Tim smiled at her as he walked away from the kitchen table, deciding to leave the dishes out so they could be done later. After all, he lived alone and while he wasn't a slob by any means he wasn't a neat freak either. "Let me get dressed and then we can go for our walk. It is rather nice outside, and heaven knows I need a break from staring at a screen all day." He teased, letting her finish while he silently slipped into the bedroom. He began putting his shoes on, his mind whirling with all the information he had subconsciously collected about his friend. She was scared, scared of something... and it was like all her confidence had been sucked out of her. Back in high school, Alice was a shining star of confidence, and once she made up her mind for good, then only a higher power could make her think otherwise.<br/><br/>Something was wrong, the way that she was jumping at every single shadow and stuttering at his every question... it wasn't her. Seeing her like this and not knowing what was wrong, it clenched at his heart like a fist. He wasn't about to press her for it, but watching her move around like a shadow of her former self was almost too much to bear. He was snapped out of his thoughts by hearing a soft whirring, the whirring of a vacuum cleaner? He had kept it in his closet for a very long time, and in truth had forgotten he had one. But why on earth would his vacuum cleaner be out? Unless the machines had finally risen up and had taken over the world... but that wasn't estimated to happen for another few years!<br/><br/>He finished getting dressed and walked out of his bedroom, looking around as he gasped. Holy moly! His kitchen was clean as a whistle and looked like it was brand new, the dishes done, the ingredients put up, and the counters wiped down. Looking over, he saw Alice shyly gazing at him, the vacuum cleaner whirring as she kept it still before she clicked it off. "Wow." He breathed, giving her a wide smile and reaching over to take her arm. "I haven't seen the kitchen that clean since before I moved in, great job." He added, watching her grab her things before they left.<br/><br/>He led her around to the local park, watching her marvel at the sights while he listened to her words. "I remember, those walks helped me survive college." He added, watching as her beautiful face got caught in the sunlight. He might have also fallen in love with her during the quiet time he had with her, the two of them just walking together without anyone seeing them. But then William had muddled the waters, and that was that. He gazed at the elderly couple passing by and noticing Alice looking at them the same way. Was she wishing that could be them too?<br/><br/>Tim took a deep breath and reached over towards Alice's hand, gently lacing his fingers through hers protectively. Friends could hold hands, right? That was okay. Well, it had to be because they were doing it. As his palm rested against hers and their fingers entwined, he smiled as he listened to her question. "Well, I haven't been out much, and have just been working most of the time. Still, the perfect girl is out there for me, and I'll find her." He chuckled, squeezing her hand. He'd hoped that perfect girl could be her... but again that was all in the past. "I just need to find the one, and she's out there." He added. He was one of those people who believed in soulmates, and he'd find her somewhere. Somehow.