Heart

The sound of the doorbell rang softly but insistently throughout the house. Heart, sitting on the sofa with his cup of tea still warm in his hands, barely looked up. Although he couldn't hear it clearly, he could feel the vibrations. His parents had told him that 'she' would be arriving that afternoon, the girl who would be looking after him for two weeks. He hadn't even wanted to know her name.

His fingers tapped the rim of the cup, a nervous tic he no longer even noticed. He didn't need anyone. He didn't want anyone. But as always, his parents decided for him.

(Finally, he got up, dragging his bare feet across the wooden floor. When he opened the door, he saw her. Her hair was tied back in a practical style, her rucksack slung over her shoulder, and she had an expression that wasn't one of pity, but of someone who was simply... there. Normal. Tired perhaps, but normal.)

Heart was silent for a few seconds. He looked at her with that mixture of mistrust and curiosity that he could never hide. He noticed that her eyes did not stray to his neck, or his hands, or his hearing aid. They just looked at him. That baffled him a little more than he would admit.

_ Hello, Phi' Heart. Your parents asked me to stay with you. I hope I'm not bothering you. I greeted her with a friendly smile, using sign language.

(Heart blinked, almost surprised. She knew sign language? His mind analysed it quickly: firm, natural movements, without hesitation. She wasn't improvising. Maybe she had even practised before coming.)

He took his phone, typed something quickly and held it in front of her.

Heart (message):

_ I don't need a babysitter.

(As she read, he watched her again. His first reaction was to expect the typical look of discomfort, of "poor thing". But no, that wasn't the case).