Mark opened his eyes slightly and peered through his long messy fringe that almost covered his brown eyes. Sunlight shined on him, and he immediately squint his eyes as his right hand spontaneously raised towards his face to shield his eyes from the bright light. He glanced at his side, and she was not there. He then took a peek of his body, he was still in his red shirt, and three of his buttons were ed, slightly revealing his chest. He slowly walked towards the tall glass window and looked up to the sky. Blue painted the horizon and the sun was shining above the sky after the dark and cold atmosphere the previous night had left them froze to death. But no, they did not actually felt cold the night before. Instead, they felt as if they were engulfed in sweet warmth. The clouds soon covered the bright sun but it was not long. Mark found himself staring at it for a few minutes until the hanging clouds finally moved away. He observed the sun quietly and it seemed to have had a gorgeous makeover while hiding behind in its private room. The yolk looking sun had turned from yellowish brown to golden. It was beautiful.

He opened and closed his eyes tiredly as he walked straight towards the black door, only to realize that the door was pulled close when he was only an inch away from it. Unfortunately, he bumped his head onto it and as he was about to fall, his eyes caught a glimpse of a yellow note on the door. He tried to balance his body but his lazy legs were not helping him. He felt like time seemed to slow down when he was falling. In the seconds it took him to reach the ground he knew it was going to hurt. He fell onto that hard wooden surface and frowned in pain. The air pushed against his face, and he closed his eyes until the pain slowly faded.

As he stood on his feet again, he faced towards the door and read the note he had seen earlier. A ‘good morning’ was written on the yellow squared paper with a smiley face next to it. “Good morning,” he replied with a soft smile, as if Wendy was right in front of him. He took the note with him and within a few seconds, he was already outside, dragging his stubborn legs across the empty hall. He continued to stagger aimlessly, not knowing where to go or what to do. His confusion came to a halt when his eardrums were embraced with a soft melody. It was her voice.

Her voice was smooth and clear and quiet yet powerful. It was also soothing, in a way. To Mark, it was the promise of tomorrow. She was singing, with no music as her background, and instead the chirping of the birds accompanied her voice. It was beautiful, and he wished that she would never stop. Her voice was a lullaby, almost rendering him into a sweet dream. Her singing was a wonderful music that echoed throughout the huge empty space. But as Mark listened closely, he realized that her voice sounded incomplete. Mark found himself walking deep into his own brain, searching for the missing piece of the melancholy tune he was listening. She still had the same hidden pain in her singing, just like the first time Mark had heard her singing but this time it was a different song.

♪
I love this place,
But it’s haunted without you.
My tired heart,
Is beating so slow.

Our hearts sing less than,
We wanted, we wanted.
Our hearts sing 'cause,
We do not know, we do not know.

To light the night, to help us grow,
To help us grow.
It is not said, I always know.

You can catch me,
Don’t you run, don’t you run.
If you live another day,
In this happy little house.
The fire’s here to stay.
♪

She was crying inside.
And Mark’s heart cried with her.

***

Mark walked closer towards the half opened door to the kitchen, and as he pushed the door slightly, he saw the back of the small girl. She had her hair high up in a ponytail, with an apron wrapping around her tiny waist. The apron was simply white and he was not sure if it was plain as Wendy was not facing towards him. He was about to speak but he got cut off when an unfamiliar smell reached his nose. The rich aroma of the dish wafted down and beckoned him. He could not resist the delightful sensations that whipped up inside his memory at the mere thought of delving his teeth deep and fast into whatever Wendy was cooking.

It was as if Wendy felt a presence of someone behind her, that she turned around. Only then Mark saw a picture of animated black cat was printed on the front side. It was not smiling and instead it had a somewhat dark expression. What an odd taste on aprons, he thought. It hit him that this girl was a mystery he would never be able to solve. Mark shifted his eyes on the girl’s face. The first thing he saw was of course, her sparkling eyes he had always loved. A wide smile formed on her face. “You’re awake!” she said, as she untied her apron and put it away.

She walked towards him, and when she was right before him she playfully raised the turner and pretended to hit Mark. Her sudden action actually caused Mark to flinch a bit. Upon witnessing Mark’s shocked face, she howled with laughter. She covered immediately and her cheeks turned as red as a freshly plucked tomato. “I’m s- sorry!” she giggled. “Your face was too funny!”

She laughed again before continuing, not allowing Mark to speak a word. “You must have not bathed yet, am I right?” she asked. Mark kept silent and just nodded along. She then tipped on her toes and put her hands on his shoulders. Mark almost thought that she wanted another dance that was until she turned him around.

“Now off you to the bathroom!” she exclaimed.

“Waa-?” Mark furrowed her eyebrows together.

Wendy pushed him and Mark was forcefully dashed to the bathroom. “Here you go,” she said as she took a blue shirt and a pair of white pants that was neatly folded on the table next to the bathroom. “Whose are these? Is it okay for me-”

“Those are my ex-boyfriend’s. He left all of his clothes here, that arrogant jerk. Don’t worry; they are all cleaned and good as new. It’s a bonus that I am good at chores.” She stared at the clothes that were now in Mark’s hands and the left corner of her lips lifted slightly.

