Me and My Day-Off

I got a couple of days off. I planned to go to the city to get some more stuff and visit the Gym. I miss them so much. Ava and I text from time to time when I have free time. She mostly talked about her dating life and her brother, Aven, which is the topic she has mentioned a lot.

The Gym

It's closed.

I take out my phone and press the digits of Ava's number.

"…Ava, I'm at the gym, but it's closed."

"…Ah, okay."

"…See you."

We gotta go to the side.

'No one's at the gym?'

Ava said Aven is here, but he probably sleeps in.

I walk to the side building and find the key that Ava had told me under the escape stairs.

I squat my body and look under it, and my left foot hits something.

"Don't hit me! Don't hit me!"

The machine's sound from the hobby trash bin.

"Oh Geez!! this trash bin again..."

The hobby trash bins are medium-sized and small-sized. People call The hobby trash bin for a reason: because it hops around the street path like a bunny but creepier. I hate the city trash bin very much. it scares me sometimes.

Found it.

I unlock the door, get inside, and close it gently. The side door leads to the storage room. A lot of old stuff is in here. I can tell that they never cleaned this room; the dust is everywhere. I get out of the storage, and it leads to the gym inside. The right is the office, and the left is the stairs to the second floor. I get up to the second floor to go check on Aven. 

Have they ever cleaned the house? What happened to the place? It's like no one has lived here for a month. Ava does her job in town and comes back to help Aven every weekend, but in the text, she says almost every day. Then why are the floor and furniture full of dust? Like no one has stepped on the floor here.

I reach to Aven's room.

"Knock, knock."

"…"

Is he still sleeping?

'I can get through the gap under there.'

That's invading privacy.

Then, I decided to twist the door and push the door.

'What about you!?'

I put my head to peek first and see nobody in bed. I step inside and look around.

He's not here.

I step closer to the bed, and I see the weird purple pills on top of the drawers. They're pretty big for pills.

"!"

Then I feel something heavy on the floor passing through.

'Roelle, there's a shadow.'

Get inside me.

Then I turn my face to see that there is nothing on the floor, the wall, or the ceiling.

"Thug!"

Then the bathroom door opens.

"Ha…"

I am shocked a bit, as is the one who opens the door, wearing only shorts.

"Roelle?"

"Aven…Are you alright?"

I ask after seeing his face, which is a bit pale.

"How did you come in here?"

"I came to see Ava and you, but the gym is closed…"

While I explain to him, I glance at his shadow, but there's nothing strange. 

He walks toward me slowly.

"Ava told me to come in the side door… but Are you okay? You seem…"

"I'm… a bit sick."

I walk to him and hold his arm to support him.

"I'm fine, Roelle."

Then he sits on the edge of his bed.

"Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

"It's nothing serious."

"…"

"I have to go down… open the gym."

He's about to get up, but he loses his balance, so I hold him in time.

"You can close it for a day, Aven."

"No… it's been 3 days already."

"If you don't want to go to the hospital, how about you rest and let me take care of it?"

I suggest.

"…"

He looks at me.

"You don't have to."

"Aven, I know the gym like it's my own house. I helped you a few times. I can take care of it."

I try to explain and smile to him.

"You're gone…"

"Hm?"

"You're gone for a month."

"…"

"I always see you every night or at least every weekend…"

He tells me that, with his low energy, he tries to look at me.

Ha… his eyes are all faded.

"You seem to love your new job."

"Yes."

"…With that man? The one who was after you before?"

"Yes."

"…"

He raises his hand to touch my head.

'It's under the bed.'

"Aven, Is everything alright? I know… that we're not closed like we used to, but…I always care for you, Aven… you can tell me everything… no need to be everything, at least anything that you feel comfortable to talk…"

"Roelle…"

"Ava is very worried about you."

"She told you? she shouldn't."

"She should because we're friends...and..."

"..."

"I'm always here for you. You're my… you're very important to me… also Ava."

"Ha!"

He holds me in and hugs me tight.

"Roelle… I miss you…"

"…I miss you too...Aven…I."

I hug him back.

"I'm fine, really. I'll take the pill and rest a bit. I'll get better."

He tries to smile at me.

"Do you have one? I can go buy them for you."

I ask him and get up, and he grabs my hand.

"I have one here."

He takes one of the purple pills, and I grab the water bottle for him.

What do those pills do? I've never seen one before. I don't want to ask right away because of his current situation. It's more than just the flu.

"Thank you."

"You rest?"

"Um."

"Let me take care downstairs."

"Thank you."

'It's gone.'

I bend my body and hold Aven to lie down on the mattress. I tuck him in, and he grabs my hand again.

"Mmm…"

He takes my hand to touch his face.

"You're…hot, Aven."

"I'm glad you're here, Roelle."

He tells me.

"If you want me, I'll be downstairs."

I watch him sleep before I decide to leave him. Then, I leave the room and close the door for him. 

I did see it mistakenly, or didn't I, Xin?

'It's a shadow. I see it, I feel it…but it disappeared.'

After the pill? 

'Mmm…'

I look at the purple pill in my palm.

'You steal it!?'

I don't think it's just the flu, Xin.

How Ava has complained about him to me the past few days I think there's something more in his head.

