Open Curtains

'26 days, 11 hours and 46 minutes is how long it's been since I've left the house.' I wrote in my diary.

The pandemic kept us quarantined. I set my diary down and laid on my side in the cushioned space. The window nook was my favorite part of the house. It was the place where I had been inspired, sad, excited, and sleepy. It held memories and worth. Not only because it was comfortable, but I could look out my window and see my neighbor Elliot through his window. Sometimes I'd just gaze at his closed curtains, waiting for his to rip them open, poke his head out his window and say, "Hey Kacy Lynn! What's up?" Like he even knows what my name is. One time I even through a small pebble at his window, but to my dismay, he never opened the curtains. There were rare times when the curtains were opened, and I could see a sliver of Elliot doing the things he loved most. Reading, filming his own little movies, or even pressing flowers. Only once had he spotted me watching. I had been staring forever, just trying to get him to look. But when he did, I fell out of the nook and on to the hardwood floor of my bedroom in surprise. Ever since then I have been very wary of not being spotted.

Today his curtains were slightly open to my delight. Going to sit in my nook had been the most exciting thing today. I could only see a bit of Elliot's room. I sat and watched as Elliot vacuumed his carpet. I looked down at my diary next to me, and my auburn hair fell out of it's messy bun. I sighed and pulled it back into the carefree knot once again. I didn't want to continue writing. What was the point? I had already spilled out today's feelings more than once on paper. But then again, I had nothing else to do except watch Elliot's excellently jet black hair through our windows. I shrugged and picked up my pencil and diary once again.

'The quarantine isn't too bad. I get to watch Elliot all day. The only downside is, we are kind of out of toilet paper.' I wrote.

I chuckled as I thought of what the person reading this diary once I'm dead will be thinking. If I don't burn the diaries first. All of the sudden I hear a shout from outside. A deep shout. I turned quickly and looked out my window. It seemed as if Elliot was looking out his window and speaking to someone! His window was open and he was leaning out, waving. My mind went blank and butterflies were doing parkour in my stomach. Who was he talking to? I soon enough realized as Elliot threw a Lego brick at my window. My body jolted at the realization. I threw my diary. I looked out the window at Elliot. I pointed to myself and mouthed, "Me?" Elliot nodded his head yes, and my breathing quickened. I fumbled to oped my window. I threw it up and poked my head out. Elliot smiled in victory.

"Well that took long enough!" Elliot laughed. My mind raced and millions of greetings went through my mind. I tried to speak but I couldn't. My hand took action and waved simply.

"What's up?" Elliot asked. I smiled. What should I say?? "Um, nothing- just writing in my diary." I kicked myself internally. He probably knows I was writing about him!

"Oh that's cool!" Elliot nodded. Silence settled in. I blushed.

"So, uh, why did you th-throw that Lego brick?" I asked shakily. My smile was uncontainable. "Well honestly I was bored, and I knew there was a pretty 16 year old girl living across from me I had never really talked to so, why not?" Elliot threw his hands in the air. My heart started beating like it wanted to escape from my chest. He thought I was pretty. I mustered a small laugh with as much air that was in my lungs (which was not a lot) and said, "Ok... So what do you think of this pandemic thing we've got going on?" I asked, trying to strike up a conversation everybody had something to say about.

"Well, it's kinda inconvenient, obviously. Our internet is pretty bad so school is hard online. Most of the food we have is canned and I'm pretty sure we just ran out of toilet paper." Elliot leaned on his window sill. "Oh yeah us too. But I was homeschooled before the pandemic, so not much of a difference for me for school." My older sister peeked her head in the door. I turned around quickly and shoed her out. "I'm listening!" She whispered. My sister was the only one who got to read my diary entries, so she knew this was a BIG deal. I turned back to Elliot. He was nodding.

"So, how do you socialize?" He asked. Classic public schooler question. "Well I play basketball and I take cooking lessons and I go to youth group and church and agricultural class, but that's about all the socializing I get." I said a bit sarcastically. Elliot stepped back. "Whoa, a lot more social than I thought! I like a social butterfly. And of course real butterflies." My eyebrows lifted. "Oh, do you catch them?" Elliot chuckled and looked down to his yard. "Yeah, and then I put them in shadow boxes." He winced, as if waiting for me to say, "Ewww! You put dead butterflies in boxes?" But I didn't say that of course. "Well that's cool! I guess you get to study them a lot then." Elliot nodded. "What do you like to do when you're bored?" I smiled. He was interested in me! "I like writing, making jewelry, sometimes I make Youtube videos." Elliot looked impressed. "That's awesome. I bet your channel is amazing. I like talking to neighbors." He whipped his dark-as-midnight hair to the side. I giggled. Suddenly a high pitch call came from inside Elliot's house. Elliot huffed. "That's my mom. Time for me to go take my little brothers to the park because for some reason they're a little bored." He wiggled his eyebrows and I laughed. "What's your name?" He asked. I sucked in a breath. Make it good, Kacy. "My name is Kacy Lynn." I looked down and my hair fell out of its messy bun again. Elliot watched and smiled. "Talk tomorrow, Kacy Lynn?" I nodded. "Talk tomorrow." Elliot retreated back to his room and shut the window. But he left the curtains open.