I traversed the hallway to our bedroom as quietly as possible taking every care in the world to avoid squeaky floorboards—not that there are any—and moveable objects—not that there were any. Coming to the doorway I stopped just short of entering the room and instead chose to lean against the frame looking in. Nell was seated—quite adorably—at the desk hunched over a textbook with a notebook to her side. I never would have suspected before what a pleasure it could be to do homework—that is as long as you weren't the one who was doing it. She had started a correspondence course in, of all things, accounting two months before.
She must have sensed my presence because a few minutes after I settled in she turned around and looked at me questioningly.
"How's it coming?" I asked walking all the way into the room now that I had been busted.
"Along," she responded watching my progress.
"Funny," I responded. "We're starting to make the same jokes, you know?"
"That's horrible," Nell said as I plopped down on the bed. "I never thought you were funny," she continued her face somber for a moment before dissolving into a grin. I ignored her and got up walking over to the desk so that I could peer over her shoulder. All I could see was a bunch of numbers and charts.
"You honestly CHOSE to study this?" I asked making a face. She merely nodded her head. We had had this discussion already, many times. I couldn't fathom why anyone in their right mind would want to work with numbers all day. Part of this stemmed from the fact that I hate math, and the other part stemmed from the fact that I hate math—okay, so basically it was the math part that had me stumped. Still, that being said I could see pencil-necks doing it, but Nell wasn't a pencil neck. "Why?"
"It was near the top of the list," she responded looking back at the books. I smiled. Apparently it was sarcastic answer time. When we had talked about it before she had given me serious answers like she found the order involved in it calming, or her father had been an accountant, or it was a viable means of income and so on and so forth. Now she didn't even bother.
"Are you finished?" I whispered bending down and nibbling on her ear suggestively.
"No," she responded.
"Why not?" I whined. I had finished my work; she should be done too. That's how things would work in a fair world.
"Theo, did you ever actually GO to school?" Nell asked leaning back into me. I smiled.
"Sure I went IN it," I responded nuzzling her neck as my hands drifted to her waist.
"Be good," she said knocking them away.
"Fine," I said retreating over to the bed and lying down. "I'll amuse myself," I declared.
As I settled myself on the bed I noticed that she was wearing the same pajamas she wore the first night we were at Hill House and my mind began to drift back. Our first night at Hill House was the first decent nights sleep I had gotten in God only knew how long. However the night was memorable for more reasons than that. It had also marked a key shift in my relationship with Nell. In less than twenty-four hours she had gone from avoiding my touch to inviting me to stay in her bed. It was a pretty impressive improvement; I thought—even if the reason she invited me was because I was acting like a scared baby!
{Later the first night after the fiasco with the thumping and the cold I found that I wasn't able to fall asleep. I know, shocking for an insomniac, but true nonetheless. Anyway, after tossing and turning and then tossing some more I got up, and started pacing trying to tire myself out. I should have brought some paints, working always seemed to calm me down, but instead I had packed a couple pairs of new boots, oh well, I was just going to have to live with the results of my vanity. When the pacing didn't work I gave up and headed over to Nell's room after grabbing something—what I wasn't sure of at the time—off of my dresser.
Making my way through the washroom in the dark wasn't the smartest idea I'd ever had I decided halfway though, and it proved itself to be particularly dumb move when I tripped over a chair. All the kings' horses and all the kings' men could put that chair together again. Despite the heartache however I persevered and picked myself up as gracefully as possible and continued over to Nell's door. Once I reached it I leaned my ear against it to see if I could hear her moving around in there. I didn't want to be alone but I didn't want to wake her either. As miserable as I was I wasn't going to force a sleepless night on her if by some miracle she had managed to fall asleep.
It was of no consequence anyway, because moments after I placed my ear on the door it was flung open and Nell was standing there with a vase ready to attack.
"Shit!" I yelled jumping back.
"Sorry," Nell said lowering the vase much to my delight. "I heard something…I thought…I didn't…are you okay?"
"Yeah…yeah," I responded my heart rate lowering. "Nice jammies," I added looking at her for the first time. "Can I come in?"
"Yes…of course," she said stepping back. "What are you doing up?"
"Insomnia," I responded. "Always seems to happen around bed-time," I continued moving further into the room. "Anyway I figured you're an insomniac, I'm an insomniac, we could as well be insomniac's together…maybe get a nightcap," I said. Then I looked down at my hands and realized what I was holding. "Only with cards. A nice game of Gin Rummy before we head off to bed. I'm ashamed to say that red wine after midnight has a nasty effect on me."
"Alright," Nell agreed though she was looking at me oddly and had drawn out the word as long as was humanly possible.
"Where do you want to play?" I asked looking around the room.
"Wherever," Nell responded. "Are you alright? You're looking a little…anemic. Bad dream?"
"Nah, I thought it'd be a nice treat to reenact the Spanish Inquisition," I responded irritably. Red wine wasn't the only thing that had a nasty effect on me after midnight; sleeplessness also did nothing to improve my disposition. Still, I regretted the words immediately and even more after I saw Nell's expression. She hadn't deserved that. She hadn't had to let me into her room, or onto her bed. "I'm sorry Nell, really," I told her apologetically. "It's just this house…it's giving me the creeps. Seriously giving me the creeps."
