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I Was House-Sitting for Family Friends... Then Their Daughter Came Home at Midnight — Transcript

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0:00The front door opened 2 minutes before
0:02midnight and I was standing barefoot in
0:04someone else's kitchen with a glass of
0:06water in my hand. I hadn't expected
0:08anyone, which was understandable
0:10considering the people who owned the
0:11house were supposed to be three states
0:13away. A woman stepped inside pulling a
0:15suitcase, stopped so suddenly that the
0:18wheels knocked against her ankle and
0:19stared at me across the living room. Her
0:21hand went straight to her phone. "Who
0:23the hell are you?" she demanded. I set
0:26my glass on the counter and raised both
0:27hands where she could see them. I'm Reed
0:29Callahan. Diane asked me to watch the
0:32house. That explanation didn't
0:33immediately improve things. She backed
0:36toward the open door, keeping her eyes
0:37on me, and informed me that she was
0:39calling her mother. "Please do," I said,
0:41"because this is getting uncomfortable
0:43for both of us." I stayed in the kitchen
0:45while she made the call, carefully
0:47avoiding any movement that might turn an
0:49awkward misunderstanding into an actual
0:51emergency. She put the phone on speaker
0:53and I heard Diane Whitaker answer with
0:55the sleepy confusion of a woman who had
0:57been enjoying her vacation until
0:58approximately 10 seconds earlier. The
1:01conversation cleared things up quickly.
1:03Diane confirmed that she'd given me a
1:04key, that I was staying until Friday,
1:07and that Pepper, the family dog, was
1:09supposed to be under my supervision.
1:10Then she wanted to know why her daughter
1:12was standing in the house at midnight.
1:14The woman finally lowered her phone and
1:16exhaled. My trip fell apart, Mom. I
1:19drove back from Chicago. Diane sounded
1:21relieved that everyone was safe,
1:22although she was considerably less
1:24pleased about not being told. By the
1:26time the call ended, the woman had gone
1:28from looking ready to hit me with her
1:30suitcase to looking thoroughly
1:31embarrassed. "Well," she said, "That was
1:34a terrible introduction. Her name was
1:36Natalie Whitaker, and I recognized her
1:38properly once my attention wasn't
1:39divided between her phone and the
1:41possibility of police officers arriving.
1:44We'd met at a couple of family
1:45gatherings over the years, but never
1:47spent enough time together to get beyond
1:49polite conversation. Her parents had
1:51known my family for ages, and when they
1:53needed someone reliable to stay at their
1:55place for 5 days, I'd agreed. I was 30,
1:58worked servicing medical equipment, and
2:00lived alone in an apartment about 15
2:02minutes away. Housesitting wasn't
2:04exactly an adventure, but Diane had a
2:06detailed list of instructions, a
2:08comfortable guest room, and a dog who
2:09seemed genuinely pleased with my
2:11company. It had sounded like a decent
2:13arrangement. Natalie, meanwhile, had
2:15planned a short vacation with friends,
2:17only for their plans to collapse that
2:19morning. She decided to spend several
2:21days at her parents house before
2:22returning to Chicago. Apparently,
2:24neither of us had considered the
2:26possibility of sharing it. Natalie
2:28pulled her suitcase inside and shut the
2:29front door. She wore jeans, sneakers,
2:32and a dark blue jacket with her hair
2:34loosely gathered behind her head. She
2:37looked tired from driving, although
2:38there was something entertaining about
2:39how quickly she'd recovered her
2:41confidence. After apologizing for the
2:43burglar accusation, she glanced around
2:46the living room and asked whether I'd
2:47already started rearranging furniture. I
2:50told her I'd only moved one lamp to
2:52reach an outlet, but I could put it back
2:53if she wanted to file a formal
2:55complaint. That earned the first real
2:57smile of the night. I offered to collect
2:59my things and head home, explaining that
3:01I didn't want to make her uncomfortable
3:03in her own parents house. Natalie
3:05considered it for a moment before
3:06shaking her head. Her mother had asked
3:09me to stay. I'd already made
3:10arrangements, and she didn't see any
3:12reason to send me away because she'd
3:14forgotten to tell anyone she was coming.
3:16Besides, she added, "You seem reasonably
3:19harmless now that I know you're not
3:20robbing us." We went over the practical
3:22details without making them more
3:24complicated than necessary. Natalie
3:26would use her old bedroom upstairs. I'd
3:28keep the guest room at the opposite end
3:30of the hallway, and we'd give each other
3:32privacy. Neither of us needed permission
3:34to use the kitchen or living room,
3:36although I promised not to take over her
3:38parents' television. She said she
3:40appreciated that since apparently the
3:42television had survived 27 years without
3:44my management. Pepper wandered in
3:46halfway through the conversation, his
3:48nails clicking against the hardwood
3:50floor and went straight to Natalie. She
3:52dropped to her knees to greet him,
3:54laughing when he pushed his nose into
3:56her jacket pocket looking for treats. I
3:58watched her scratch behind his ears with
4:00the easy affection of someone coming
4:02home. Then Pepper came over and settled
4:04beside my feet, which Natalie declared
4:06an unforgivable betrayal. I reminded her
4:08that I'd fed him dinner. So, he's
4:10available to the highest bidder, she
4:12said. Good to know. By then, I should
4:14have gone upstairs and let her unpack,
4:16but Natalie asked whether there was
4:17anything to eat. I pointed out the
4:19groceries Diane had left along with a
4:21container of pasta I'd made earlier. She
4:24opened the refrigerator, inspected the
4:26pasta, and asked if I could be trusted
4:28around a stove. I told her the fire
4:30department hadn't been involved in
4:31anything I'd cooked recently, which
4:33seemed to satisfy her. While she warmed
4:35up a portion, I explained where her
4:37mother had moved the coffee supplies and
4:38which back door needed an extra pull to
4:40latch properly. Natalie gave me an
4:43amused look. You've been here one night
4:45and you already know more about this
4:46house than I do. I said I had a written
4:49advantage, then showed her the
4:50instructions Diane had left on the
4:52counter. Natalie read the first few
4:54lines and started laughing. Her mother
4:56had included reminders about trash
4:58collection, thermostat settings, and
5:00Pepper's preferred walking route. She
5:02didn't give birth to me with this much
5:04documentation, Natalie said. I left her
5:06to eat and carried my glass to the sink.
