Sunflower

Dark brown eyes squinted at the small bright rectangle in his palm. He was vaguely aware of the words displayed on the screen, but having just woken up, he couldn’t make them out. He swung his legs over the side of his bed as he sat up, lowering the brightness of his phone and checking the notification once more.

Snapchat. He had one but rarely used it. His high-school friend Kurtis would send him random messages all the time, but he never really checked them. Kurtis knew that if it were important, he would need to text Milo. Usually, he’d dismiss the notification and completely forget about it. But this message wasn’t from Kurtis. It was from Lyla Talcott, a girl he hadn’t heard from in years. The only reason she had his Snap was that they once worked together for a school project and had created a group chat, which hadn’t been used in an equal amount of years.

The notification was timestamped two hours ago. With his lips pursed in slight curiosity, he opened the app to read the message.

Hi, Milo! Long time no see. Sorry for bothering you so early in the morning, but I have a favor to ask, and you’re the only person I know who meets the requirements.

He lowered his arm and stared out over his dark room. Early sunlight peaked through the small cracks in the blinds, illuminating the dark blue wall on the other side, as well as some of the white carpet. The room wasn’t full of furniture, just a desk on one wall and a dresser against another, next to the bed. He would typically prefer a sleeker aesthetic, but he wasn’t the type to spend money on unnecessary furniture

He looked back down at his phone, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and responded.

Sorry for responding late, I just woke up. Depending on your favor, I may be able to help.

After answering her, he threw his phone onto the covers beside him, stretching before getting up and getting dressed. Today was one of the few days he was off of work, so he had planned on just relaxing today, maybe visiting somebody. His outfit was nothing remarkable, just a white jacket with red accents over a black t-shirt and dark blue denim jeans. He moved over to the bathroom, flipping the light switch as he entered. This room, too, only had the bare necessities. A shower/bathtub pressed against one wall, and a toilet, sink and mirror on the other. Across from the door he had entered was another door, closed and unused for several months.

His phone vibrated in his pocket as he brushed his teeth. He brought the screen to eye height to see if it was Lyla responding.

Oh, it’s fine, don’t worry about it! So, um, my apartment complex is being shut down due to the stability not meeting the safety requirements. I need a new place to stay by tonight, and I’d prefer staying with somebody I know rather than finding a stranger on Craigslist or something. Thing is, since I work in town, I need to stay nearby, and nobody I know lives around here. I asked Kurtis, and he said you’re living alone in a two-bedroom apartment nearby. So, I guess I’m asking if I could stay with you until I find a new place to stay. I could pay rent, of course, and I won’t be a bother. I’m sorry it’s such short notice.

By the time he had finished reading the long paragraph, he was done brushing his teeth. It was true he had a two-person apartment. He was plenty rich enough to afford his own place but had hoped to get some normal life experience by living with a roommate. After several months of different roommates, he quickly learned he didn’t like living in such tight quarters with another. Maybe it would go better if he lived with somebody he knew, but...he barely knew Lyla.

Going from acquaintances to roommates so suddenly would be a large jump in their relationship. But he knew she’d need a response ASAP. Not only did she need to secure a place tonight, but she also needed to move her stuff too. Besides, even if things went wrong, she would only be around for a few months at most. Milo typically wasn’t one to make quick decisions, but he didn’t have much time to mull them over. He could ask for a couple of hours to think, but he knew that chances were the answer would be the same.

That can work. I have the day off, so I can help you move in too.

He proceeded to send her his address. She quickly replied, saying he didn’t need to help her move in, but he wouldn’t see the message until an hour later. After sending her the address, he realized he should probably clean up a bit. Milo was not messy, but sometimes he didn’t have the time to do proper chores. His laundry was first and foremost, as his basket was overflowing with clothes and towels that needed to be washed.

After an hour and a half of cleaning, the apartment was basically spotless. Dishes were done, the last load of laundry was in the drier, and he had just come in after taking out the trash when he got another Snap from Lyla. She had just pulled into the parking lot. Milo stepped out into the hall to wait for her, and within a few minutes, he spotted her as she ascended the stairs. She was hard to miss, after all.

She wore a bright yellow dress that reached halfway down her thigh. Black leggings and boots covered the entirety of her legs, and she wore a brown cardigan that was so dark, Milo would have mistaken it for black if the lighting was any dimmer. Her orange hair was much longer than Milo remembered it being in school, but maybe that was because it wasn’t up in the ponytail he was so used to. Her green eyes were immediately drawn from the nearest numbered plaque to him, widening ever so slightly in recognition.

The only thing Milo could think of was that she looked like a sunflower.

“Milo!” she called out, quickening her pace so she wouldn’t have to yell down the hall. “Ah, you look so different! Not that I should be surprised. I see you on TV all the time, but it’s weird to see you in person.”

