Pia had been looking forward to having a roommate again. She hoped for someone to share the apartment with and maybe even become friends with over time. When Caleb moved in three weeks ago, though, things hadn't gone quite the way she'd imagined.
皮娅一直盼着再有一个室友。她希望有人和她合住这间公寓，说不定时间久了还能成为朋友。可是三周前凯莱布搬进来之后，事情并没有完全照她想象的那样发展。
He was polite enough, always saying good morning and cleaning up after himself. But he rarely spoke beyond that. He ate dinner alone in his room most nights. He disappeared behind a closed door as soon as he got home from work. Pia started to wonder if she'd somehow annoyed him without realizing it.
他挺有礼貌，总是说早上好，也会收拾干净自己用过的东西。可除此之外，他很少说话。大多数晚上，他都一个人在自己房间里吃晚饭。一下班回到家，他就躲到紧闭的房门后面。皮娅开始怀疑，自己是不是在不知不觉中惹他不高兴了。
She mentioned her worry to a coworker during lunch one day. "Maybe he just doesn't like me," she said. "I've tried starting conversations, but he barely answers."
有一天午饭时，她向一位同事说起了这件事。“也许他就是不喜欢我，”她说，“我试过找他聊天，可他几乎不怎么回答。”
"Have you asked him directly?" her coworker suggested. "Sometimes people are quiet for reasons that have nothing to do with you."
“你有没有直接问过他？”同事建议道，“有时候，人安静是有原因的，跟你一点关系也没有。”
That evening, Pia decided to try one more time. She knocked on Caleb's door and asked if he wanted to watch a movie. She suggested the living room instead of eating alone again. He hesitated, then agreed, looking almost surprised by the invitation.
那天晚上，皮娅决定再试一次。她敲了敲凯莱布的房门，问他想不想看电影。她提议去客厅看，别又一个人吃饭了。他犹豫了一下，然后答应了，对这个邀请似乎还有点意外。
Halfway through the movie, Caleb finally opened up a little. "Sorry if I've seemed distant," he said. "This is actually my first time living away from my family, and I've been feeling pretty homesick. I didn't want to make things awkward by bringing my mood into our shared space."
电影放到一半，凯莱布终于稍微敞开了心扉。“对不起，我可能显得有点疏远，”他说，“其实这是我第一次离开家人独自生活，我一直很想家。我不想把我的坏心情带进我们共用的空间，弄得大家尴尬。”
Pia felt a wave of relief, realizing his quietness had never been about her at all. "You could have just told me that," she said gently. "I would have understood completely."
皮娅感到一阵轻松，明白了他的沉默从来都与她无关。“你本可以直接跟我说的，”她温和地说，“我完全会理解的。”
"I know that now," Caleb admitted, smiling a little. "I guess I assumed being quiet was easier than explaining."
“我现在知道了，”凯莱布承认道，微微笑了笑，“我想我以前总觉得，不说话比解释起来容易。”
From that evening on, they started sharing dinner a few nights a week. Pia noticed Caleb slowly seemed less homesick with each passing week.
从那天晚上起，他们开始每周有几个晚上一起吃晚饭。皮娅注意到，随着一周又一周过去，凯莱布似乎慢慢不那么想家了。
