ecstasy | corpse husband

chapter 3.

port townsend, washington
new year's eve.

elowen rises from the couch, her blanket falling off her body in the process, and moves towards the other side of the living room where the thermostat is.

the floorboards creak distinctly as she steps across, the only other noise sounding through the house being the faint voices from the television as full house reruns played in the background. even as she wasn't fully paying attention to the show, it comforts her to hear it on while she was alone in the house. 

after turning the thermostat up a few degrees, she returns to the comfort of the cushions and wraps herself in the blanket once again. this winter has been an abnormally cold one in washington. she checks her phone for the third time again. 

mason should be here in twenty minutes. 

elowen had been suddenly nervous for their date when she woke up this morning. she found herself trying to keep her mind occupied to ease the queasy stir in her stomach, starting her day with taking a shower and then cooking scrambled eggs with hot dog for her and her dad. tommy had left a little after noon, and she spent the rest of the day cleaning the house on and off while watching tv in between. 

an hour ago, she finally brought herself to get dressed. she settled on comfort over appearance, choosing a pair of beige, slightly worn, mom jeans that she'd rolled the hems of, and paired it with a fitted pale blue long sleeve. overtop, she'd wear one of her father's oversized army jackets, pine green, that he'd let her have and dingy white sneakers to finish. 

sitting on the couch dressed and waiting for his arrival was making her more anxious by the minute. 

she's provided a welcome distraction when she hears the front door unlock and open, peering over the back of the couch to see her father shuffling in with grocery bags.

tommy kicks off his boots at the door before heading into the kitchen to put down the two bags on the table. he then takes off the knit brown beanie on his head, setting it next to the groceries, then ruffles a hand through his black hair. 

"did you drive all the way to the harbor to get these groceries?" elowen inquires as she stalks in with her arms crossed. she glances at what he purchased curiously. 

"you're half right," he mumbles with tired eyes while grabbing a cup to fill with water at the sink. "every grocery store in town was already closed for new years, what do you know. I drove to the next city over and found some luck. took me an hour drive, but..."

he pauses, reaching into one of the plastic bags to present a small ham canned in a metal container and a bottle of sparkling cider wrapped in brown bag. in another bag, ingredients to make homemade pizzas. a smile forms across elowen's lips but it doesn't meet her eyes. 

"also... got some hats," he throws in with a light shrug of his shoulders and gestures to the bag they must be in. "you seemed a little bummed you didn't have any plans with your friends this year, so I thought we could do something special just you and I. make a night out of it."

she holds her dad's stare, at a loss for words for a moment. her heart tangibly clenches in her chest, and she has a sudden urge to hug him. he had gone out of his way to cheer her up and make their home celebration special. she knows money is delicate for them, and they try not to spend on non-necessities but he deemed this important enough. 

the guilt is eating away at her.

how was she supposed to tell him now that she had made plans? that she would be leaving him in less than twenty minutes to go celebrate with her boyfriend instead?