating effect was shattered when she realized what a huge geek that girl was. Kat would passionately declare that one's Hogwarts House is a vital part of their identity and had actually forced Vasili and Annika to take the Pottermore Sorting Hat quiz, since they didn't know theirs.

And she owned an R2-D2 backpack, which she was currently sporting.

Chloe smiled when she spotted it.

What a nerd, she thought affectionately.

Chloe admired Kat a lot. She was wildly unapologetic about herself, from her beliefs to her tastes to her sexuality.

While Chloe was not exactly shy, she was always too eager to be liked and sometimes she put herself down for the sake of it; she was starting to change that though. Humbleness was one thing, dismissing her good qualities was another.

Like her amazing talent of burning her tongue with her coffee.

Chloe whined in pain, as Annika looked at her questioningly.

"I burned my tongue…" Chloe said piteously, making her friend close her eyes in exasperation and amusement.

"And I will burn you alive if you two don't hurry up!" Kat yelled in complete frustration.

"Yes ma'am…" Chloe mumbled as they hurried across the street.

"I look like a colorful tent." Annika huffed as she looked at the floral dress Chloe had forced her to try on.

"You look cute as hell." Kat disagreed.

"Which is incidentally where I'm from."

"Ha, ha, Annie. You're so funny." Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Also you are too skinny to ever come close at looking like a tent." Kat informed her "And blue is really your color. You are getting this."

Annika huffed and looked at her reflection critically. Finally she shrugged.

"Fine." she agreed "But I get to pick one thing for both of you."

Chloe blinked as Annika retreated in the changing room.

"You are not making me wear white!" she shouted at her.

"Chloe, you have red hair, white would look amazing on you. Stop being stubborn." her friend's voice echoed.

"Yes, white all over and red on top. It makes me look like a damn tampon."

Kat chocked on her water.

"Chloe! You are absolutely disgusting!" she said between violent bursts of giggles.

Chloe shrugged; while Annika's head popped behind the curtain to squint at her.

"Black."

"No."

"Black."

Chloe looked upwards in exasperation.

What have I done Lord, to suffer such tortures?

"Fine." she growled "Turn me into Black Widow."

Annika smirked and was once more hidden by the curtain.

"Black Widow is awesome and you should not take her name in vein." Kat threatened.

"Forgive me my insolence, good lady." Chloe laughed "I meant no disrespect for you celebrity crush."

"One day I will marry her, and then we'll see who's got the last laugh." Kat stated mater-of-factly.

Chloe just laughed harder.

Annika, exiting the changing room with the dress and a pair of jeans in her hands, joined in the conversation.

"Please do, the Avengers would have to be at the wedding, and I would sell my soul for a psychological profile of that bunch."

Kat and Chloe sighed at the same time as the returned to the main part of the store to browse for clothes.

"Yes Annie, we know…" they chimed together.

"I mean imagine that. The things they have seen." she went on, a familiar light sparkling in her eyes "Any normal person would have given up years ago. I can't imagine the trauma they have endured. And yet they go on. It's remarkable."

You are equally remarkable…Chloe almost said, but kept her mouth shut. She knew Annika didn't like her family be mentioned.

Annika was one of those people who life seemed to strike with misfortune after misfortune.

Her family got in a car crush when she was five; Annika being to sole survivor. She was then raised by her grandparents, but four years ago she lost her grandmother too. Then, two years ago, her grandad got too old to run their shop and her uncle took over. Then the absolute prick refused to give any of the business earnings to them; despite the fact that they were barely managing to get through with Annika's tiny salary and her grandfather's equally small pension.

Most people would have grown desperate. But Annika went on. She never complained. She worked double hours and took care of her grandfather, all the while studying hard to get her degree with quiet determination. Unlike Chloe, she was not a fan of talking, unless she had something important to say; and her input was always insightful. Perhaps a bit aloof, but inconceivably kind; ethereal in her presence but a true stoic in her soul; sarcastic in her views but violently hopeful for her future.

