NOVEL WEB Chapter 42: 42nd entry
Season: Autumn
Weather: Showers
Day of the week: Thursday
Date: 28th March, 2024
Not exactly the homecoming I wanted.
Deaglan helped me with the discharge and drove me back to my apartment where THE big boss's whole team of secretaries and assistants were waiting, led by his special personal assistant.
Apparently they were waiting for me so that they could help me move. Now. Immediately. I could only watch helplessly as the girls helped me pack up my room and the boys dealt with everything else.
There wasn't that much stuff. I hadn't bought much even with my improved salary and so it was relatively simple. Many of the secretaries and assistants gossiped about this when they thought I wasn't within earshot. It made my cheeks and ears feel like they were burning.
Most of the rest of the furniture had come with the apartment. The landlord didn't say much when I returned the key. He returned the bond and didn't bother to see us off.
Most of the team of secretaries and assistants returned to the office since they weren't needed. Deaglan drove me to his place, an apartment just two blocks from work. He showed me around, said I was welcome into his bedroom anytime and to disturb him anytime, blushing furiously all the while. And then he showed me to my new bedroom where the bed had been freshly made with new pink and yellow sheets covered with blossoms. The matching quilt cover was a nice touch. It smelled of sunned linen and of long lost memories.
The rest of the assistants helped bring in what was left of my food, along with my fridge, new television, couch and mat. I left them to arrange everything while I had a quick shower and climbed into bed.
After a nap, I wandered around the apartment. It was a two bedroom apartment almost twice the size of my previous little place. They had put my things next to Deaglan's. Somehow, it fit right into the current decor, and so it didn't look out of place. It didn't look cluttered either.
He would have his fridge and his space. I would have mine. I could just use my fridge as my pantry space so as not to take up too much of his space. On the long bench thing the televisions were sitting. He had his game consoles under his TV. I had my television right next door to his, in front of my own couch where Mr Fluffle Longears was already sitting.
There I sat on the couch, hugging Mr Fluffle Longears while I looked at the black screen of my television and wondered whether I wanted to waste electricity by seeing what was on TV. Not wanting to make the bills any higher, I decided against watching TV and chose to prop my chin on the fluffy bunny to look out the window at the cityscape scenery below.
It was dark when I woke up again.
Deaglan had returned home and was cooking in the kitchen. He had covered me with a blanket that smelled of mothballs and dust, making me sneeze repeatedly.
I took the blanket out to the caged area of the balcony where there was a washing line and pegged the blanket up to air. Then wiping my watery eyes and itchy nose, I went inside to blow my nose and escape from the dusty old thing.
The breeze outside was nice, so I left the glass sliding door open but kept the security fly screen door closed.
"You're up? Come and eat," Deaglan beckoned.
"You didn't have to," I wrinkled my nose and forehead up. "I thought we'd be looking after our own meals."
"Hey. It's your first night here. Consider this meal on the house. A welcome meal."
Since he said so, I wouldn't refuse. A nice touch. Warmth to the heart.
What he had made was nice and simple. Nothing too expensive.
Salad with sliced eggs and cubed chicken breast. Toasted buttered bread with pea and ham soup - from a can by the look of the kitchen bench. And a little frozen cheesecake that had been cut in half for us each to share for dessert.
I was very comforting. Although I was nervous, it was very nice to have company. If anything, it looked like Deaglan was just as nervous as I was by the way he stammered and tripped over his words a few times. He even missed his face completely a few times during dinner. Cute.
During the night, I woke suddenly from my nightmares. When I pattered out to the kitchen to get a drink, I found Deaglan curled up on the couch in the dark, hugging his knees. He scared me so much that I tripped and fell over.
In the end we turned on the light, made some hot drinks and talked. After talking a bit, we sat on the couch together until we felt sleepy, whereupon we grabbed our quilts and brought them out to sleep together in the lounge but on our own couches.
In a small voice, Deaglan asked if we could hug because he needed a hug. So I went over to his couch where we hugged and then he asked if I could stay with him while he played games to distract himself, while I am writing in my diary.
Having company and keeping company like this through the long scary nights is not so bad.