DISAPPOINTMENTS 2

       She slowly opened the door to the apartment and peeped in first before going in. Ethan sat on a couch having a drink, he looked her way when he heard the noise. He sat up quickly like he had seen a ghost while she let herself into the room looking so guilty. She kept her face down and her fingers entwined. 

       "Ah!" Ethan exclaimed.  "Are you alright?" he stood up. 

       "Mr Floyd, I cannot begin to express how sorry I am..."

      "No, no, it's fine." He walked up to her and held her shoulders.  "I was just worried that something might have happened to you, I'm glad you are safe." 

       She couldn't say anything, she just glanced at him and faced the floor again, her fingers still entwined, her conscience crushed by guilt. 

       "Mom has gone to bed, she wasn't feeling too well, so she went to bed earlier." 

       "Mr Floyd, I —" 

       "Listen, Faith. We are just pulling this up and I understand when you can't make certain alterations, I am the one encroaching in your life and time." 

       "Still I'm sorry. I couldn't call because...because I forgot my phone in my bedroom." She looked at him again. 

     Ethan smiled at her again.  "It's okay. We should go inside now and if we must look convincing enough, we have to both have the keys to the room." 

       "I'll give you the spares then," she muttered. 

     He stretched out his hand and she took it. He led her towards her bedroom, squeezing her hand. As they walked toward her room, Faith was consumed by more guilt. He cannot be kind to her like this after that unexplained stand up, his mother was unwell and she might have struggled to that dinner date only for her to stand them up. 

      Once they entered her bedroom, she broke away from his hold. He turned and looked at her, a bit confused. 

         "Faith, is anything the matter?" he looked at her hand that was now by her side. 

        "I'm sorry, I..." 

        "I told you, it's okay." 

       "No, you can't be okay with me ditching you unless you are deliberately doing all of this so that I can feel guilty." 

        "I'm not doing anything to make you feel that way. I'm genuinely pacifying you. I know you have your own life to live. In fact, I have no right to get angry when things don't work out the way I want them to. I took you by surprise, yes. You must have a hard time digesting all of this considering that —" He stopped and sighed deeply. 

      "Considering what?" 

       "I know...I know that you hate me..." 

       "No, I don't," Faith said immediately. He looked at her.  "Well, maybe before but I believe I was...unreasonably angry at the situation that I had to pour that aggression on someone. Hate...hate is a very strong word." 

      Ethan chuckled and took a few steps closer to her.  "More than once, I heard you refer to me as your room hate." 

        "That was...that was..." 

        "It's cool. I smiled anytime I hear that. I knew you were an exasperating woman, so I didn't take any of those to heart, but one thing is certain." He moved closer to her. 

     That mental image of their kiss came to her again and her heart started to beat, she exhaled deeply as he closed the proximity between them, she felt her cheeks suddenly flushed and she managed to keep her hands from quivering. His eyes were never leaving hers and she couldn't remove hers because she was held spellbound by his and she started to breathe out heavily. 

         "I am going to change that narrative to your room love." 

       That made her chuckle before she saw the seriousness in his eyes. She had to cover her mouth with her palm.   "It's that a promise or a threat?" she asked. 

        "Anyone you choose to call it," he said and moved away from her, going towards the bathroom. 

          "Need I remind you that I have someone whom I already love? I mean he is back in town, wanting me to come back to him." 

      He halted and didn't turn to look at her for a while. He kept mute for a while, and then he finally turned.  "I see. And it's this man you went to see tonight right?" 

        She stared at him knowing that it might have vexed him. Men are proud and it wounds their ego when you speak about your feelings toward other men in their presence, especially men that are interested in you. Ethan wasn't interested in her, was he? No, they only shared kisses and his girlfriend died a few weeks ago. He cannot have gotten over her. 

       "I'm sorry," she said and moved towards her bed. "That is exactly what I wanted to tell you since I came, I don't deserve all that care and worry you were showing to me. You should stay angry with me." 

       "And then what?" 

        "Huh?" 

        "Staying angry with you doesn't change anything, does it? Do I even have the right to? I respect that you are being completely honest, Faith, I admire you for that. I have to take a shower right now. There is food in the kitchen in case you are hungry." He went inside and shut the door.