5:08From the doorway, I noticed her studying
5:10the instructions again, still smiling to
5:12herself, and it struck me that I didn't
5:14really know this woman. At previous
5:16family dinners, she'd been somebody I
5:18exchanged greetings with before drifting
5:20toward another conversation. here
5:22without a room full of relatives. She
5:24was unexpectedly funny, direct, and
5:26comfortable making fun of herself. I
5:28also noticed that she was attractive,
5:30although I'd been considerably more
5:32concerned about her calling the police
5:33when she first walked in. She caught me
5:36looking toward the instructions and
5:37asked whether I planned to conduct a
5:39final inspection before bed. I told her
5:42my responsibilities were limited to the
5:44house and the dog, not supervising its
5:46adult residence. Excellent, she said. I
5:48was worried I'd have a curfew. I laughed
5:51and started upstairs, relieved that the
5:52whole ridiculous situation had somehow
5:54become easy. Natalie caught up with me
5:56near the staircase because she'd
5:58remembered one last question about
5:59Pepper's morning routine. We worked out
6:02that she'd handle breakfast while I took
6:04him outside before leaving for work, and
6:06she seemed genuinely pleased that
6:08neither of us had to rearrange our day.
6:10At the landing, she stopped with one
6:11hand on the railing and looked at me.
6:12"Hey, Reed. Sorry about almost calling
6:15the cops on you." I smiled. "It's fine.
6:17I've had worse first impressions." She
6:19looked amused. Really? I considered
6:21that. Actually, probably not. Her laugh
6:23followed me down the hallway as we went
6:25to our separate rooms. I closed my door,
6:28set my phone on the nightstand, and
6:29thought about how ordinary the next
6:31morning was supposed to be. I had work.
6:33Pepper needed his walk, and the
6:35Whitaker's house was still my
6:36responsibility. The only difference was
6:38that their daughter was now sleeping a
6:40few doors down, and I was already a
6:42little curious about what she'd say to
6:43me over breakfast. The next morning, I
6:46came downstairs expecting to find
6:47Natalie asleep and Pepper waiting
6:49impatiently by the back door. Instead,
6:52she was standing in the kitchen wearing
6:53a faded college sweatshirt, pouring
6:56coffee into a mug while Pepper sat
6:57beside her with the pleased expression
6:59of a dog who had already been fed. She
7:01looked up when I entered and smiled.
7:03"Morning, temporary homeowner." I
7:05glanced at Pepper's empty bowl and told
7:07her she'd apparently taken over half my
7:09responsibilities before breakfast.
7:11Natalie explained that he'd started
7:13scratching at her bedroom door around
7:156:30, and since she was already awake,
7:17she'd fed him. I thanked her and reached
7:19for the coffee pot, which she slid
7:21toward me without being asked. There was
7:23something unexpectedly comfortable about
7:25the exchange, considering she'd
7:27threatened to call the police on me less
7:29than 8 hours earlier. When I mentioned
7:31that, she said she decided to reserve
7:33further criminal accusations until after
7:35her second cup of coffee. I told her
7:38that seemed like a reasonable household
7:39policy and went to find Pepper's leash.
7:42By the time I returned from walking him,
7:44Natalie had settled at the kitchen table
7:46with her laptop open. She was answering
7:48a few messages despite supposedly being
7:50on vacation, and she gave me a mildly
7:52offended look when I asked whether she'd
7:54forgotten what taking time off meant.
7:56She explained that she worked
7:58coordinating partnerships for community
7:59programs in Chicago, which sometimes
8:01meant answering one question before it
8:03turned into six. I understood that well
8:06enough. My own job servicing medical
8:08equipment occasionally involved calls
8:10from people who believed every
8:11malfunction could be fixed immediately,
8:14preferably without letting me see the
8:15machine. We traded a couple of stories
8:18about unreasonable expectations, and
8:20Natalie turned out to be particularly
8:21good at making ordinary frustrations
8:23sound ridiculous. Before I left, I told
8:25her I'd probably be back around 6 and
8:27that she shouldn't feel obligated to
8:29wait around or plan her day around me.
8:31She gave me a puzzled smile. Raid: I
8:34lived independently for years before you
8:35got this key. I laughed, admitted that
8:38was a fair point, and headed to work. I
8:40spent most of the day at a medical
8:41office on the other side of town, where
8:43a routine service appointment took
8:45longer than expected because the
8:46replacement component had arrived with
8:48the wrong connector. By the time
8:50everything was working, I was ready to
8:52go home, eat something uncomplicated,
8:54and forget that equipment existed for a
8:56few hours. Driving back to the
8:58Whitaker's place, I caught myself
9:00wondering whether Natalie would be
9:02there. It wasn't a particularly dramatic
9:04thought, but it surprised me because I'd
9:06never wondered about her schedule before
9:08that week. When I pulled into the
9:10driveway, her car was gone, and I let
9:12Pepper into the backyard before changing
9:14out of my work clothes. Natalie arrived
9:1620 minutes later carrying a small paper
9:18bag from a bookstore downtown. She'd
9:21spent the afternoon visiting places she
9:23remembered from growing up. Although she
9:25claimed half the city had changed just
9:27enough to make her feel like an
9:28unreliable tour guide, she looked
9:30pleased with her day, and I liked that
9:32she had clearly enjoyed it without
9:34needing my involvement. I was
9:35considering dinner when Natalie appeared
9:37in the kitchen doorway and asked whether
9:39I had any plans for the evening. I told
9:41her my ambitions involved leftovers and
9:44possibly a television show I could watch
9:46without thinking too hard. She made a
9:48face at that, then explained she'd
9:50wanted to take another walk downtown
9:51before it got dark, particularly along
9:53the river. She knew the route and didn't
9:55need help finding anything, but she
9:57thought some company might be nice. I
9:59looked at her for a moment, trying to
10:01decide whether she was being friendly or
10:03inviting me to spend time with her
10:05specifically. Fortunately, Natalie
10:07seemed perfectly capable of making that
10:09distinction herself. I'm asking if you
10:11want to come, Reed, you can say no. I
10:13smiled and told her I'd need 10 minutes
10:15to change my shoes. She nodded,
10:17apparently satisfied, and went to get
10:19her jacket. As I headed upstairs, I
10:21realized she'd just invited me somewhere
10:22without mentioning her parents, Pepper,
10:24or a single item on Diane's
10:26instructions. I also realized how
10:28quickly I'd said yes. We started near
10:30the Riverwalk and wandered toward
10:32downtown while the evening light faded
10:34behind the buildings. Natalie hadn't
10:36exaggerated about the changes. She
10:38pointed out a restaurant that used to be
10:39a bookstore, a parking lot that had
10:41become an apartment building, and a
10:43narrow street where she'd once gotten
10:45hopelessly lost, despite having grown up
10:47only a few miles away. I found that last
10:50confession especially entertaining,
10:52given how confidently she'd announced
10:53she knew the route. She explained that
10:55Chicago suited her in ways Grand Rapids
10:57never quite had when she was younger,
10:59mostly because she liked having endless
11:01things to explore and enough
11:03independence that nobody paid attention
11:05to her schedule. But coming home
11:07reminded her of things she'd missed,
11:09including how quickly she could reach
11:10somewhere familiar without checking a
11:12map. I told her I'd always liked Grand
11:15Rapids because it was large enough to
11:16keep life interesting without making
11:18every simple errand feel like an
11:20expedition. She accused me of having the
11:22preferences of a man who considered
11:24finding a good parking space a
11:26meaningful personal achievement. I
11:28pointed out that she'd moved to Chicago
11:30voluntarily, so somebody in this
11:32conversation had questionable judgment.