"I will get my degree and become a successful psychologist. My grandfather will never have to put anything back on the shelf because he can't afford it. Never. You'll see." she had once told Chloe, looking of in the distance with eyes made of steel.

Chloe admired the living shit out of her.

"Chloe, why are you staring at me like you're about to propose?" Annika interrupted her thoughts.

"Perhaps I am." Chloe answered, winking.

Annika raised a quizzical eyebrow, while Kat gasped.

"Traitor!"

"I'm not even your type, Kat." Chloe objected.

"That is true."

"And you already have a girlfriend." Annika added.

"That is also true."

"And if Annie and I go on like that we will die single!" Chloe continued with humorous gravity "You must allow us to find comfort in each other, since guys are a damn nightmare!"

"Speak for yourself crazy plant lady; I do just fine with guys." Annika said flatly, going through a stack of black dresses and pulling one out "What do you think of this one?"

"It will look amazing during your funeral." Chloe growled and Kat laughed; while Annika just ignored her comment and handed her the dress.

"Really though Chloe, what's up with your date life?" Kat said, while staring at a pair of boots.

Chloe shrugged.

"There's just nothing going on really." she said, still eyeing the dress Annika gave her wearily.

"When was the last time you went on a date?" Kat huffed.

"You remember, back in October; the Political Sciences guy who was cool until he asked me for a picture of my feet. No kink-shaming, but I am not that lonely."

Kat cringed.

"Okay, accepted. What about your neighbor?"

Chloe turned to look at her friend with a stunned look on her face; then burst into laughing.

"Sergiu? Nah. He definitely doesn't see me that way. Plus we are friends, kinda."

Kat raised an eyebrow.

"Sure…" she said, rolling her eyes.

"Really Kat! Seriously, he kinda reminds me of my big brothers. The idea of anything romantic feels super weird."

"Also, I think he might be gay."

Both Kat and Chloe turned to look at Annika with stunned expressions.

"What?" Chloe asked in shock.

"Shouldn't you have told her before she got a crush on him?!" Kat exclaimed, looking aghast.

Annika raised her hands defensively.

"I said might." she pointed out.

"Why do you think that though?" Chloe asked, extremely curious. The thought had briefly crossed her mind too, but she wasn't conceited enough to believe that just because a guy didn't like her it meant he didn't like girls at all.

"Well…" Annika dropped her voice "Dana- the other cashier in the shop," she stopped to explain to Kat "she always said so, but I think it's because she has been hitting on him since he came and he doesn't even seem to notice and she feels butt-hurt. Anyway, one time on my shift he was buying his groceries and another guy walks in, and Mr. Intense Face just froze. And stared. Like, intense staring. Never seen him react like that to anything before. It was weird."

"Huh…" Chloe said, knitting her eyebrows together "Was the other guy good looking?"

Annika shook her head.

"No, which is why I think I might have misread this one. He was just a short scrawny guy. Blond hair. A few pimples. Not the kind of man you usually stare at."

Kat shrugged.

"Weird." she said and turned to Chloe "Haven't you noticed anything?"

Chloe shook her head.

"Nothing I can think of, really. He's way too quiet and stoic for me to conclude much. But anyway, it doesn't really matter."

"True, you're friendzoned anyway." Kat laughed.

Chloe huffed.

"I am generally friendzoned. I think most guys want to play Mario Cart with me, not date me."

"Well, actually…" Annika said, handing Kat a pale pink dress.

"I am not wearing that!" the other girl complained.

"Shush!" Annika snapped at her, and started pushing her two friends towards the changing rooms.

"You were saying?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, actually, I think Vasili likes you quite a bit."

Chloe stopped dead on her tracks.

"What? Noooo…" she said disbelievingly. Both Kat and Annie raised their eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, wasn't that obvious?" Kat asked in surprise "I thought you were just ignoring him!"

"Girls no!" Chloe laughed, finally shaking the shock off and heading inside the changing room "He's flirty with everyone!"

"Well, he isn't with me." Annie's voice echoed from outside.

