I won't let another minute go to waste

 Her name was Chili. Dory looked up at her blankly. Why was she talking about food?

They walked up the thin stairs of the old building toward the lofts. Actually, they were remodeled studio apartments which was an open space mostly, just the breakfast bar in front of the thin kitchen. It was enough for one.

"This is where you'll be staying," Chili told him it was temporary. He looked at the new white space. She showed him a closet big enough for a room and there was a bathroom with a shower.  There was a nice-sized bed and even a TV on the wall, but not much else.

Dory remained even-lipped. He couldn't speak. He didn't know why exactly. Maybe it was because he'd never noticed anyone quite as pleasant as the girl who was running the Coffee Shop. But the more he stared at her, he knew she was a woman. 

"I'm just down the hall, if..if you need anything," Chili said. Dory remained mute.

"Is..is the studio not big enough?" She then asked. 

Silence. He didn't know what to tell her.

"I've lived in a lot smaller," she assured him. "I grew up in the cage apartments of Hong Kong. It was much more free on the islands but it was quite rundown."

Dory's eyes were open wide in shock. He couldn't imagine the horror. His mother often spoke of those kind of places while growing up. He attempted to clear his throat. 

He was still in shock how Chili came to this job. What had she been through to succeed? And her smile. He would have never thought she would have lived anywhere horrible.

"It's just..well, I've never actually lived alone." There had always been his mother. And she was always making him take violin lessons. Why had she wanted him to play so badly? Where had it gotten him? He thought of all her small jobs she would go to, just to make sure they existed. And then she'd passed as if she was assured he could go on with scholarships. "I've always had a roommate." 

It felt strange to be alone now. "And..well, I can't cook anything." He did his best to smile. 

"That's fine, you can start busing tables right now. You're our dishwasher at the moment." Chili shrugged back. 

Dory let out a sigh. Was this really necessary? Couldn't he just get back to his old life?

He put his backpack down on the bed. He didn't even have his violin. He at least needed to go back to Finn's to get it. Yes, he knew something was missing from his life. It was the only instrument he'd had with him through everything and now it was gone.