She didn't respond right away and I wondered if I was about to be kicked out.
"Theo…what are you really doing here?" she asked a moment later.
"Nightcap, gin rummy…female bonding. Perhaps, even a frisky pillow fight. Girl stuff," I responded flashing her a smile before beginning to deal out the cards.
"You're scared," she said smartly.
"No, I'm not. I'm creeped out and I can't sleep," I responded. "You're what? Surprised? I'm an insomniac in the Addam's family mansion. I think this a quite an acceptable response."
"You don't want to be alone," she went on wisely ignoring my tirade. She was right of course, but I wasn't quite ready to admit it then.
"It's funny that you should say that. I mean when you think about it, are any of us REALLY alone? It's a very intriguing subject actually if you take into consideration that…"
"Theo."
"Yes?"
"You can stay with me tonight…if you promise NOT to tell me why it's intriguing."
"Deal," I responded.
"Not so fast," she said putting up her hand.
"Who was being fast?" I asked. She ignored me--again.
"There's to be no funny stuff," she said seriously.
"No funny stuff," I repeated. "Does that mean we have to spend the whole time talking about the economy and the situation in the Middle East?" I asked though I knew that wasn't the funny stuff she was talking about.
"That's not the funny stuff I'm talking about," she replied.
"No frisky pillow fights?" I asked raking my eyes over her.
"No. And none of that either," she responded.
"You have my word, no funny stuff," I told her.
"I don't know why but I don't find that very comforting," she responded. I simply smiled in response.
"How do you feel about strip poker?" I asked my smile growing. Nell's face showed a look of impending doom.}
I had held Nell for the first time that night. I hadn't lied earlier on when I had told her that I wouldn't try any funny stuff, things just happened to work out that way. We only played one or two games of gin rummy before we both stopped pretending to be at all interested in playing games. After we both flung our arms up in defeat we decided that the best course of action would be to just attempt to go to sleep, so Nell shut off the small bedside light that was illuminating the room and we lay there in darkness. We didn't fall asleep. I have the feeling that it was my presence in the bed that was keeping Nell awake. As for what my problem was, there are two answers. One was insomnia and two was trying not to try any funny stuff.
{"Are you really an artist?" Nell had asked me just as the silence was beginning to become oppressive.
"I surely am," I responded keeping my gaze trained on the canopy above us.
"What have you painted?" she asked curiously. I felt her weight shift and knew that she was looking at me.
"Pictures," I responded not moving an inch. She didn't think that was funny so I continued. "Probably nothing you've heard of. Probably nothing anybody's heard of. I'm becoming convinced that my parent's are the ones buying all of my work so that I won't move back home."
"I'm sure you're very good," she said diplomatically. It was a crock of shit.
"That's a crock of shit," I told her finally shifting so that I was looking at her as well. "I'll show you something…then you can decide."
"You don't have to," she replied, but I could tell that she was curious.
"I want to," I responded. And it was true. "I already know what I'll do."
"What?"
"You." The phrasing was a bit suggestive and if Nell had had a mind to she could have made the case that it was funny stuff and kicked me out, but she didn't.
"Why?" she asked a moment later. She sound genuinely confounded.
"This house is a muted, gaudy, monstrosity. I'm all about soft colours and shimmering. When I create something I like to put something of the eternal in it," I replied my gaze having returned to the canopy above us. "You're the most radiant thing in this house. That's why I want to draw you," I went on my eyes flickering over to her again before drifting away once more.
She was quiet for so long after that that I began to wonder if she had fallen asleep. I turned around to check but just as I did she spoke.
"That's probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," she breathed out softly.
"It's true," I said simply. "You're very lovely."
"That's funny stuff, Theo," she responded.
"I know. I can't help myself," I responded. "Does it bother you? Really?" I went on keeping my eyes trained on her. She looked away.
"No," she finally responded her voice so quiet I almost couldn't hear her. I smiled. "Do you flirt this much with everyone?" she asked turning around again.
"Who's flirting?" I asked as innocently as possible.
"You are," she responded.
"Oh, is that what this is?" I asked daring her to hold my gaze.
"You were right earlier, I have been out of the world for a long time…but not that long." There was the Nell I was beginning to know and would soon grow to love. "Subtlety isn't you're strong suit is it Theo?"
"I don't have the time, patience or inclination to be subtle. It all leads to the same conclusion whether drawn out or straight to the point doesn't it?" I responded raising an eyebrow.
"What's the conclusion?" Nell asked.
"I don't know that's up to you," I responded seriously throwing the proverbial ball in her court.
Her eyes drifted away from me, as she seemed to consider my answer. Moments or hours later—I'm not sure which—she gave her eyes to me again.
"Goodnight Theo," was her only response and with that she turned on her side—her back to me—and went to sleep.
I stared at her back for quite sometime after that grinning broadly. The more I saw of Eleanor Vance the more I liked. I was still smiling when my eyes closed and I drifted off into a fitful sleep.
When I awoke in the morning Nell and I were wrapped together like pigs in a blanket, and for the first time in a decade I awoke feeling wonderful on a Monday morning.}