Concluded isolation.

The sun was obscured behind the myriad of delicate and mushy clouds and it appeared as though this day is also going to be like all other freezing days I spent in december.

I squeezed my mug of torrid scorching coffee, securely enough to compress all its heat inside me. I blew once and sipped my coffee only to burn my tongue.

Before getting up to make my coffee, I had plugged in my phone because it was only 5% and luckily I got pitiful about it and evacuated my room to make coffee downstairs. 

Drinking coffee and using instagram are lately my only activities because I think there is nothing else to do in this freezing weather. Sometimes the time pretends to stop as the day takes way too long to finish and sometimes I spend the whole day in my bed.

I brought the tortilla coloured coffee near to my lips when i heard muffled footsteps and hushed voices downstairs. I saw fear coming into my room and gripping me tightly and I dared not to move.

But I had to move because I couldn't let anybody in here. I never saw a human in my life without the mirror of windows between us or in short I peeked at the people from my windows but never had the skill to meet them in real.

It's like I have always kept myself trapped hidden in isolation and never allowed a single soul to see me, touch me, or talk to me but texting someone is apart from all of the above.

I placed my coffee cup aside, disturbed not to drink it right away, and I stood up slowly. I took every of my footsteps cautiously and stepped downstairs hoping not to get seen.

I glanced downstairs and there were five little boys about the age of ten or eleven. All of them wearing caps, glove and jackets where me on the other hand wore a week old night suit.

When their faces were on the other side, I enjoyed the opportunity to hide behind one of the four sofas. While my front was hidden by the sofa, my back was concealed by the skirting of the stairs.

I thought they had heard the fainted thud sound of me adjusting myself behind the sofa and they looked backwards. I realised that they all were petrified to be here. Obviously, this house has been sealed over years and I have not stepped outside since I can remember and they were horrified to come in, probably through the backyard.

I knew this was cruel of me to scare them away but I couldn't see them this closer to me.

"I told you we shouldn't have stepped in!" The one who was now shaking, not sure because of fear or cold, spoke timidly. He rubbed both of his hand and I saw both his nose and cheeks going scarlet.

"Shut up! We had to complete our mission. Who is scared can go but i am staying here for twenty four hours." The one, now that i think is the spokesperson, spoke confidently but his words were hollow and didn't quite fulfill their purpose.

"So I think we should start recording." One of the boys offered.

If I see the whole situation closely I can guess they are on one of their YouTube channel challenges. This challenge would be labelled as "24 hours challenge in a ghost house." or "Spending 24 hours in an abandoned house."

I don't now why but I had to be against a vague snort right now as this is my home not the home for any ghosts or demons, if only they lived in houses.

Before that kid could take the camera out of his backpack, I started making sounds like shhh or hmmm and tapped my feet a few times against the floor. That was all it took to convince them to run outside.

"Ok so this is crazy, I am going home. You take your twenty-four hour challenge to yourself." The fearful one admitted, half saying and half running for his life.

"I think he is right I am gonna follow him." The one who stayed silent the whole time emphasized, looking in the eyes of all three of them and went outside. 

Those three of them were relucatant bsecretlyut when I started clicking the switches of lights, on and off, it sent them in cold sweats and they forgot to worry about their other friends and just sprinted out.

Little kids being cool enough to creep in my house.

-----------------------------------

My phone beeped on the sofa while I was trying to make something for dinner in the kitchen. I was confused beween eating noodles or cereal or a cheese sandwich but I think I should go for a coffee.

Living alone destroyed me.

I thumped on the sofa and saw a message from Taylor, full name, Taylor Clark. I had been talking to this girl since a week and she seems fun. We were not talking like those romantic couples who have fallen hard in love but more like simple friends.

We talked about our interests. She told me she liked reading books and she visited library twice a week. She does not yet know I don't go outside OR authorize anybody to slink in.

"Shouldn't we meet somewhere?"

The text was normal but I could already see her excitement leaking through it.

She wanted to meet.

   But I couldn't.

     Why?

      Idk. 

"I really looked forward to that but I have some cleaning to do." I saw across the lawn to find a remote stuffed halfway under the sofa and wrappers of chips and noodles lying carelessly. At least I wasn't lying.

"Then I can come over, will help you clean up." She replied and it didn't seem like the world's most difficult work to do, so I mentioned my address followed by her approval to come over tomorrow exactly at this time.

After clicking off my mobile I thought about the first time we both had recognized each other on the internet. She posted some photos of famous football players and I was instantly feeling good.