11:34We stopped near a railing overlooking
11:36the water where Natalie rested her arms
11:38against the top and watched a couple of
11:40cyclists pass. Our conversation had
11:42drifted naturally from places we'd lived
11:44to the kinds of things we actually
11:45enjoyed doing. I discovered that she
11:47loved live music but disliked enormous
11:50concerts, had a habit of buying books
11:52faster than she could read them, and
11:53could become unexpectedly competitive
11:55over games that involved absolutely no
11:57useful skills. She seemed amused to
11:59learn that I liked old arcade games,
12:01occasionally went hiking with friends,
12:04and had once spent an entire Saturday
12:05trying to restore a secondhand stereo
12:07that would have been cheaper to replace.
12:10She asked why I'd bothered, and I
12:11admitted I sometimes enjoyed figuring
12:13things out more than I enjoyed the
12:15finished result. Natalie looked at me
12:17with a thoughtful smile before saying
12:19she could understand that. For a little
12:21while, we stood there watching the
12:22river, neither of us rushing to fill
12:24every silence. It felt different from
12:27the conversations we'd had in the
12:28kitchen, partly because there was no
12:30practical reason for us to be together.
12:32We were simply two adults who had chosen
12:34to spend an evening in each other's
12:36company, and I was finding that
12:37considerably more enjoyable than I'd
12:39expected. On our way back, Natalie asked
12:42whether I'd always been this easy to
12:44talk to. I laughed and told her that
12:46depended on who was asking and whether
12:48they'd started the relationship by
12:50threatening to have me arrested. She
12:52gave me a gentle shove with her shoulder
12:54and explained that she'd remembered me
12:55as a quiet, responsible guy who
12:57occasionally appeared at her parents'
12:59gatherings, said something polite, and
13:01disappeared into conversations with the
13:03older adults. I admitted my impression
13:05of her hadn't been much more detailed.
13:07She'd seemed friendly, busy, and usually
13:09halfway between arriving somewhere and
13:11leaving for something else. Natalie
13:14nodded as though that description was
13:15probably accurate, then remarked that it
13:17was strange how little two people could
13:19know about each other after years of
13:21recognizing each other's faces. I
13:23agreed, although I was starting to think
13:25those earlier impressions weren't
13:26especially useful anymore. The woman
13:29walking beside me was funny, curious,
13:31and comfortable challenging me without
13:33turning every disagreement into a
13:35contest. When she asked what I was
13:37thinking, I told her I'd apparently
13:38underestimated how entertaining a walk
13:40could be. She smiled and said she would
13:43accept that as a compliment. We reached
13:45the Whitaker's house a little after 8,
13:47and I expected us to head inside and
13:49return to our separate evenings.
13:50Instead, Natalie stopped beside the
13:52front steps and asked whether I had
13:54enjoyed myself. I told her I had, then
13:56added that next time I should probably
13:58choose where we went since she'd already
14:00demonstrated her ability to give a
14:02walking tour. She looked interested
14:04immediately. Next time, I realized what
14:06I'd said, but there wasn't any reason to
14:08retreat from it. I told her that if she
14:10was free tomorrow evening, I'd like to
14:12take her somewhere. Natalie considered
14:14me with that amused expression I was
14:16beginning to recognize, then said she
14:18was free and wanted to see what I came
14:20up with. I promised it would be more
14:22exciting than inspecting her mother's
14:24recycling schedule, which earned another
14:26laugh as she unlocked the front door.
14:28Inside, Pepper greeted us as though we'd
14:30abandoned him for an entire week.
14:32Natalie crouched to pet him while I hung
14:34up my jacket, and the moment felt
14:36pleasantly ordinary. Nothing dramatic
14:38had happened between us, but something
14:40had changed. Tomorrow evening wasn't
14:42going to be another accidental
14:43conversation between two people sharing
14:45a house. I'd asked Natalie to spend time
14:47with me, and she'd agreed. Now, I had to
14:50decide where I wanted to take her. By
14:52the following morning, I had decided
14:53that inviting Natalie out was the easy
14:55part. Choosing somewhere to take her
14:57required a little more thought,
14:59especially since she'd grown up in Grand
15:01Rapids and probably knew most of the
15:02obvious places already. I considered
15:05dinner downtown, but that felt
15:06predictable, and I wasn't convinced
15:08either of us wanted to spend 2 hours
15:10sitting across a table trying to
15:12determine whether this was officially a
15:14date. Then I remembered a small arcade
15:16I'd visited with friends a few months
15:18earlier. Natalie had mentioned being
15:20competitive, and I liked the idea of
15:22finding out whether she'd been
15:23exaggerating. I checked that it was open
15:25before leaving for work, then put the
15:27evening out of my mind as best I could.
