"Hi," Alice smiled from the hallway.

"Hi?" Franz looked at her through the crack of the door. From what she could see he was in his pajamas, probably on his way to bed. The thought made her slightly uncomfortable, but all the more eager.

"Really sorry for waking you up, but I was wondering if I could borrow some Parmesan?" She shivered as she asked the question. Worst icebreaker in the history of the world. [i]Great job, Alice. All those public speaking classes sure went to good use.[/i]

"Parmesan?" The man asked in a level voice. His accent was showing. [i]Definitely Austrian. Or maybe German?[/i] "You want Parmesan?"

"It's embarrassing, but I ran out and—" The door closed shut mid-sentence.

[i]Well, that takes care of that.[/i] Her shoulders relaxed slightly as she shifted her weight to her left leg. Not what she had hoped, but not surprising either. [i]He must think I'm an idiot. Or a maniac. Shitty ten to ten work schedule! I bet—[/i]

A sliding metallic sound broke the night's quiet. Moments later the door opened halfway.

"What do you need Parmesan for?" Franz asked. He looked a bit shorter than Alice expected him to. Of course, this was the first time she had actually seen him up close.

"Just to make a sandwich," Alice replied casually, surprising even herself. Her calm demeanor was capable of convincing anyone anything, even if the words made no sense whatsoever. [i]And now he probably thinks I'm crazy too.[/i]

"Is that before or after your midnight jog?" He smirked.

"Huh?" Alice looked down at her clothes, as if someone had magically transformed them into something new. Just the average blue and white set she always wore at home—nothing to look at, but divinely comfortable. [i]Again, nice work, Alice! Thinking you could win this one with charm, sloppy clothes, and a Battlestar Galactica T-shirt.[/i] "Oh, this isn't for jogging. Just something I wear."

"I see." He leaned on the wall. "And it's normal for you to wake someone up in the middle of the night and ask for Parmesan cheese?" His English was way too formal, in a sweet, yet slightly weird sort of way.

"Well, yea?" She shifted her weight again. [i]This was a bad idea. I can't believe I'm actually going on with it![/i]

"What's your name?" Frank crossed his arms. Bad sign. Based on Alice's books on body language that meant he was defensive and closed to any suggestions.

"Alice. Alice Greene." [i]I noticed you around. I find you very attractive.[/i] The lyrics of the stupid song popped into her mind. At this point she might as well use them. It wasn't like she'd do much worse. "I've noticed y—"

"Alice," he repeated her name, as if it were a medical condition. "You came here at this late hour, woke me up, and asked for Parmesan cheese?" His jaw clenched slightly at every word. 

[i]So much for that plan.[/i] Alice bit on the corner of her lip, while maintaining a guilty smile. [i]Not sure if he's stupid or I am...[/i]

"And you didn't even check I'm a vegan." He shook his head twice, lips pursed.

"A vegan?" [i]What the what?[/i] Franz opened the door a bit more, then tapped loudly on a large green sticker put in its center. The words [b]Vegan is a state of mind![/b] stared back at Alice, mocking her. "Oh..." [i]It's official. I'm an idiot. And so is he![/i] "I guess I'll go now..." 

She took a step back, shoulders all tensed up again. Of all her bad ideas, this had to be in the top fifty, though worthy of a special mention. Parmesan indeed! Alice expected the door to slam in her face. That's what she would do if the situation was reversed. Instead, Franz just laughed.

"Next time, just please ask for a cup of coffee," he moved aside leaving enough space for her to pass. "There'll be much less confusion that way."