Friendly Dating 2 - Ethan

Chapter 11 - The Answer

The evening of the day I moved up here, I came out of the shower wearing only a towel. A You Me At Six song was playing in my room, and it just got to the chorus where they pick up speed, singing about needing room to breathe, and I really related to that. I mean, this is a pretty small room, and I need the door and windows open even more than before to be able to breathe, but at the same time, I have my own bathroom, and I'm alone up here. This is my own space, my breathing room... and I was celebrating. 

In one impressive move that would make the most professional stripper green with envy, I whipped the towel from around my waist and flung it through the air while I grabbed my underpants from my bed. I was about to pull it on when my celebratory performance was interrupted by the screech of a demon harpy somewhere outside my bedroom. Certain that we were under attack from the vampire babies in the Dracula movie I watched the previous night, I froze.

To my surprise and, to be honest, some serious disappointment, there were no blood-sucking babies flying around outside. Kira was storming her window and tackling her curtains to the ground. I just stood there watching her violent wrestling match with the floral material, wondering what the curtains did to inspire so much anger when I heard her yelling my name and something about hating me and windows and other stuff I really didn't follow and realised that I was somehow inspiring her anger... again.

It took me a while to figure out that it was my flying vampire baby that had her in such a freaked-out state. Laughing, I pulled on my underwear and continued my dance since there was a new song playing, but I hardly registered what it was; I just felt and lived the rhythm; the rest of me was fascinated by the weird things Kira was doing with blankets. She eventually built herself a tent on her bed, which was hilarious but also seemed like serious fun.

Now, while I'm standing at my window, grinning about fond memories, she rises from her bed, still talking to Delia sitting on it. Lifting her head, she sees me watching her, so I do the most logical thing I could possibly do. I mime to her to say yes by placing my fists in front of my mouth, flicking my fingers outwards, motioning that words are bursting out of my mouth, and then I put both hands up in thumbs-up signs, indicating yes. Say yes! It's pretty obvious, right?

Kira is just staring at me with no sign of comprehension, so I do it again and again, becoming a bit frustrated when she just keeps on tilting her head from side to side like a friggin' puppy trying to figure out what "roll-over" means. I'm about to hire a sign-writer aeroplane to get the message to her when I notice Delia starting to turn around, and before I can stop and ask myself what the hell I'm doing, I drop to the floor and roll under my bed.

Now that I'm lying here, looking up at the underside of my bed, I'm completely confused by what exactly is happening here now. Why am I hiding from Delia? It was a reflex, and I have no idea what triggered it. Delia knows about the plan, and she's probably telling Kicks that she knows about the plan. Well, if she's not, then hiding is probably wise, but... uhm... this is my bedroom... I'm allowed to be in here; it doesn't matter what direction their discussion is taking.

Maybe Kira's attitude about being seen with me has made me paranoid.

Well, I'm kinda glad I came down here for a visit; it's like being in a secret little world.  I can see my favourite Jedi Nights sleep shirt scrunched up against the wall, and an unopened packet of Cheetos apparently escaped from Barn yesterday. Score! The English textbook I've been missing for an embarrassingly long time is casually leaning up against a bed leg, shooting the breeze with a dried-out bread roll that found its way down here at some point in time... hell knows when.