“But I can’t guarantee you there is no roaches in there,” she said jokingly.

Mark scoffed and faked his laughter. “Very funny, Wendy.”

That time, he knew his morning got a lot better. In his life, mornings were always as assured as the tides and just as unstoppable. Most of the time, he would need a few more hours of blackness. Not to sleep, but to prepare, to pour his thoughts out onto a page, reorganize, prioritize and pack them back in again. Being organized in what he was doing was a habit of his. But when she had died, he could see the chaos that was his room, the dark ragged outline of the dirty clothes on his dresser and the tall lamp he had always tripped over in the dark.

He loved mornings when she was by his side. After God took her away, he would wake up and think about the day, about how soon there would be color and traffic noises, the smell of other residents making coffee and toast, the keeper knocking on the door to turn people out to their meaningless jobs that kept them fed and sheltered in this hole. When she was there, he would forget about the world. Wendy’s presence brought him a sweet morning, and now he had forgotten about the chaotic world once again.

***

The moment Mark slid into his chair he was served an enormous platter of food. There were eggs, ham, and piles of fried potatoes. There were also plain toasts on a silver plate, still hot. A tureen of fruit sat in ice to keep it chilled. There was also an elegant glass of apple juice. Mark stared at the mouthwatering dishes in disbelief. His mouth was slightly opened and his eyes widened at the heaven before him.

“This is…a lot,” he took a quick gaze at Wendy before staring at the table again.

“You can never have enough,” she took a seat and smiled softly. “This is the amount of food I always eat in the morning,” she joked, her smile widened, allowing her beautifully aligned teeth to be seen. Time seemed to stop for Mark whenever she smiled, and when her eyes sparkled to light up his dark, painful heart.

“You can’t be serious.” His laugh then echoed in that huge space. “You made all of this?” he raised his right eyebrow slightly. He was not sure why he asked when he knew she did. Perhaps, he wanted a comfortable yet playful conversation with her.

“Of course I did!” she exclaimed. She crossed her arms together and her face fell into a frown. “Well if you don’t want to eat, never mind, I’ll eat by myself,” she had her lips in a long pout and she actually looked upset.

Guilt twisted his features and he gulped nervously. He was scared that he might have hurt her, in a way. He focused his eyes on her, and she was looking down at her untouched meal silently. “H-hey Wendy, are you alright? I’m so sorry, I was just…joking,” he said in a low voice, breaking the silence.

“Wendy?”

“Gotcha!” Her loud sudden voice emerged into his ears and at instant his mouth gaping slightly, his face was pale but warm and his eyes unfocused. “I was just joking,” she said, winking her right eye. “You’re so gullible, Mark.” She then burst into laughter, this time she closed both of her eyes.

“What? No, I’m not!” he said, denying the facts. Upon seeing Wendy’s happy face, and the way she laughed like nothing else mattered to her, his face finally broke into a huge smile. His heart was tickled by her actions, and it danced to the rhythm of her laugh. He once again prayed greedily to God, that He would not take that smile of hers. She was laughing so hard, and she could not stop. That was the first time Mark had seen her acting that way, though that was how she used to be. It is as if her spark was lighted up again. She waved her hand in the air, signaling Mark her flag of apology. She did not know why, but the waves of laughter kept coming. She tried to catch her breath and snorted, staring at him wide-eyed, shocked that she would do such a thing towards him. Mark was not able to take it anymore that he finally howled with Wendy. With each surge of laughter, they released some of the tension that had built between them. She was not sure, but his laughter filled her with indescribable joy.

Were they ever been strangers? Mark was not sure they were. That day, at the café, when the rain fell onto the earth, when he first saw her there was something even then, though he did not exactly know what. He then lost in his thoughts again, wondering if there was an element of time that allowed him to feel a strong love, like an orange glow bursting over a dark horizon. It was light for their eyes only, something to carry them through this chaotic life. He was destined to meet her, he thought. Was Wendy feeling the same?

***

Mark locked his eyes on his cell phone, staring at the picture that was on the screen. It was a picture of Wendy with a whisk in her hand, concentrating on the brownie mix. Mark had actually snapped a picture of her silently, without her knowing. His eyes were glued on that beautiful woman in the picture; her skin was glowing as if the sunlight purposely directed its light towards her. He then thought about how a phone could hold a thousand memories, despite how addicting it could be. He believed that not just in the hundreds of pictures that could tell one’s story, but in their music library, in the text messages including the ones they never sent or in their drafts, in their voice memos, in fact even in the games they played to pass the time away secretly waiting to hear from significant other.

He stared at his phone again, and looked at the only picture he had of her once again. His soul suddenly went back in time, where the memory had created for them. Joy and warmth automatically rushed into his veins, keeping him alive.