And then next thing, I found interesting in her without ever seeing her, was her name. My identity on instagram is fake, a sad truth, but it grabs a different feeling to scroll on the app without being known.

But in reality I am Robert, full name, Robert Thompson. My name starts with the alphabet, her name ends with and her name starts with the alphabet, my name ends with.

A simple but remarkable coincidence.

I never minded to clean my place as she was coming because I didn't know how to. Yes, again a miserable truth. I never had someone to teach me how to wipe the whole house in a snap.

I grew up in this domicile and didn't remember anyone since my birth. I never was scared in this house because again I was never gifted with the ability of getting jittery, where there was no people, just me alone.

And being alone doesn't mean I was lonely. I was habitual of being that way. And I prefer being alone. Privacy is good for everybody.

Most of the things present in my house are online shopped which drowned me in the water of debts but since starting my online jobs I am free, I am free of the debts and burdens on my shoulders. 

Never wanted to mention that I have . . . A HUGE number of subscribers so it pays me a little too much or a whole lot. 

I never knew how to pass those extra big days when clocks were doing their jobs to tick tock, but nature ceased to turn in its assignment or those days held more blessings than the others.

In those days I would search about things, animals, insects, species, authors, brands and anything new I could find and write them down. I feel like I am educated but people, out there, can more literated than me and I would be nothing more than a waffler to them.

It has always been a fear to meet people. I always took it as a sign or an indication to stay at my residence forever because maybe i was brought here with the same thing in the mind.

I never tried to join people outside because I never struggled to master the art of meeting people. I know I should do some thing about it but since I am in my house, safe and and maybe not healthy, I am happy alone.

_______________________

The chiming of the door bell startles me as I stare at the door as it is a monster or zombie who is willing to kill me. I eagerly attempt to recall my recent online orders but failed to remember.

And then it came jabbing into my core. 

Taylor.

Taylor is there, on the other side of the door. I am not aware what it feels like to be invited. What do you wear? What do you prepare?

I only made an effort to slip on a buttermilk colored sweater with tawny pair of chinos and I think it is more than okay. I don't know what to expect.

A girl? Well, obviously. With blonde

hair and blue eyes? Or brown eyes? Or black hair? Or maybe dyed?

I know I shouldn't make ridiculous, in a best way, choices and confront the reality.

I dubiously legged to the door and opened a little way to squiz outside. There was no one. My hammering heartbeat calmed down and I got the courage to pop my head out and see in different directions.

That's when someone made a strange animal sound and I literally got a heart attack because that sound came from beside me, from a girl I was struggling to picture since a week.

She had same colored hair as my coffee with a skosh of blond in them. She was so excited that even her dreamy green eyes were smiling widely.

And she was laughing at me surely she would have seen my alarmed reaction and now she is laughing.

She had a good laugh.

She had, beautifully made, high cheekbones with watermelon coloured lips. She waved her hand at me for staring at her like a hungry lion and when I got in my senses, she spoke, "Come outside!" 

She squealed in a tone like little girls I saw from my windows. She looked like sixteen and I was near 19. I guess, that didnt stop me to be her friend. 

"No, you can come inside." I said politely and gave way for her to come inside but she held my hand and forced me to go outside.

"I know Robert, I know you have never stepped outside. Who do you think I am? I am your neighbour I have never seen you outside. Why is that?"

A cute little girl.

In no way I could have guessed her to be my neighbour. And certainly she would have seen me leering at the world but never venturing to be a part of it.

"I dont know, it's chilly here we should go inside." I wasn't really in a mood to explore new things today or go on an adventure without any preparation. 

"Ok, if you are not going outside than I am here in this piercing weather. If I get a flu then that's all your fault." She folded her hands and stood like a stubborn child.

"Taylor."

"Robert."

"Fine!" I finally was convinced. I couldn't risk her freezing in the gelid environment. It's a surprise that a chocolate-box could satisfy me to pace outdoors, a thing I've never done in my whole lifetime.

"You don't have to be troubled out there, everybody mind their own business. I think we should go for a coffee."

"Yes, whatever." When she was by my side, I thought there was nothing to be anxious about, no worries. And it's just a coffee then we can go indoors.

She lead me to the cafe and we had coffee but I wanted to a scream out loud that the sugar is sprinkled blindly in it, anyways I kept it to my self.

Taylor in the contrast talked alot and I kinda liked her because she was friendly and I will never be able to thank her to get me out of that prison.

She taught me a skill to let things dissolve in my life and I will surely teach her how to frankly love those things or people in our lives.