15:29Natalie was already gone when I came
15:31downstairs, although she'd left a note
15:33beside Pepper's leash, saying she'd
15:35taken him outside. Beneath it, she'd
15:37written that I was welcome to resume my
15:38supervisory duties whenever convenient.
15:41I laughed, gave Pepper a scratch behind
15:43his ears, and headed out. My afternoon
15:45ran smoothly enough that I finished my
15:47last appointment earlier than expected.
15:49I stopped at my apartment to pick up a
15:51clean shirt before heading back to the
15:53Whitaker's house, which gave me a moment
15:55to consider the strange position I was
15:57in. Three days earlier, Natalie had been
15:59little more than the daughter of some
16:01family friends, somebody I recognized at
16:03gatherings without really knowing. Now,
16:05I was looking forward to seeing her, and
16:07I was reasonably certain the feeling
16:09went both ways. That didn't mean I
16:11intended to assume anything, but I
16:13wasn't interested in pretending I hadn't
16:15asked her out either. When I returned,
16:17Natalie was sitting on the living room
16:19floor with Pepper, trying to convince
16:21him to surrender a tennis ball. She
16:23looked up as I entered and asked whether
16:25I'd made any plans. I told her there was
16:27an arcade downtown and I thought she
16:29might enjoy demonstrating some of that
16:30competitive confidence she'd advertised.
16:33Natalie raised an eyebrow. You're taking
16:35me to play video games? I nodded. Unless
16:37you're afraid of losing. She stood up
16:39immediately. Give me 15 minutes. 20
16:42minutes later, we were driving downtown
16:44with Natalie explaining that 15 minutes
16:46was apparently a flexible estimate.
16:48She'd changed into dark jeans, a fitted
16:50green sweater, and a light jacket. and I
16:53was finding it surprisingly difficult
16:54not to notice how good she looked. She
16:56caught me glancing over at a stoplight
16:58and asked whether something was wrong. I
17:01told her I was checking that she'd
17:02remembered her seat belt, which was
17:04technically true and not remotely
17:06convincing. Natalie smiled, but let me
17:08keep what remained of my dignity. The
17:10arcade was moderately busy when we
17:12arrived, filled with the sounds of
17:13racing games, electronic music, and
17:16people taking completely meaningless
17:17competitions far too seriously. Natalie
17:20looked around with obvious interest
17:21before heading straight toward a row of
17:23basketball machines. She challenged me
17:25to a round, then proceeded to miss her
17:27first three shots. I made the mistake of
17:29laughing. By the end of the game, she'd
17:31found her rhythm and beaten me by 11
17:33points. She turned toward me with an
17:35expression of tremendous satisfaction,
17:37and I informed her that one victory
17:39didn't establish a pattern. Natalie
17:41pointed at the scoreboard and suggested
17:43I discuss that theory with the evidence.
17:45We moved between games for nearly an
17:47hour. And I learned several things about
17:49Natalie that evening. She was terrible
17:52at pretending she didn't care about
17:53winning. Surprisingly good at racing
17:55games and perfectly willing to celebrate
17:57a victory with enough enthusiasm to
17:59embarrass both of us. I discovered I was
18:02considerably better at air hockey,
18:04although she accused me of taking
18:05advantage of my longer arms. At one
18:07point, she became so focused on a racing
18:09game that she leaned into a turn as
18:11though the machine could sense her body
18:12weight. I laughed hard enough to lose my
18:15own race, which she considered a
18:16legitimate strategic achievement. What I
18:19liked most was how comfortable she
18:20seemed being herself. She didn't need to
18:22look sophisticated or impress me with
18:24everything she said. When she made a
18:26mistake, she laughed. When she
18:28disagreed, she said so. And when I
18:30finally beat her at something, she
18:32offered a handshake with such
18:33exaggerated seriousness that I nearly
18:35started laughing again. Somewhere
18:37between the air hockey table and another
18:39round of racing, I stopped thinking
18:41about whether this counted as a date. I
18:43was simply enjoying being with her.
18:45After we left the arcade, Natalie
18:47suggested coffee instead of heading
18:48straight home. We found a small place
18:50still open a few blocks away and took a
18:52table near the window. The conversation
18:54came easily, partly because we'd already
18:57spent an hour making fools of ourselves.
18:59She told me about a particularly
19:01disastrous attempt to learn guitar in
19:02college. While I admitted that I'd once
19:04bought an old stereo at a yard sale and
19:07spent three weekends repairing something
19:08that still sounded worse than my phone,
19:11Natalie seemed genuinely entertained by
19:13that, but she also asked why I liked
19:15fixing things so much. I explained that
19:17I enjoyed understanding why something
19:19wasn't working, although I knew
19:20perfectly well that not everything
19:22needed to become a personal project. She
19:25smiled and said that was reassuring
19:26since she had no intention of becoming
19:28one. I laughed and told her she didn't
19:31strike me as someone who appreciated
19:32unsolicited repairs. The conversation
19:35moved naturally toward our lives outside
19:37the house. Natalie talked about the
19:39friends and routines she'd built in
19:40Chicago, and I found myself interested
19:42in those details rather than wondering
19:44how her life might fit conveniently into
19:46mine. She had an entire world I barely
19:48knew, and I liked hearing her describe
19:50it. We stayed until the cafe began
19:52preparing to close, then walked back
19:54toward my car. The evening had grown
19:56cooler, and Natalie tucked her hands
19:58into her jacket pockets as we crossed
20:00the sidewalk. She thanked me for
20:02bringing her out and admitted she'd
20:04almost forgotten how much fun a
20:05ridiculous competition could be. I told
20:08her she was welcome to lose at air
20:09hockey again whenever she wanted, which
20:11earned me a look of theatrical
20:12disbelief. When we reached the car, she
20:15stopped beside the passenger door
20:16instead of getting in immediately. For a
20:19moment, neither of us spoke. I was aware
20:21of how close she was standing, and when
20:23she reached toward my arm to emphasize
20:24another complaint about my alleged
20:26unfair advantage, her hand stayed there
20:28a little longer than the conversation
20:30required. I looked at her, and she
20:32didn't pull away. There was nothing
20:34accidental about the smile she gave me.
20:36I covered her hand briefly with mine,
20:38and she turned her palm just enough for
20:40our fingers to meet. We stayed that way
20:42for a few seconds before she stepped
20:44back and opened the car door. I didn't
20:46need to explain what had happened, and
20:48judging by the way she was smiling,
20:50neither did she. The drive home was
20:52comfortable, but I could feel that
20:54something had shifted between us.