"And flirting with me doesn't actually count." Kat's added.

Chloe looked at her reflection thoughtfully, as she put on the dress Annika had picked.

She liked Vasili, but she didn't like like him.

He's cute, I suppose…And he makes me laugh. And he gifted me his scarf when I lost mine.

She frowned and eyed her reflection.

Oh, this dress actually looks nice!

"Chloe?" a cheerful voice echoed from behind the curtain "Why are you silent?"

"Oh let me be, Kat!" she huffed as she pulled the curtain "I don't need a boyfriend, okay?"

"Do you even remember the last time you had sex, sweetheart?" Kat asked slyly from her own changing room.

Chloe opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, speechless. Kat just immerged with the pink dress Annika had suggested, looking extremely weird in the colour, and smiled wickedly. Annika was just leaning on the wall, her staring at her phone.

"Rude!" Chloe exclaimed with raised eyebrows "And take off that dress."

"I will take that as a no."

Her lips formed a pout as she glared at Kat.

Oh, you are a smart one, Ms. Ekaterina, so smart!

"Okay, if you want to know, I do remember, but I am not telling you, and we are dropping this subject right now and Annie you stop smiling. And you both tell me what you think of the dress." she blurted, placing her hands on her hips and barely stopping herself from stomping her foot down.

"Marvelous." Annika said flatly, tearing her gaze off the screen.

"Breathtaking." Kat agreed in a much livelier tone.

Chloe huffed.

"Annie, pay attention, you wanted me to buy this!"

"I already knew you would look great."

"Aaaaaaaaaw so sweet!" Chloe cooed with a bright smile appearing on her lips, despite her intention to appear sarcastic

"And what about me?" Kat asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh I knew you would look ridiculous, I just like seeing you suffer."

Chloe laughed as Kat threw a shoe towards Annika, who easily dodged.

"So you think I should get it?" she asked, eyeing her own dress.

"Yep." both her friends said.

Chloe twirled around, still a bit thoughtful. It was a nice dress, but she always avoided black; her paleness combined with the shade of red she chose for her hair made her look a bit too goth for her taste.

"I look slightly witchy…" she huffed.

"Well it is nearly Halloween." Annie deadpanned.

"Speaking off!" Kat exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with pure joy "Are you two still up for the excursion?"

Annika sighed and looked at her feet.

"I don't know Kat…I mean, I doubt grandpa will be able healthy enough to take care of himself for three days…"

"Come on Annie! Transylvania for Halloween! We will dress up and go to Dracula's Castle and we will drink and have fun! Chloe, say something!"

"Well, my only two problems are that I strongly insist that you don't drive Kat, since last time I saw my entire life flashing before my eyes…"

Kat rolled her eyes "My car, my house, my rules!"

"Okay fine, make sure we are all actual ghosts for Halloween. But I also need to have someone plant-sit."

Chloe winced in pain as both her friends turned to look at her with dumbfounded expressions.

But hell be damned, Chloe was not leaving without making sure her plants would be taken of. She was aware that not many could understand how deeply she cared for them; she loved them the way most people love their pets.

But pets can love you back, she remember being told over and over.

And so do plants, in their own way. The smell of dirt, the feeling of rough bark and smooth stem and velvet petals beneath her fingertips, the beautiful colour and scent of flowers; their very image as they bloomed or as plants grew and grew higher and stronger… Nothing in this whole wide world made Chloe more content, more serene. Sometimes when she was sad ore upset she would make a circle with her plants and lie among them, looking at them as the towered above her, the light filtering through their leaves, and all would be well.

"I am serious." she told Kat and Annie, making sure she let it show just how much she meant it "I am not leaving them without water for three days."

Kat huffed and turned her gaze to the skies for patience.

"What about the old lady who leaves below you?"

Chloe stared at her in horror.

"I am not making a ninety-two years old woman climb all those stairs to water my plants. No. Absolutely not."

"Sexy neighbor?"

Chloe chewed on her lip.