***

Twilight of the night melted away, turning into a majestic sunrise, red orange glow painting over the horizon as if the light itself was being poured from the sun. Sunlight shone under the door like a ghoul's grin, yet gave the shutters a halo of golden rays, and the rays flooded all over the dead landscape lighting every blade of grass, shining from each leaf. Mark stared at the wilted roses, and once again he heard them asking to be cared. He thought maybe it was time to care for them, but that was only if Wendy let him to. He was again at Wendy’s, he came here early in the morning, but he was not sure why. He could not seem to recall the purpose of him being here.

Mark was lying comfortably on the comfy couch before the huge telly, and he remained in the same exact position for a few minutes. It was almost half past eight in the morning, the house was silent as usual, but it somehow gave him warmth. Perhaps it was because she was there; somewhere. Just when he was about to close his eyes, a loud smack travelled into his ears, waking him instantly. Wendy was right in front of him, holding a spatula in her hand with the same black cat apron wrapping her small body. Mark was not sure where that sound did come from, but that was until he felt a stinging pain on his left arm. His other hand automatically reached out and rubbed the pain away.

“Ouch, Wendy, that was hard,” he sighed in pain. “Why did you do that?”

“You told me you wanted to help me bake!” she screamt at Mark, scrunching her nose angrily. Mark finally remembered his reason of being there. Two weeks ago they met, and now they spent almost every day together. They found out that they have chemistry together and that they could be good friends. Mark almost could not believe he got much closer to his dream girl, but it kept bothering him that he could not express what he really felt, until now. 

He got up from his laying position and stood before Wendy. Without even be able to let out a single breath, he was already pulled towards the kitchen.  “You’re my assistant,” she said, while handing a black apron to him. “Wear that, and just give me the ingredients when I need them.”

“Okay.” Mark tied the apron around his waist, it was quite small for him but he was pretty thin so it was not that bad. The cutting might be too short for him, but overall it could fit him nicely. Mark watched Wendy diligently mixing the ingredients and he locked his eyes on her all the time. Of course, he loved that he could watch her for a long time, but eventually he became bored. He could not lie; watching people doing the same exact thing was pretty tiring. He stared at Wendy, as his face frowned in frustration. He wished Wendy would give him the same attention she had been giving at the brownie mix. He scanned the messy counter for a while, and when his eyes shifted on one of the ingredients, an idea came to him faster than the speed of a thunder. He grabbed a handful of flour, and the next thing Wendy knew was her face was paler than it usually did, it was as white as paper.

Wendy gasped in shock, as she turned her head around, looking at Mark with her eyes widened at the unexpected. What Wendy planned that day was her in her casual clothes, mixing brownie batter on high speed, noisy, exhilarating, fluffy and light, she would be the beaters to taste how good or bad it would be, spooning them into crinkled cases, setting the timer, watching them rise in the oven, homely aroma, and sharing them with Mark who was supposed to be her little helper. Mark felt bad with his action, but that did not stop him from laughing. He laughed at Wendy, but at the same time, he was amazed at how cute she was despite the ‘ghostly’ face. His laugh was accompanied by the silence of the room that was until Wendy finally put down her whisk angrily, hitting the counter, and it made a noise.

“So, this is how you bake a cake, Mark?” She smiled mischievously, her lips forming a meaningful smirk. Mark gulped nervously, thinking about what would happen next. Without being able to defend himself, Wendy threw a handful of flour towards him as well and bathed him dry. His hair was covered with bare flour, and his eyelashes turned white. They stared at each other, both holding their laughter, and as Mark raised his eyebrow, they both knew the war had begun. In a blink of an eye, flour was being thrown all over the kitchen; they were everywhere, on the counter, the floor and on the body of the two happy souls. Wendy had long forgotten about her brownie mix and she eventually gave up on it. Maybe some other time, she thought.

She was in love. She was.

After the long fight, Mark realized he was getting tired, thus out of his conscious, he grabbed the clean kitchen towel that was on the sink and wrapped it around Wendy’s waist when she was about to run away from him. It was not that hard to do so, as she was small and she was not that quick. Mark pulled her petite frame closer to his body, as he lowered his head, settling his eyes on hers. He slowly leaned towards her, closer and closer. Wendy felt like her cheeks were burning and she could not see him in the eyes. She gasped nervously and her heart went wild. “Fine! You win!” she said desperately. “Please, let me go.”

Mark smiled cheekily before finally letting her go. “So I won then?” Wendy looked at him furiously before nodding. “Want to play games like this again next time?” he asked, grinning from ear to ear. “No!” Wendy responded with a shy smile on her face before running away, leaving him behind in that huge messy kitchen.

***

The sound of his phone snapped him back into reality, and he realized that he was still in his room alone. His house was empty as usual, and there were no signs of other living thing. He took his ringing phone and smiled at the recipient on the screen. As soon as he pressed his ear against the speaker, a heavenly voice came forth.

“Hello? Mark?”