20:56Natalie kept teasing me about the games,
20:58although now there was a warmth beneath
21:00it that hadn't been there when we'd
21:01started the evening. Once we reached the
21:03house, we went inside together and found
21:05Pepper asleep in his usual spot near the
21:07living room. Natalie crouched to greet
21:10him while I checked the back door. Then,
21:12we met again near the bottom of the
21:13staircase. She thanked me for the
21:15evening, this time without turning it
21:17into a joke. I told her I'd wanted to
21:19spend time with her and was glad she'd
21:20come. Natalie looked pleased, and after
21:23a brief pause, she admitted she hadn't
21:25expected to enjoy this unexpected visit
21:27home quite so much. I told her I was
21:29having a better week than I'd
21:30anticipated, too. She smiled, wished me
21:32good night, and started upstairs,
21:34turning once to tell me she'd be
21:36interested in a rematch someday. I
21:38promised to consider it. After she
21:39disappeared down the hallway, I stayed
21:41downstairs long enough to get some water
21:43before heading to my room. It occurred
21:46to me that I hadn't thought about
21:47Diane's housesitting instructions once
21:49during our evening together. I'd gone
21:51out with Natalie because I wanted to,
21:53and she'd come because she wanted to be
21:55with me. That was a promising beginning,
21:57especially since we still had a little
21:59time before her parents returned. I just
22:02wished I hadn't already started thinking
22:03about what would happen when she went
22:05back to Chicago. The thought of Natalie
22:07going back to Chicago was still on my
22:09mind when I came downstairs Thursday
22:11morning and found her standing by the
22:13kitchen window with her phone in one
22:14hand. Pepper was stretched out beneath
22:17the table, looking perfectly content
22:19with the arrangement he'd somehow found
22:21himself in. Natalie glanced over as I
22:23reached for the coffee pot and told me
22:25her mother had confirmed they'd be home
22:27around 6:00 the following evening. I'd
22:29received the same message from Diane
22:31along with a reminder that Pepper's
22:33medication was in the cabinet beside the
22:35refrigerator. something I'd already
22:37known since Monday. I mentioned that and
22:39Natalie laughed. She's going to come
22:41home and discover you've been running
22:43this place better than she does. I told
22:45her I was planning to retire from my
22:47position before anyone offered me a
22:48promotion. She smiled, but when I asked
22:51whether she was still heading back to
22:52Chicago on Saturday, her expression
22:54changed slightly. She nodded and
22:56explained that she wanted to have dinner
22:58with her parents before leaving. I said
23:00that made sense. Although I was
23:02beginning to realize how much I'd
23:03enjoyed the unexpected company. I left
23:06for work shortly afterward and the day
23:08passed without anything particularly
23:10remarkable happening. I had two service
23:12appointments, a conversation with a
23:14receptionist who seemed convinced I
23:16controlled the manufacturer's shipping
23:18department and enough paperwork to
23:20remind me why I usually preferred
23:22working with equipment. Around
23:24lunchtime, I caught myself thinking
23:26about something Natalie had said at the
23:27arcade the night before, and I smiled at
23:30my desk like an idiot before remembering
23:32there were other people in the room.
23:33What interested me wasn't simply that I
23:35found her attractive. That had become
23:37obvious enough. It was how quickly she'd
23:40become someone I wanted to share things
23:41with. If something ridiculous happened
23:44during my day, I wondered what she'd say
23:46about it. If I passed a restaurant I
23:47thought she'd like, I made a mental note
23:49to mention it. None of that meant we
23:51were suddenly building a future
23:53together, and I wasn't interested in
23:54getting ahead of myself. Still, it was a
23:57different feeling from enjoying
23:58someone's company for a few convenient
24:00evenings. By the time I finished work, I
24:03was looking forward to seeing her again,
24:05and I didn't see much reason to pretend
24:07otherwise. When I returned to the house
24:08a little after 6, the smell of garlic
24:11and tomatoes greeted me before I reached
24:13the kitchen. Natalie was standing at the
24:15stove in jeans and a soft gray top,
24:17stirring something in a large pan while
24:19Pepper watched from his preferred
24:21position near the refrigerator. She
24:23looked over her shoulder and smiled.
24:25"Good timing. Dinner's almost ready." I
24:28asked whether she'd decided to open a
24:29restaurant without telling me, and she
24:31explained that she'd bought ingredients
24:33earlier because she wanted to cook
24:34something decent on her last full
24:36evening in the house. Then she asked if
24:38I'd eat with her. I told her I'd like
24:40that, set my work bag aside, and washed
24:43my hands before helping prepare the
24:44salad. She insisted I was cutting the
24:47tomatoes too large, and I reminded her
24:49that she'd challenged my cooking
24:50abilities on the first night without
24:52ever providing evidence that hers were
24:54better. Natalie took the knife from me
24:56long enough to demonstrate what she
24:57considered acceptable tomato dimensions.
25:00I watched her work with exaggerated
25:02seriousness, then informed her that I
25:04was learning a great deal under her
25:05supervision. She laughed and handed the
25:07knife back, and for a few minutes, we
25:10moved around the kitchen with an ease
25:11that would have seemed impossible when
25:13she'd first walked through the front
25:15door. Dinner was good, although Natalie
25:17claimed the pasta would have been better
25:19if she'd remembered to buy fresh basil.
25:22I told her I was willing to overlook the
25:23tragedy, particularly since I hadn't
25:26been required to cook anything myself.
