Scarred | Roronoa Zoro | One Piece [On Hiatus]

Chapter 9

"You've got a really good thing going on here." Nami said as she held the stem of her wine glass. The half melted ice clanking inside the yellow-gold liquid, while she gazed inside my flat from where she was sitting at my patio chair. I glanced with her, clearly unable to see what she was referring to. What 'Good' in a place as such?

I shrugged. "I wouldn't call it good."

She looked back at me, sipping wine from her glass and arching a brow. When she gulped, she licked her lips and leaned back. Her knees crossed in front of her. "It's warm, it's safe and it's a roof on top of your head, Kena." Her smile slowly faded, "count your blessings."

I sighed and picked a chip from a bowl over the table between us, next to the box of cold, dry pizza now. Then I nodded and pretended to be too busy chewing the crispy chip while I let my mind stir a bit.

She was right, I admit. It was a house, my place, but it was far from being good or to be called a home! Not that I've ever known what a home would feel like, but still, it never made me feel safe. I'm still alone. I'm still suffering, mentally and financially. And I'm still on survival mode since... forever. The only different thing between this place and my old family's house is that now I lived in a land surrounded by water from all sides...

But I couldn't say all that to Nami. Because she wouldn't get it. And if she wanted to get it, I would have to tell her everything. Sharing everything once more with someone else, all over again. And I didn't want that. Even though, there was this deep notion in me, telling me that maybe, just maybe, people like Nami would be a bit... understanding! Just like him. Because that's how it is, that's how it goes. Damaged recognized damaged. That's how me and him bonded, and that's how I picked it up about Nami ever since that weird night at Sanji's place.

It feels like since forever, not only two weeks ago. Because everything feels like a stretched, never ending fever dream lately. Ever since he showed up here.

Even tonight, now, sitting with my friend at my house and recalling what happened between me and him that night, I still feel like it never actually happened. Like it was all made up in my head. Everything we did, everything he said, the things I felt. It didn't make sense! Nothing made sense. Because he's gone now, again, for over a week. And the more days passed the more the feeling sank deeper. It wasn't real...

I sighed again and sipped more wine, then cleared my throat and said. "Can I ask you something?" I looked at Nami while she tapped her phone's screen that had dinged while I was zoning out, her long nails making soft clicks at it.

"Mhm." She nodded without lifting her head, then shut her phone and looked up. "Sure."

"Are you living with your boyfriend? Sanji, I mean." Because I knew nothing about her personal life, just like she knew nothing about mine. And this being the first time ever I invite her over because I never went to her place and never knew where she lived. Same as her case with me. So I had to ask eventually.

Nami nodded and finished the rest of her drink with one gulp. Her throat popping and her breath loud. "Yeah." She said and reached for the wine bottle. "Yeah, why?"

My shoulders shrugged. "I just got curious since that night at Sanji's." She finished pouring herself another glass and tipped the bottle to mine. I smiled and let her refill mine, too.

"Yup. I moved in with him on our second date, actually." She giggled then sipped.

"Woah!"

"Uh-hah."

"But that's too... fast! You know that's too and way fast, right?"

Nami laughed more, then shook her head slowly. The hoops dangling from her ears slowly dancing with her movement. "Not really. He was nice, since day one. And he was sweet enough to let me crash with him on our first week together and then..." She blew her chest and leaned back into the chair, now her legs up and folded against her body. Same as me. "I just moved in." She shrugged.