It was a solution; however, she felt like she had started relying too much on Sergiu's help. She didn't want to be needy or take advantage of all the kindness he had shown her.

"I am not asking his for his help again. Also…" she chewed on her lip, contemplating weather she should share that little nagging feeling she had been having lately.

"Also?" Kat encouraged her and Chloe sighted.

"I am getting the feeling he's been avoiding me. Since the mouse incident."

"What? Why?" Kat said, completely taken aback "I thought you two were buddies."

Chloe waved her hand around.

"We are on friendly terms, but we don't exactly braid each other's hair, Kat. I think maybe I overshared a bit and it made him uncomfortable? I don't know. Anyway, I have asked his help far too many times and honestly I can't keep buying cream puffs every other day..."

"Look, I really don't think I'll be able to come…" Annika said softly, flashing an apologetic look at Kat "So I could do it. At least Chloe can come then."

Kat sighed.

"I will really feel bad if we go without you…" she huffed "But I suppose that can work...Right Chloe?"

Chloe smiled and nodded.

"Yes, thank you Annie!" she said and hugged the girl.

"Knock it off!" the girl whined as Chloe tried to kiss her on the cheek "Take that love off of me!"

"You are the best and we will miss you but I love you!" Chloe sang, still not letting go and managing to land an extra sloppy kiss.

"Chloe I will murder all your plants if you don't let me go!"

Chloe giggled and soon all her friends followed.

"But seriously Kat." Annika suddenly stopped "That colour does look hideous on you, take the dress off."

It was a chilly Wednesday afternoon, just two days before their planned excursion.

Chloe had been working on her plants for a couple of hours, removing dead foliage and stems, pruning, and checking for pests; even though she had already done so a week ago, and was quite sure she would check again before she left. She knew that it was not likely that something would go wrong in the span of three days, but Annika wouldn't be able to do any of those things if needed, and Chloe was anxious to make her friend's job as easy as possible.

She was kneeled on the floor, carefully removing blossoms and dead leaves from her Pleomele plant, when her phone rang. She reached for it, but stopped as she eyed her dirt-covered hand.

"Shit." she cursed under her breath, looking around for something to wipe it with, seriously not wanting to cover her phone in mud.

Glancing at the screen, she saw Annika's name flashing, and still unable to find anything helpful, wiped her hand on her pants and picked up.

"Hello Annie!" she said cheerfully, still scanning her plant for any dead leaves.

"Hey Chloe!" echoed Annika's voice, sounding so unusually excited that Chloe paused for a second, until a smile spread on her face.

"Hey! What's up? You sound extra cheerful!"

"Yeah well…" Annika hesitated for a moment "I have good news that will cause a small problem."

"Elaborate please?"

"I am coming!" Annika burst out, sounding like a giddy child.

"What, really?!" Chloe exclaimed, both in shock and extreme excitement.

"Yes! You won't believe it, but my uncle heard about it and he told me he will take care of grandpa so I can come! Said girls my age should have a bit of fun!"

"Seriously? Your uncle? The one that makes you work extra hours without paying you for them?"

"The one and only!" she sighed, but her excitement was still so palpable that Chloe could practically feel her beaming "He was pretty wild in his youth, and I think he struck a chord with him, I guess. Point is I am coming!"

"Annie that is awesome!" Chloe screeched, feeling honestly so happy. Annika almost never got out the house for anything but work and studies; she deserved this trip more than any of them.

"Yeah, but…" Annika said in a guilty tone "What about your plants?"

Chloe sighed and smiled.

"Don't be silly, I will take care of it!"

"I am sorry..."

Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Stop guilt tripping yourself woman, not everything is your responsibility!" she scolded her friend "Just relax, I will find someone before you can say 'spooky scary Halloween'!"

"That is super long, Chloe…"

"Shush!"

Annika laughed, and Chloe smiled at the sound. She seriously couldn't get disappointed about plant sitting when her friend was so excited.

"Anyway, thought I should let you know so that you can search for a replacement."