25:28We ate at the kitchen table talking
25:29about ordinary things, the strange
25:32messages she'd received from friends
25:33about her canceled vacation, a
25:35restaurant she missed in Chicago, and
25:37the time I'd attempted to assemble a
25:38bookshelf without reading the
25:40instructions. Natalie found that last
25:42story especially satisfying given my
25:44apparent dedication to her mother's
25:46housesitting checklist. As we finished
25:48eating, she asked whether I'd be
25:50returning straight to my apartment after
25:52her parents arrived. I nodded and told
25:54her I'd already packed most of my
25:56things, although I still had to make
25:58sure I hadn't left anything in the guest
26:00room. She looked down at her glass for a
26:02moment before saying the house was going
26:03to feel quiet again. I pointed out that
26:05her parents would be back, so quiet
26:07seemed unlikely. Natalie smiled at that,
26:10but I noticed she didn't immediately
26:11change the subject. Instead, she got up
26:14and started collecting the dishes, and I
26:16joined her at the sink without needing
26:17to be asked. After we'd cleaned up,
26:19Natalie suggested sitting outside for a
26:21while. The evening was cool but
26:23pleasant, and the covered back porch
26:25still held some warmth from the
26:27afternoon sun. She brought out two
26:29glasses of iced tea while I let Pepper
26:31into the yard, and we settled into
26:32chairs beside the small table her
26:34parents used during the summer. For a
26:36while, we talked about the differences
26:38between living in a city like Chicago
26:40and spending time somewhere familiar.
26:42Natalie admitted she'd originally
26:44expected her unexpected trip home to be
26:46frustrating, particularly after losing
26:48the vacation she'd been looking forward
26:50to. Instead, she'd enjoyed having no
26:52real schedule for a few days. I told her
26:54I'd been expecting five nights of
26:56feeding Pepper, watching television, and
26:58making sure the house didn't burn down.
27:00She turned toward me with a smile. Sorry
27:02to disrupt your exciting vacation. I
27:04laughed and told her I wasn't
27:06complaining. She rested her glass on the
27:08table, looking out toward the backyard,
27:10then admitted she'd probably miss having
27:12me around when she returned to her
27:13normal routine. I watched her for a
27:15moment before answering, "Yeah, I'm
27:17going to miss seeing you when I get home
27:19from work." Her expressions softened and
27:21she seemed pleased that I'd said it
27:23without turning it into another joke. We
27:25stayed outside as the sky grew darker,
27:27listening to Pepper moving around the
27:29grass before he eventually settled near
27:31the steps. Natalie shifted in her chair,
27:33so she was facing me more directly, and
27:36the conversation gradually slowed. I
27:38wasn't uncomfortable with the silence.
27:40We'd spent enough time together by then
27:42that neither of us needed to fill every
27:44second, although I was becoming
27:46increasingly aware of how close she was
27:47sitting. At one point, she reached over
27:49to brush a small piece of lint from my
27:51sleeve, then left her hand resting
27:53lightly against my forearm. I looked
27:55down at it before meeting her eyes. She
27:57smiled a little less playfully than
27:59usual, and I reached for her hand.
28:01Natalie turned hers into mine without
28:02hesitation. I like the simplicity of
28:05that response. There wasn't anything to
28:07interpret or explain, just the warmth of
28:09her fingers around mine and the fact
28:11that neither of us wanted to move away.
28:13When she stood to head inside a few
28:14minutes later, I got up with her and we
28:16found ourselves standing close together
28:18beside the porch door. I looked at her
28:20and said, "Natalie, I'd really like to
28:22kiss you." She smiled, stepped a little
28:24closer, and answered, "I'd really like
28:26that, too." I leaned toward her slowly
28:28enough to give her room to change her
28:30mind, but she met me halfway. Her hand
28:32settled against my chest as I kissed
28:34her, and mine rested lightly at her
28:35waist. It wasn't hurried, and there was
28:38none of the awkward uncertainty I'd
28:39imagined might come with crossing that
28:41particular line. Natalie kissed me back
28:43with a warmth that made it perfectly
28:45clear she'd been thinking about this,
28:47too. When we finally pulled apart, she
28:49stayed close, smiling as she looked up
28:51at me. "Well," she said, "that was
28:53considerably better than having you
28:55arrested." I laughed, and she slipped
28:57her arms around me for another brief
28:59kiss before stepping back. We let Pepper
29:01inside, gathered the glasses from the
29:03porch, and returned to the kitchen,
29:05where the evening suddenly felt both
29:06familiar and entirely different. While I
29:09put the glasses away, Natalie leaned
29:11against the counter and watched me. She
29:13told me she didn't want to treat what
29:15had happened between us as something
29:16that only made sense because we were
29:18staying in the same house. I turned
29:20toward her and said I didn't either. We
29:22didn't need to settle every detail that
29:24night, but I wanted her to know I wasn't
29:26planning to disappear when I handed her
29:28mother the keys. Natalie smiled and told
29:30me she was glad to hear it. It was
29:32getting late by the time we finally went
29:34upstairs. Natalie stopped outside her
29:36bedroom and turned toward me, looking
29:38more relaxed than she had at any point
29:40since her unexpected arrival. She
29:42thanked me for the evening, and I told
29:44her I'd enjoyed every part of it,
29:46including the controversial tomato
29:48cutting instructions. That earned
29:50another laugh before she kissed me once
29:51more and wished me good night. I
29:53continued down the hall to the guest
29:55room, closed the door, and started
29:57gathering the last few things I'd need
29:59to pack in the morning. The room looked
30:01almost exactly as it had when I'd
30:02arrived, but I wasn't thinking about
30:04whether I'd left a charger behind or
30:06remembered every item on Diane's list.
30:08I'd come to the Whitaker's house
30:10expecting to do a favor for family
30:11friends. And somehow I'd ended up
30:13meeting someone I genuinely wanted to
30:15keep seeing. Natalie would return to
30:17Chicago and I'd go back to my apartment
30:19and my usual routine. That much was
30:22already settled. What wasn't settled was
30:24how we would make room for each other
30:25when spending time together required an
30:27actual plan. I knew I wanted to find
30:29out, and tomorrow seemed like a good
30:31time to do something about it. Friday
30:33morning, I woke up before my alarm and
30:35spent a few minutes staring at the
30:37ceiling of the Whitaker's guest room. It
30:39was strange how quickly a place could
30:41start feeling familiar when you hadn't
30:42expected anything important to happen
30:44there. I got dressed, folded the extra
30:47blanket, and checked the closet to make
30:48sure I hadn't forgotten anything.
30:50Downstairs, Natalie was making coffee
30:53while Pepper waited beside his bowl,
30:55apparently convinced that two people in
30:57the kitchen meant twice the breakfast.
30:59She looked over when I entered and
31:00smiled in a way that made me remember
31:02the night before. Morning, former
31:04burglar. I laughed and reminded her that
31:06technically I was still employed until
31:08her parents returned. She poured me a
31:10cup and said she'd hate to interrupt my
31:12final shift. We ate breakfast together,
31:14talking about what still needed to be
31:16done before her parents arrived,
31:18although there wasn't much. The house
31:20was clean. Pepper was perfectly happy.