      Faith sat down on the edge of the bed and let out a deep sigh. She was here speaking of a man she loves when she has left that man, right in the middle of a date. What in God's name is wrong with her?! She opened the drawer and took out her phone when she turned it on, she gasped at the number of missed calls she had received. A hundred and thirty. 

       Nora had called her a hundred and twenty-two times, Ethan called five times and Noah called thrice. She gasped. Did Ethan tell Nora about her absence? Oh, God! She was doomed now. She would have to explain to Nora where she went and Noah wasn't really Nora's favourite topic. 

         She woke up the next morning, feeling better and guilty. Ethan was nowhere in the room and she wondered if he slept in her room at all. When he had finished with his shower last night, he had told her that he was going to the living room to spend some time and give her some private time. He had not come back until she had slept off. She sat up in bed and wiggled into her night robe. Her stomach was beginning to hurt and she needed to take her medications. She would just go to the kitchen and get a glass of water.

       She slid her feet into her slippers and looked at the couch. Ethan's blanket was draped on it and she was satisfied with the knowledge that he slept there. She opened the door and looked out into the living room. No one was there, so she started going to the kitchen but stopped by the door when she heard Mrs Floyd and Ethan talking in the kitchen. 

      "I don't believe she loves you, that's my problem. Ethan, as much as I want you to get married, I want you to marry a woman you love and one who loves you too," Dolores said. 

      "Mom, why do feel she doesn't love me? You feel an undeniable animosity towards her." 

        "Ethan, I don't. I don't dislike her at all

 I dislike the fact that it seems like you are the only one carrying these torches. I don't want you to get hurt, my boy." 

      Faith peeped from the little opening by the door and saw Mrs Floyd putting scrambled eggs on his plate. Love of a mother, she has never felt it before, at least not since she was old enough to know good from the bad. She knew that her mother had treated her with great tenderness and care, but she has forgotten how it felt. 

        "Mom, I'm certain Faith loves me too, it's just that she is so busy at work these days..." 

       "No one could be so busy for the one they love, my dear. She is even self-employed. She doesn't take you seriously and that is what gets me. Look at yesterday, we waited for a whole two hours or even more yet she didn't show up." 

      "She came home with a reasonable explanation for that."

       "Reasonable explanation? The explanations are always reasonable until you know what is really going on." 

       "Mom, Faith is an honest woma…"

     Faith barged into the kitchen. She has heard enough and she didn't want to put Ethan in that situation of always having to defend her, he didn't deserve it, so she was going to put her best into this. 

       "Hey, Mrs Floyd," she greeted cheerfully and went over to Ethan.  "Hey, love." She smiled down at him. 

      Ethan smiled, but she knew that he didn't smile from his heart. She grabbed the fork from Ethan and ate the scrambled eggs and savoured it. 

       "Mmh, this is superb." She looked at Mrs Floyd.  "You are an excellent cook." 

        "You agree right?" Ethan asked. 

     Faith pulled a chair closer to Ethan.  "I couldn't agree less. I have never tasted anything cooked by a mother since I turned six. Mrs Floyd, can I have some please?" 

       Dolores scowled and looked away.  "I prepared the food for my son." 

       "Mom," Ethan called. 

         "Mrs Floyd, please take care of me too, please." Faith put her palms together. 

      Ethan looked at how cute she was appearing and could only smile. 

       "By the way, shouldn't you be apologising for standing us up last night?" Dolores snapped. 

       Faith's smile faded and she scratched the back of her hair.  "I'm so sorry Mrs Floyd, when I went there I was told you were gone..." 

        "You went there?" Ethan interrupted. 

     Faith nodded.  "I had to ditch the other engagement I had, not that it's of any help, I ran over but I came too late and when I got home Mrs Floyd had gone to bed already. I'm sorry. Mrs Floyd, how is your health?" 

       "My health? Of course, I am as good as new. Do you wish for me to be poor in health?" 

        "No, that's not what I meant. Ethan told me that you weren't feeling  unwell last night." 

      Dolores looked confused.  "I was?" She looked at Ethan who stared at her confused. Then she remembered she had pulled a sick prank to leave that restaurant last night.  "Oh!" she chuckled.  "Yes, yes, I wasn't feeling so well last night, of course." She took out a plate.  "I will put that meal for you too." 

        "Thank you, Mrs Floyd!" 

     Dolores smiled at her and turned to face the skillet.