Go inside

You’re already turning back toward your front door when you hear the soft scrape of another door opening.

Ellie’s.

You stop with one foot on the step.

She steps out onto her front porch, still in the oversized t-shirt from earlier, barefoot, dark hair loose around her shoulders. She’s holding her phone in one hand and looking down at the screen, thumb moving like she’s reading something. She doesn’t notice you at first.

Then she glances up.

For a second she just stares, clearly not expecting anyone to be outside. Colour rises in her cheeks almost immediately. She lowers the phone a little.

“Oh. Hey.”

Her voice is quiet, the same careful tone from this morning.

You stay where you are, half on your own step. “Hey.”

She shifts her weight, the soft fabric of the t-shirt moving with her. The heavy shape of her breasts is obvious even under the loose material. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and glances past you toward the street, then back.

“I, um… thought I heard something earlier. Like a bang. Did you hear it too?”

You nod. “Yeah. Came out to check. Something knocked over a box and a stake near the side of the house. Nothing there now.”

Ellie looks down the street the way you did, frowning slightly. “Weird. I didn’t see anyone.” She hesitates, then adds, “I was going to take the bins out. Figured I’d check at the same time.”

She doesn’t move toward the bins yet. She stays on her porch, phone still in her hand, like she’s waiting to see if the conversation continues.

The afternoon light catches the soft line of her thigh where the t-shirt ends. You’re suddenly very aware of the empty street and how close the two porches are.