31:22And Diane's instructions had been
31:23followed with a level of precision I
31:25suspected she'd appreciate more than
31:27Natalie did. After breakfast, I finished
31:30packing and carried my bag downstairs.
31:33Natalie was sitting on the couch with
31:34Pepper when I came through the living
31:35room, and she glanced at the bag before
31:37looking back at me. "You're really
31:39moving out," she said. I told her the
31:41guest room had been a wonderful
31:43experience, but unfortunately, my
31:44permanent residence already contained
31:46most of my belongings. She smiled,
31:49although I noticed her expression was
31:50quieter than usual. I sat beside her,
31:53leaving enough room for Pepper to decide
31:55which of us deserved his attention, and
31:57asked whether she was still planning to
31:58leave Saturday morning. She nodded and
32:01explained that she had some errands
32:02waiting in Chicago, along with a Monday
32:04morning meeting she couldn't miss. I
32:07told her I'd probably spend Saturday
32:08doing laundry and catching up on things
32:10at my apartment. Natalie gave me a
32:12sympathetic look and said my social
32:14calendar sounded devastating. I laughed,
32:16then reached for her hand. She took mine
32:18immediately, and we stayed that way
32:20while Pepper settled at our feet. There
32:22was no reason to turn leaving the house
32:24into something tragic, especially after
32:26what we'd said the night before. But I
32:28could tell neither of us was
32:30particularly excited about returning to
32:31separate routines. Deianne and her
32:34husband arrived a little before 6:00
32:35that evening, bringing suitcases,
32:37several shopping bags, and the cheerful
32:39exhaustion of people who'd enjoyed their
32:41vacation but were relieved to be home.
32:44Pepper greeted them with enough
32:45enthusiasm to make my 5 days of
32:47dedicated service seem completely
32:49irrelevant. Diane thanked me for looking
32:51after everything, then immediately began
32:53checking whether he'd been eating
32:55properly. Natalie rolled her eyes and
32:57reminded her mother that Pepper was
32:59probably the most carefully supervised
33:01creature in Michigan. I handed Diane the
33:03keys, went through the few practical
33:05things she needed to know, and showed
33:07her where I'd left the house
33:08instructions. She seemed pleased that
33:10nothing had gone wrong, apart from the
33:12minor complication of her daughter,
33:14nearly calling the police on her
33:16housesitter. Natalie accepted a
33:18considerable amount of teasing about
33:20that incident, although she argued that
33:22finding an unexpected man in the kitchen
33:24at midnight was a perfectly reasonable
33:25cause for concern. I agreed with her,
33:28which apparently surprised everyone.
33:30After another few minutes of
33:31conversation, I said goodbye and picked
33:33up my bag. Natalie followed me outside,
33:36closing the front door behind her. We
33:38stopped beside my car where the evening
33:39air felt cooler than it had on the porch
33:41the night before. Natalie folded her
33:43arms and looked at me with an amused
33:45expression. So, that's it. You're
33:47officially unemployed. I told her I'd
33:49enjoyed my brief career in residential
33:51security, but I was ready to explore new
33:53opportunities. She laughed, then stepped
33:55closer as I set my bag in the back seat.
33:58I'd spent part of the day thinking about
33:59how to ask her to see me again, and
34:01standing there with her made the answer
34:03seem fairly simple. I told her I wanted
34:05to come to Chicago the following
34:07Saturday and take her on a proper date.
34:09Natalie studied my face for a second
34:11before smiling. "You're volunteering to
34:13drive all the way to Chicago?" I nodded
34:15and said I was reasonably confident my
34:17car could survive the trip. She laughed,
34:19then suggested choosing somewhere in her
34:21neighborhood since she'd already let me
34:23handle our last evening out. We agreed
34:25on Saturday at 5, and she promised to
34:27send me the details. Before I got into
34:29the car, Natalie took my hand and kissed
34:31me briefly, but without any hesitation.
34:34When she stepped back, she smiled and
34:36told me not to get lost on the way. I
34:38assured her that medical equipment
34:39wasn't the only thing I could find with
34:41modern navigation technology. Driving
34:43home felt different from the short trips
34:45I'd made to and from the Whitaker's
34:47house all week. I was returning to my
34:48own apartment, my own kitchen, and the
34:51ordinary life I'd been living before
34:52Diane asked for a favor. None of those
34:54things had changed, and I was glad they
34:56hadn't. I liked my job, my friends, and
34:59the routines I'd built for myself. What
35:01had changed was that there was now
35:03someone I wanted to include in those
35:04routines, even if figuring out how would
35:06require a little effort. Natalie texted
35:09later that evening to tell me her mother
35:10had found the guest room suspiciously
35:12clean and was considering inviting me
35:14back permanently. I replied that my
35:16rates had increased considerably since
35:18my last assignment. Natalie said she'd
35:20informed the management. We exchanged a
35:23few more messages before saying good
35:24night, and I went to bed feeling
35:26considerably more cheerful than a man
35:28spending his Friday evening folding
35:30laundry had any right to feel. Natalie
35:32returned to Chicago the next morning,
35:34and over the following week, we settled
35:36into something that felt natural without
35:38pretending we lived around the corner
35:39from each other. She told me about her
35:42work, sent me a picture of a
35:43spectacularly bad parking job outside
35:45her apartment, and asked whether I'd
35:47survived returning to a house without
35:49detailed written instructions. I told
35:52her I'd forgotten to take out my own
35:53trash, which she considered proof that
35:55her mother had been right to supervise
35:57me. We talked on the phone a couple of
35:59evenings, usually after dinner, and I
36:01discovered that Natalie was just as
36:03entertaining when we weren't sharing a
36:04kitchen or competing over arcade games.
36:07She also had things going on that had
36:09nothing to do with me, which I liked.