At first, Milo was confused. He hadn’t adopted any new looks. He was slightly embarrassed when Lyla read his confusion and pointed at her left eye. She was talking about his eye. After years of stubbornly refusing his father’s offers of paying for a cornea transplant, he had finally allowed him. “Right,” he said, flustered. Not that his voice betrayed it. He was notoriously stoic. “I figured there’s no reason to wear an eyepatch when my family can afford a transplant. It’s just a reminder of how my father used to be. That was the past. There’s no point to be made by not replacing it.”

“Fair enough, but it’s still weird to see you without such a distinguishable trait,” Lyla nodded. It bothered Milo that the entire world knew of the drama in his family. Even Lyla, somebody he had spoken to only a few times before, knew how one of his father’s drunken stupors had led to a freak accident resulting in Milo’s left eye being harmed nearly beyond repair. The information was available to the public because of a certain someone making the family’s life a public spectacle. “But sorry, it was your decision. I probably would have done the same thing, but, like, forever ago. So I promise I’m not judging. Uh, this your apartment, then?”

She motioned toward the door they were standing in front of. Milo nodded, pushing it open to reveal the living area. Two sofas surrounded a coffee table, with a flatscreen TV mounted on the wall with a fake fireplace underneath it. As the two stepped over the threshold, the kitchenette became visible to their left. The wall was covered in drawers and cupboards, and an island separated it from the living room. “Wow, it’s a very nice apartment,” she said. “Totally different from my old one. And it’s so...clean. Have you seriously been living here the past two years?”

“I just cleaned it up,” Milo said, closing the door behind them but leaving it unlocked. “I really only sleep here. With my job, I don’t have time to lounge about. Allow me to show you to your room.”

Lyla’s lips pursed ever so slightly, feeling like she had already left a bad impression on Milo. He seemed utterly uninterested in conversing. Was she too boring? The years as a model had made her a bit vainer than she used to be, but other than that, her personality hadn’t changed too much. Milo turned to lead her to one of the two doors in the room. He opened the door for her, revealing a naked room with a simple twin-sized bed with a mattress, sheets, and pillows, an off-white dresser, and a nightstand. There was a door on the right wall, as well.

“Hmm, it’s such a large room,” she said with a hopeful smile. “Can’t wait to decorate it a bit. I don’t plan on fully unpacking, of course. I’m only here until I can find a new place.”

“You don’t need to rush to move out,” Milo assured her. “I’m not gonna kick you out. Make sure you find a good place, preferably one that meets safety standards. If you want to fully unpack, you can.”

His reassurance did its job, but not in the way he intended. He didn’t want her to feel unwelcome, so he was trying to make it clear he didn’t mind if she stayed longer if she needed to. But for Lyla, she took it to mean he didn’t dislike her presence. Maybe she wasn’t boring him, and he was just hard to read. She knew the latter was true; it’s the reason so many of his fans swoon over him. She smiled, turning toward him. “Right, about unpacking. My car is chock-full of boxes and stuff from my old apartment, and Dean is coming with the rest of my stuff. Is there an elevator we could use, rather than going up and down four flights of stairs multiple times? The workout would be great, but I don’t want to ask that of a friend, especially when they’re already helping me out.”

“Of course,” Milo said. “Here, I’ll help you bring the boxes in from your car.”

He had already turned around to head toward the door once more. Lyla quickly followed after him. “You don’t have to help. Just show me to the elevator, and I’m good. You’re already kind enough to let me move in on such short notice, I can’t ask you to help me bring the boxes in.”

Milo looked over his shoulder at the ginger. “I don’t have anything better to do.” With another smile, Lyla thanked him, and they started bringing boxes from her car to the room. After their second trip, Dean showed up with another car packed full of more boxes. After an hour, they had moved everything to the apartment. Dean couldn’t stick around to help her unpack, so Milo helped her with that as well.

By the time they had finished, it was well past noon. Lyla had unpacked the essentials and some decorations to give the room some personality. After they were done, Lyla crashed on one sofa while Milo sat on the other. “Man, I’m starving,” Lyla said. Milo nodded slowly, realizing he hadn’t eaten all day. “I think I might go out to get McDonald’s or something. You want anything?”

Milo’s eyes drifted to the TV above them. He’d typically turn it on around this time of the day to watch the news. When his eyes returned to Lyla, she was sitting upright once more, running her fingers through her hair to untangle it. “Actually, Lyla,” he replied, “let’s go out to get a proper meal. To celebrate being new roommates, and maybe get to know each other more.”

“Hm? Sure,” Lyla replied. “Under one condition. I’m paying. Don’t even bother to bring your wallet.”

“I can work with that,” Milo agreed