“This is your apartment? So many rooms,” I said in admiration.
Mel laughed. “No, no. These are all other units. Only this door is mine.”
My eyes widened in shock. The landing was cramped, and I'd seen how small this building was from the outside. “Your home is behind a single door?” I asked.
“Well, yeah,” Mel said with a rueful smile. “It's just an apartment. Not everyone lives in a huge, beautiful manor like you.”
Never before had I thought of my home as beautiful. It was all I'd ever known. I'd taken it for granted until Mel appeared in my life and turned my world upside down... in more ways than one.
“Youareright about it being huge,” I agreed, rubbing my chin. “It gets lonely, going from room to empty room…”
Mel paused at the door and swallowed, then shook his head and unlocked his unit. “Anyway, welcome to my humble abode. It's not much, but this is where the editing magic happens!”
I floated in through the door and surveyed Mel's apartment—which only took a couple seconds because it was so small. The closet was directly on my left, and the kitchen was directly on my right with barely any space between. Five steps ahead was the living room, which had been taken over by Mel's work equipment. An old laptop, ring light and microphone were smushed together, fighting for desk space. He had no TV, only a short bookshelf full of paperbacks and knick-knacks. The rest of the space allowed only for work and tiptoeing around.
I didn't even have a corporeal form andIfelt claustrophobic. I shuddered and moved closer to Mel, who was my anchor in this strange new place.
Mel grinned at me. “Well? What do you think, Edgar?”
I cleared my throat, buying myself time to think of an elegant response. “It's... quaint.”
He chuckled. “It's okay, you don't have to hold back. I know it's a crappy apartment. But I can't afford to move out. The rent here is the cheapest I can afford.”
I frowned. A righteous anger stewed in my stomach every time Mel commented on the inadequacies of his life. He didn't deserve to live like this. He deserved so much more. I wanted to give him everything he desired.
“Hey, do you want a snack?” Mel asked. A second later his cheeks flushed. “Wait, can you... eat?”
His embarrassment was so cute. “I can, actually.”
“Really?” Mel's excited eyes widened to the size of plates. “Whoa, I had no idea! How does it work? Can I see?” Catching himself, he shrank back. “Er, sorry, I hope I'm not making you feel weird…”
I clicked my tongue. “Not at all, dear Mel. I welcome any and all questions! We're learning from each other, human and phantasm, omega and alpha... Are we not?”
He smiled shyly. “Well, when you put it that way, I guess we are.”
Remembering his camera and job, I went one step further. “Why don't you film me eating a snack? Would that be helpful for your channel?”
Mel lit up like a jack-o-lantern candle. “Are you sure, Edgar?” he asked, his voice brimming with excitement that I couldn't get enough of. I'd do anything to hear that joy in his voice.
“Let's do it,” I said, getting into the spirit and feeling the energetic vibe myself. “I'll be a star!”
“Hell, you sure will!”
Mel raced to the kitchen—I followed, floating over the cramped space—and threw open the cupboards.
“Have you, er, eaten before?” he asked.
I nodded. “Bert brought me a cracker once. It was dusty and not very appealing. And there were some old expired cans of beans that came with the house I tried once out of boredom.”
Mel grimaced, laughing. “You actually ate those? Did you get sick?”
“No! The beans were actually tastier than Bert's cracker.”
“Hopefully I have food that's better than expired beans and dusty crackers…”
Mel rummaged through the cupboard before pulling out a round red tin. He popped the lid open and took out a small, sweet-smelling pastry. It looked dusty, too, before I realized it was covered in icing sugar.
“Try this cookie,” Mel suggested, offering it to me.