36:11There were evenings when she was busy
36:12with friends or I had plans of my own,
36:15and neither of us treated that as a
36:16problem. By Wednesday, she'd sent me the
36:19name of a restaurant and a place to meet
36:20near her neighborhood. I confirmed the
36:22time, made sure I could leave early
36:24enough on Saturday and put the address
36:26into my phone. The plan was real, and
36:28that mattered more to me than another
36:30week of flirting about what we might do
36:32someday. Saturday afternoon, I drove
36:34into Chicago with enough time to find
36:36parking and walked to the bookstore
36:38where we'd agreed to meet. Natalie was
36:40already outside when I arrived, wearing
36:42a dark jacket over a burgundy top, her
36:44hair falling loosely over her shoulders.
36:47She spotted me from halfway down the
36:48block and smiled before I could even
36:50raise my hand. I walked toward her and
36:52she stepped forward to give me a hug
36:54that turned naturally into a kiss. "You
36:56made it," she said when we pulled apart.
36:58I told her that after surviving 5 days
37:00under her mother's supervision, a few
37:02hours on the highway had been
37:03manageable. Natalie laughed and took my
37:05hand as we started walking. She'd chosen
37:08a small restaurant a few streets away,
37:10somewhere she liked enough to visit
37:11regularly, but hadn't considered
37:13particularly romantic until that
37:15afternoon. I liked hearing her talk
37:17about the neighborhood as we walked,
37:18pointing out places she actually visited
37:21instead of trying to give me a formal
37:22tour. This was her everyday world filled
37:25with people and routines I hadn't known
37:27existed 2 weeks earlier. Being invited
37:29into it felt more meaningful than
37:31arriving somewhere simply because we'd
37:32both happened to be staying there.
37:34Dinner was relaxed, funny, and
37:37considerably less awkward than either of
37:39us might have expected from our first
37:40official date. Natalie recommended
37:43something from the menu, then
37:44immediately warned me that her taste in
37:46restaurants was more reliable than her
37:48ability to judge old movies. I told her
37:51I was still recovering from discovering
37:52how seriously she took arcade
37:54basketball. She maintained that
37:56competition revealed important character
37:58traits, especially the ability to accept
38:00defeat gracefully. I pointed out that
38:02she'd spent nearly 20 minutes
38:03complaining after losing at air hockey,
38:05which made her laugh hard enough to put
38:07down her fork. As we ate, the
38:09conversation moved beyond our shared
38:11week in Grand Rapids. She asked about
38:13places I'd always wanted to visit, and I
38:15learned more about the community
38:17programs she worked with, and why she'd
38:19chosen that career. We talked about what
38:21our normal weekends looked like, what we
38:23liked doing alone, and which parts of
38:25our lives we were unwilling to give up
38:27just because we were interested in
38:29someone. It wasn't a serious negotiation
38:31about the future. It was simply two
38:33people discovering how much they enjoyed
38:35each other's company when they had
38:37nowhere particular they needed to be. By
38:39the time we finished dinner, we'd
38:41already agreed that Natalie should come
38:42to Grand Rapids again sometime, although
38:45she insisted the next arcade visit would
38:47end very differently. After dinner, we
38:49walked through her neighborhood for a
38:51while before heading toward her
38:52apartment. The evening had cooled, and
38:55Natalie kept her hand in mine as she
38:57pointed out a coffee shop she liked and
38:59a small park where she sometimes went to
39:00read. I found myself enjoying the
39:02ordinary details more than I'd expected.
39:05She wasn't showing me an exciting
39:06version of Chicago designed to impress a
39:08visitor. She was showing me pieces of
39:10her life because she wanted me to know
39:12them. When we reached her building, she
39:14turned toward me beside the entrance and
39:16smiled. So, Reed Callahan, you've
39:19officially completed your first visit
39:20without being hired to watch anything. I
39:23told her I was disappointed nobody had
39:24handed me a checklist. She laughed, then
39:27grew a little quieter as she stepped
39:28closer. I put a hand at her waist and
39:31kissed her and she slipped her arms
39:32around my shoulders with the same easy
39:34confidence I'd come to like so much.
39:36When we pulled apart, she glanced toward
39:38the front door and asked whether I
39:39wanted to come upstairs for coffee. I
39:42smiled and reminded her that the last
39:43time she'd found me standing inside a
39:45house unexpectedly. She'd nearly called
39:47the police. Natalie shook her head,
39:49laughing. This time I'm inviting you.
39:52Remember? She held out her hand and I
39:54took it upstairs. Natalie unlocked her
39:56apartment and stepped aside to let me
39:58enter. It was a comfortable place with
40:00books stacked beside the couch, a couple
40:02of plants near the window, and a framed
40:04print she immediately informed me she'd
40:06bought because it made absolutely no
40:08sense. I laughed and followed her toward
40:10the kitchen where she started making
40:12coffee while explaining that her machine
40:14sometimes required encouragement to
40:16cooperate. I leaned against the counter
40:18and watched her work, feeling completely
40:20at ease in a place I'd never visited
40:22before. When she handed me a mug, she
40:24smiled and asked whether I thought her
40:26apartment passed inspection. I looked
40:28around with exaggerated seriousness
40:30before telling her I'd need at least one
40:31more visit to make a fair assessment.
40:34Natalie nodded as though considering the
40:36proposal, then said she could probably
40:38arrange that. I set my mug down and
40:40reached for her hand, and she came
40:42closer without waiting for another
40:43invitation. We kissed again, smiling a
40:46little when we pulled apart, and I
40:48realized neither of us was trying to
40:49turn the evening into a grand
40:50declaration. We'd already done the
40:52important part. She'd made room for me
40:54in her weekend. I'd made the drive
40:56because I wanted to see her. And now we
40:58were making plans to do it again. I went
41:01home that weekend knowing Natalie and I
41:03still had plenty to discover about each
41:04other. And I was looking forward to it.
41:06I'd walked into her parents house with a
41:08borrowed key and a list of
41:10responsibilities. But none of those
41:11things had brought me to Chicago. That
41:13had been my choice, just as opening her
41:15own door to me had been hers. The most
41:18unexpected part of that week wasn't that
41:20Natalie came home at midnight. It was
41:22that when the houses sitting ended, we
41:24both wanted the story to continue. If
41:26you were in my position, would you have
41:28taken the chance on a relationship that
41:29started so unexpectedly, even knowing
41:32you'd be living in different cities? I'd
41:34love to hear what you think in the
41:35comments. And if you enjoyed Reed and
41:37Natalie's story, give the video a like
41:39and subscribe for more romance stories.

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