[11] Settling in (Part 1)

I picked myself up off the ground and dried my eyes. I walked into the bathroom and myself in the mirror. I looked like a train wreck. My eyes were swollen and dark, my hair was a complete disaster, and I seriously needed a bath. I dragged myself back outside and found some clothes. It seemed like Ethan had a hard time handling my underwear. I tried to imagine him picking each piece up, looking at it and awkwardly shoving it into the side compartment. I laughed. I picked out a pair of ripped blue denim shorts, my white wool sweater, a bra and underwear, and I grabbed my toothbrush.

I rested my clean clothes on the counter while I began to brush my teeth, and I looked around at the bathroom's intricate details. The shower's wall tiles were sea foam green, and the curtains complemented it well by being opaque white, with patterns of grey dolphins all over it. Just opposite the shower was the mirror, sink and the toilet, and there was a shelf with towels, colognes, deodorants, and razors. I admired how neatly Ethan had stacked them all. I didn't know he was so organised. The wall behind the sink and the mirror was painted in a mint green, and there was a detailed pattern painted onto it that began at the entrance. I followed it with my eyes. It began like thick branches extending inwardly, and then each thick branch broke into smaller branches and then into twigs. Leaves were painted very closely to them, but none were connected to the branches. There was adequate spacing between every new part of the design. The painting stopped abruptly near the centre of the room, where the mirror and sink had been jammed against the wall. The other half of the room was plain with mint green paint, boring to the eyes. I wondered why it was that way. I wondered who had painted the wall, and I realised then that Ethan's favourite colour was obviously green in its many tones.

I'd been gazing so long at the room that I completely forgot I was brushing my teeth, and so I finished up and hopped into the shower. The water was cold and it hit me unexpectedly. I uttered a word I won't repeat, and I looked around for a switch so I could get warm water, but I didn't know how the hell to use this shower. I decided to endure the cold water just this once, and eventually I got accustomed to it. I stayed in the shower for about a half hour, most of which was just letting the water hit the top of my head and trickle all the way down to my feet while I got lost in thought and spicy-smelling bubbles.

When I heard a key being stuck into the apartment’s entrance door, and I knew someone was coming, I hopped out of the shower and locked the bathroom door; something I'd completely forgotten to do before undressing. I jumped back into the water and nearly slipped where I could have broken an ankle. I decided my bath had lasted long enough. When I’d gotten out and wrapped myself in a clean baby blue towel, I smelled like peppermint and cinnamon. I liked it; it was spicy –different –new. I slipped into my outfit and twisted my towel into my long black hair, which was nothing near straight after I'd spent so long soaking it. I stood at the door and listened for familiarity in the person's step, voice, or movement outside.

“Faye?” Ethan called.

I sighed in relief, “Yea?”

“Are you getting through in there? Did you find the switch?” He asked.

I rolled my eyes, “No, because someone didn't bother to show me where to find it before leaving me all alone in this place.”

He laughed. “I realised.”

I walked out of the bathroom and folded my arms, “I hate you.”

Ethan studied my sombre expression and he tried as hard as he could not to laugh but he broke.

“What's so funny?” I asked, unamused.

“Nothing. It's just... I've... never seen you with your head wrapped in a towel before...” he broke down in laughter again.”Were you going for a Pharaoh look?”

“Ha ha, Very funny," I rolled my eyes. I walked back into the bathroom to get my dirty clothes and my toothbrush and I carried them back into the bedroom and shoved them into the suitcase.

“There's a laundry room down on the ground floor. Usually I take my clothes there and wash them on weekends. Oh, I hope I brought enough of your stuff. I didn't know if you needed anything else.”

“No, this was fine. I'll probably need to make a trip to the grocery but I'm good. I must say, I'm impressed that you had it in you to actually pack my bag full of underwear. Oh, please do tell me how satisfying that must have been.”

Ethan grimaced, “I hated every moment of it.”

“You're so weird. You know, normal boys would have shoved their face in it and took in the lady's scent. You insult me.”

Ethan wheezed and threw a pillow at me, “You're the worst.”

I shrugged, “You know you love me.” I smirked. “I’m the green to your bathroom.”

Ethan looked at me pointedly. “So funny,” he said, sarcastically.

“I'm such a good friend,” I argued, “I humour you... I help you out at work... My sarcasm makes your day... I do all that for you. And what do you do for me? You forget to tell me where the switch to make the shower water warm is. You prick,” I said.

He sighed and told me to follow him. He walked into the bathroom, closed the door and I noticed the little red switch, almost directly next to the top hinges of the door.

I look at him dumbfounded.

He started to laugh, “You know what you didn't do-”

“-Just... just don't say it,” I said, exiting the bathroom, defeated.

He laughed hysterically, “You didn't close the bathroom door until I was coming, did you!”

I groaned, “Oh shut up!”

“You're a mess,” Ethan told me.

Like I didn’t already know...

***

“So what are we doing today?” I asked, zipping up the suitcase and standing.

“Well,” He exhaled, “I think we should get you registered for your own apartment here since you’re looking all rested up. I think you'll feel more at home that way... not to mention you'll have your privacy.”

Ethan stretched, and I heard the crackling of stiff joints. I almost cringed at the sound.

“So do these people just have apartments waiting for new wielders all the time?” I asked, jokingly.

“Pretty much,” Ethan said, destroying the point of my phrase. “When you look out the balcony, if you see yourself as a wielder completely for a moment, your eyes become open to our city.”

“I saw it,” I said, perking up, my eyes growing slightly enthusiastic. “Last night... when-” I paused, because I didn't want to bring up his breakdown, “Last night, I saw it.”

“See?” He said, “Maybe you don't need me after all. You're getting the hang of this pretty well on your own.”

“I barely know anything,” I said, shrugging. “I'm just using my observation and the depth of my mind. I don't know if everything I think about is real here.”

Ethan chuckled nervously. “Your whole world got turned upside down in one night, Faye. I don't expect you to figure everything out at once. I don't expect you to be a pro at this. The reason I'm here is because one, I'm your best friend, two, I’m just trying to be a guide based on what I know, and three, I promised myself a long time ago that I would protect you.”

I pulled at his T shirt and squeezed him into a tight hug.

He's so cheesy when he wants to be.