"Yep, thank you!" Chloe said, then giggled "Oh my god Annie, we will have so much fun! It will be awesome! We will tell scary stories and watch crappy horror films!"

"We can also jump-scare the boys."

"That too. Though it will start a war, I warn you." Chloe said grievously, while a wicked smile spread on her lips.

"Let them come."

They both laughed and talked a bit more, until Annika hang up to go prepare dinner.

Chloe sighed and stretched, looking around at the pots of plants.

Well babies, seems like I need to find you a new baby-sitter.

It took her one more hour to finish up and take a shower, and by that time the sun going down, lighting up the view from her window with a beautiful sunset. Chloe made herself a cup of Oolong, put on some Ella Fitzgerald and curled on the windowpane with a blanket; watching as the sunset painted the sky with wonderful reds and oranges and lined the clouds with vibrant golden and hazy pinks. She watched as darkness slowly but surely took over and one by one, the streetlights of Bucharest started lighting up.

At some point after nigh had completely descended on the city, she heard a muffled sound coming from the stairs, and eventually reaching the corridor. She sat up a bit as she heard the jangle of keys and the creak of a door.

Chloe sighed and placed her empty cup on the windowpane as she got off of it and threw her blanket on the sofa.

Well Paylor, time to go ask a favor. Again.

She decided to wait a bit though, not wanting to knock on his door as soon as he got into his house. She didn't want to look like she had been waiting for him to return.

Instead, with an epiphany hitting her, she headed to the kitchen and retrieved the last blueberry muffin from its box. She had gotten a bunch of those from the bakery a few days ago, when she went to buy cream puffs to say "thank you" for the whole mouse incident.

She had been dreaming of eating this last one the following morning, but she felt odd knocking on Sergiu's door completely empty handed. She waited for a few more minutes, before she started heading for the door; as she passed before the open bathroom door she caught herself checking at her reflection.

No Chloe, bad Chloe! She berated herself. It doesn't matter how you look, now get your bunny-slipper wearing feet out that door!

With a determined puff, she strutted across the living room, opened the door, took the few steps that separated her door from his, raised her hand, and lingered in that position for a second.

Come on girl. You got this.

Nodding approvingly at herself and trying to ignore her fast beating heart, she knocked the door rhythmically and took a step back. She didn't get to catch a breath before she heard shuffling and the door opened just an inch.

"Hello!" she greeted as happily as she could, smiling at the single blue eye that was visible from the tiny crack.

"Hi." Sergiu said, sounding slightly concerned as he now opened the door just enough for himself to be visible, yet obscuring the insides of his apartment from her line of vision. Chloe was suddenly very self-conscious as he eyed her questioningly; waiting for the reason she came knocking.

A couple of silent seconds followed, before Chloe finally cleared her throat and extended her hand.

"I brought you a muffin." she blurred out and almost hurled herself on the wall as soon as the words came out.

Smooth Chloe.

Sergiu looked at the muffin, then back at her, and frowned.

"Why?" he asked, now confused, on the verge of suspicious.

Chloe flinched slightly and cleared the throat once more, while transferring her weight from one foot to the other.

So smooth.

"Okay well…" she said, smiling awkwardly and deciding to just get on with it "I might or might not be bribing you because I need a favor."

He raised his eyebrows, leaning slightly on the doorframe, but said no word.

Right. Not the most talkative fellow. Damn blue looks so good on him. Focus on the subject at hand Chloe.

She huffed and hunched her shoulders a bit.

"My friends will be going to Transylvania this weekend for Halloween, well actually from Friday till Sunday, my friend Kat has a house there, but anyway no matter, and originally one of them wouldn't come but after all she will, and I really want to go too, but I can't leave my plants without having someone to at least water them, and my friend who originally wouldn't come was supposed to do that but now she can't since she's coming too, and I would ask Mrs. Adrianna but I would feel bad if she had to climb all these stairs."

He blinked a few times, trying to decipher what the meaning behind that onslaught of words was.

Chloe bit her lip and looked down again.