*Sigh.

Step by step. I grab the broom, start wiping the floor, and let Xin transform to help me since there's no one here, and Aven falls asleep. 

Change to mop the floor and clean the equipment. 

Xin, the changing room, too

'I don't want to, so why don't you do it?'

I don't want to, so why don't you do it?

'If I find something?'

Then flush and clean it.

'Then why don't you do it?'

Fine, I'll do the girls.

'Boys.'

We took almost an hour to clean the whole gym and prepare to open. 

"Clank."

The light comes on, and now we are waiting for the customers. 

I get inside the office and see all the papers lying around the desk. While I'm organizing the desk, I notice that all the papers lying down messily are the bills, electric bills, water bills, and other payment stuff.

Wait,

He owes a lot of debt payments, bills for 3 months, and evictions. What? This place is originally from his parents. Or am I mistaken? 

"Hello."

"Oh, hello, welcome."

I hurriedly hide the paper.

Then, the first customer of the day comes in and gives me a membership card. I turn on the machine, put his card in, and the red light turns green.

"I haven't seen you before."

"Oh yes, I haven't seen you before, too."

"Ha…hahaha. You're new?...but seeing you do your thing like a pro, though."

"I'm friends with the owners, and I used to help them a lot."

"Where's Aven then?"

"He's a bit sick, he's resting…enjoy. Mister."

I answer him and give him a locker key.

"Thanks."

Then, he leaves me and heads to the changing room.

I pick up the papers again and check them thoroughly, one by one.

The electric and water bills for the last three months, and I put the six of them on the left side of the desk. Then I pick another paper, 'overdue loan', the due date of which was a month ago. 

"...okay."

My face is perplexed, as are my thoughts at the moment.

He loaned the money for what?

'For the gym?'

He owns the gym…by the heritage of the property.

'I don't know, for his clothes? He hasn't worn many clothes.'

Another paper is the eviction paper.

"What the hell is going on? Why didn't Ava tell me about all of these…perhaps she doesn't know as well."

I have no doubts that Aven is stressed. He keeps to himself. 

Thirty minutes later, I am still sitting, dozing off, thinking about Aven and the shadow. People are coming in; some are the same faces I used to see before, and some are new ones asking me who I am, but a shy one is asking his gym mate instead.

"Roelle!"

"Ava!"

I call her name back, quickly wipe the papers out of the way, and put them in the drawer. 

Then, she opens the office door and hugs me instantly.

"It's been so long!"

"Yeah..."

I hug her back and glance at her shadow behind her, which is normal.

"Here, let me see you."

Ava pulls me out of her body and observes my face and body.

"Mmm."

She makes her sound and walks around me, turning my body side to side like a mannequin.

"That's not fair..."

"What..."

"You were gone training for work for a month, and why, how come you come back looking greater than ever!"

"Hehehe."

"Look at me. I've been working my ass off. All I get is back and neck pain and hair fall. You are shining...tell me, what the hell is this job? Spa.. retreat?.... Damn, I know !! You're in love!"

"What!?"

"Is it? Am I right!? Ooooh, It's true. Oh my god, look at your face!?"

"What's wrong with my face?"

"Who is he? Tell me...or her!? Tell me, Roelle!!"

Ava keeps shouting, making other people watch us.

"Calm down, I'm not...put down your bag and just sit for a minute."

I tell her.

She does as I say, and I sit next to her on the couch.

"What happened?"

I ask.

'Too straight?'

"Hm? What happened? What?"

Ava.

"How long Aven is being sick?"

"He's sick again!?"

"Again?"

"Past month on and off. The first few days, he seemed fine, and a day later, he was sick...and fine...and back to being sick again...I convinced him to go to the hospital, but he said it wasn't that serious."

"..."

"I haven't come back for three days, so I didn't know he had said nothing. How is he!?"

"He's resting...He said he has closed the gym for 3 days."

"What...Why didn't he tell me?"

"He probably doesn't want you to worry."

"...I know, but he should tell me I'm his sister."

Then, the man we talked about walks downstairs and stands outside the office, watching us through the window.

"Aven...you're sick?"

Ava asks him immediately.

"I'm fine now."

Aven answers and glances at me.

I observe his better face, but his faded eyes are still there. He looks fresh but in a gloomy way.

"Food here."

"Yes."

I answer, walk to the delivery man, pay him the money, and take the bag full of food.

"Aven, let's eat. I ordered for you, too."

"Hmm?... I'm not hungry, you guys—"

"No, you have to eat. I ordered for you."

I hold his hand and take him inside the office with me.

I lead him to sit next to Ava and put down the bags. Ava gives me an excited smile and lays out all the food for us on tables.

"Hehehe, I'm so starved. You ordered a lot, Roelle."

Ava.

"Just in case, hehe...Here, this one is for Aven."

I take the steam dumplings box and put it in front of him.

"..."

He looks at me.

Then, I sit on the working chair and drink a soda can.

"Hey, hey."

Ava.

"What?"

Then Ava raises her soda can, and we give Aven a look to do the same.

"Heh."

He chuckles and raises his tea.

"Woo!"

Ava and I scream out.

And we three have an afternoon meal together after two long years.