Aditus' prompts and circumstances - 30. O. Henry Short Story Prompt 1 – The Green Door - Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror

Holding the advertising card in his hand, Rudolf climbs the last stair and reaches the top floor. While he catches his breath, thinking maybe he should finally do something with his gym membership, he swivels his head around. Another regular door, this with a welcome mat saying: IN DOG WE TRUST. And on the other side... Is this the green door? He looks at the crumpled sheet of paper again. It still only says: THE GREEN DOOR.

Rudolf strains his ears. A TV murmurs in the background and the smell of fried bacon permeates the air. Quite normal. He scoffs. What did he expect? That a door would open magically and lead him into Narnia? He chuckles at his stupidity. Someone obviously played a practical joke and of course, he fell for it. Typical.

But there is a green door. “Yeah, and behind it lives some punk kid, who thought it funny to screw with the landlord.” And with me.

Rudolf means to go home, but suddenly his hand hovers over shiny brass. Funny, it almost looks like the knob Eva and I found at the flea market in France last year. Holding his breath, he tries to turn it. It’s locked anyway.

The door opens and the sound of the TV becomes louder. Shocked, he tries to pull it close again, but hesitates when his gaze falls on a small dresser drawer. It’s similar to his at home, except the bowl on top isn’t the one Eva gave him for his birthday. This is polished wood. Inside is the usual assortment of sunglasses, a bike lock, keys, and a black leather wallet, which looks familiar. Only he can’t place where he last saw a wallet like this. Probably a coincidence anyway.

The blue runner in the hallway looks good against the gleaming, dark hardwood floor. His at home is green, lying on light grey linoleum. Cheerful and welcoming. Dark colors are off-putting.

They don’t have a nice coat rack though, only three simple pegs on the right wall. A leather jacket is hanging from the one in the middle. Behind it, on a hanger, is a coat that looks a little like the one Ethan had bought him at the lost-item auction as a gag gift. Eva threw it out; she said it smelled funny. He never noticed that, but women are known for their sensitive noses. Right?

A man laughs. Probably at something on the TV. Rudolf really needs to get out of there, before the owner of the apartment notices him.

His feet move almost of their own accord. Farther inside. The door on the left leads into the kitchen, a motley assortment of furniture and appliances. Two chairs and a small table. The large, white cups on top remind him of the Hutschenreuther tableware his grandmother had. Charming. If it were only him, his kitchen would probably look like this, not the sleek exhibition piece Eva wanted. He was still paying for it. Maybe he should just sell it now.

The bathroom is on the right. Someone must have recently taken a shower. Hmmm…mint and cedar, with a hint of…lemon? Rudolf isn’t good with scents, but these are nice. He takes in a deep breath. Ethan had cologne that smelled a little like this. Aqua di Gio.

The living room is at the far end. Before he knows it, Rudolf stands its doorway. It’s a miracle the man on the couch hasn’t noticed him yet. Rudolf really needs to go.

He can only see the backside of the man’s head. Dark hair, it curls a little over his collar. The man has a nice laugh. It reminds him of someone.

There are shelves filled with books that could be his. A large potted palm tree stands in front of the bay window. It looks a little sad. Maybe it needs water. On the walls are black-and-white photographs of men. A cat that looks suspiciously like Neptune watches him with bright green eyes. Only it can’t be him. He ran away last year.

Rudolf really likes this apartment. It feels like the home he never had. Then the man looks over his shoulder and grins at him. “Rudolf! Finally!”

Ethan.

Rudolf turns around. His heart feels like it’s beating in his throat. He runs as fast as he can. On his way down, he almost bumps into a woman. She has an advertising card in her hand.

A very short short-story. Many thanks to Valkyrie for the quick edit. 
Thank you, AC for the intriguing prompt.