"What I trying to say is, um, would you be able to take care of my plants for three days? I mean there's no problem if you can't, I will figure something out, and I am really sorry for asking you for a favor again, I completely understand if you have better things to do, worst case scenario I will just not go, it's not the end of the world after all, but if you could I would really be very grateful and- "

"Okay."

Chloe blinked a few times and before she could stop it, she found herself grinning.

"Really?!" she exclaimed, barely able to keep her voice from turning into a shrill.

He just nodded. Chloe seriously considered hugging him for a second, then thought better of it.

Instead she just smiled him her best, brightest smile she could master.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise its nothing difficult, I will leave you very clear instructions, it won't take too much of your time, I have already done all the other things that need to be done, oh thank you so much! I am so sorry for putting you in trouble!"

He shook his head.

"No problem."

"You are the best neighbor that ever neighbored!" she beamed at him and extended the muffin once more for him to take.

He eyed it and shook his head again.

"Keep it."

"But-"

"I don't like muffins very much. You will appreciate more than me."

Chloe drew her hand back and looked at him like the human ray of hidden sunshine that he was.

"Thank you." she mumbled again, clutching the muffin.

He just nodded.

Another couple of seconds passed before Chloe realized it was turning awkward.

"So how have you been? I haven't seen you in a while."

"Good."

Okay he is in no mood for chit-chat.

"Glad to hear that!" she smiled "I will stop being a bother now and let you rest! Sorry once more for the trouble."

He shook his head.

"I told you, no need." he said and his lips trembled a bit in what seemed like an attempt at his usual ghostly smirks. Chloe frowned, but before she could speak, he interrupted her "So when are you leaving?"

"Friday morning! I will leave the keys under my doormat for you."

"No need, I wake up early. Just knock."

"Oh, okay." she said, starting to feel more and more like she was running out of things to talk about, but not wanting to leave just yet. There was something in his eyes that troubled her; he didn't look very well.

"Sergiu…" she started carefully, unable stop herself "Are you sure you're okay?"

He tilted his head to the side, his gaze suddenly very focused on her.

"Yes, why?" he asked, almost coldly.

Chloe swallowed. She had seen him distant, and she had heard other people call him hostile, but she had never seen that side of him before. He was clearly upset about something.

She chose her next words carefully.

"You have always been so kind to me –I know you say it's nothing, but it's a lot to me. You always help me out, even if you have no reason to. So, what I am trying to say is that if you ever need any help, with anything whatsoever, I am right next door."

She was aware that this was a bit much, considering they had officially met just this month, but it was in her nature to try and be helpful, even for people she didn't know for long or very well. Especially if they had been nothing but kind.

He stared at her for a solid second before he spoke.

"Okay." he finally said without any distinct emotion in his voice.

"Great!" she smiled, deciding that was her cue to go "So, I guess we'll talk on Friday."

"Yes."

"Thank you again for everything. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight."

And with that, he shut his door and Chloe retreated in her apartment. She drifted to the kitchen, carefully returned her muffin to its box. Leaning on the counter, she took a deep breath.

He didn't seem fine at all. In fact, she barely recognized him; there was nothing about him that reminded her of the little sarcastic twat she had come to know.

Had something happened? Was he tight economically? Had he gotten in fight? Or maybe he was just tired and she was being paranoid?

She frowned as a thought popped up in her head.

Could he be mad at her?

He had seemed to avoid her for these past four days, but then again maybe they just hadn't run into each other. It wouldn't be so odd after all.

Not everything is about you Chloe, she scolded herself.

But she couldn't help but try to remember anything she might have said or done that could have annoyed him. But truly, she couldn't think of anything. On the contrary, last time they interacted, he seemed to be having fun.

She sighed once more and stretched her leg absentmindedly.

She couldn't know unless he told her, so there was not much point in fretting about it. Some things are bound to remain mysteries, or reveal themselves in time.

With that thought in mind, she allowed herself to smile and let out a squeak of delight.

"Transylvania here I come!"

Song of the chapter:

But not for me –Doris Day