"Get out!"
"Oh, yeah? And what will you do without me? Who's gonna pay the bills then?"
"How dare you speak to me like that?!"
"You'd rather I lied?"
The fighting was audible before I even entered the house. I stood awkwardly on the doorstep, hair dripping to the porch and feet shuffling erratically. I was partial to a shower and a restful nap, but my evening seemed to be swerving in another direction. My mom and my brother were fighting, like they usually did when stuck in each others company for longer than what was advised. It happened every weekend now, like clockwork, ever since Eric quit his job at the gas station.
I sank into a crouch in front of our door, sigh spilling out of me. The entrance area was dark and uninviting, a direct result of our outdoor lamp kicking the bucket two weeks ago. My mom hadn't gotten around to fixing it yet, so coming home was like entering a gloomy cave these days. To make matters worse, our porch was chipped in more than one place, and avoiding the holes was like playing hopscotch.
Our home was situated in the outer perimeter of the city, and was part of a small suburban area next to the freeway. It was a small box of a house, squashed between other identical boxes in various states of disarray. Our house featured a rundown shed and a driveway so narrow my mom couldn't fit her car in it. Her faulty Honda was therefore parked on the street outside with its front smashed into the neighbor's hydrangea bushes. Eric's bike was mounted on the roof.
I shook my head and felt my pockets for my phone. Recognizing the rectangular shape, I quickly retrieved it from an inner pocket. It had stayed dry despite my extended stay in the rain, bless its heart. I unlocked it and pressed speed dial for Seth. It felt like it rang forever.
Click.
"Yo!" Seth's voice reached me. "What's up, man? How was your date with Lily?"
I heaved a sigh of relief. He had picked up. He was available.
"Good, good," I said. "But listen, I need a favor. Got a bit of a crisis back home. Any chance I can crash at yours?"
I could hear voices and laughter in the background. Seth seemed to be moving away from the ruckus.
"Are they fighting again?" he asked, voice low. "Isn't this like, the third time this month?"
The noise on Seth's end picked up in volume, and someone seemed to be calling his name. I frowned, suppressing a shiver as the wind tugged at my body. Was Seth in the middle of dinner or something?
"Look, can I stay over or not?" My voice came out snappier than I intended, but the temperatures were dropping, and I was still sopping wet after walking in the rain. My skin felt like ice, and the doormat proved to be a rather prickly seat.
"Oh, uh... I'm actually at my uncle's right now," Seth said. "He drove me out of town on his new motorcycle. It went so fast, man! I thought I'd fall off, but —"
"Dude!" I interrupted, heart plummeting in my chest. "Focus! You're not going home tonight?"
When Seth opened his mouth again, he sounded apologetic.
"Sorry, Nao... It's my aunt's 50th this weekend. We'll be partying all night."
"Oh, man," I muttered.
"But hey! Why don't you phone Eddie? That guy's never busy."
I sighed but nodded to myself.
"Alright... Thanks, anyway. Congratulate your aunt for me."
I called Eddie, Jack, and Richard. Then I tried Jared, even though we hadn't spoken since the mascot incident. In a fit of desperation, I'd even phoned Ari, the guy in my class that smelled weird and spent all his time solving crossword puzzles. At one point I considered calling William, but spending the night in our leaky shed was a more tempting option than hanging out with him.
The cold hard fact was this: none of my friends or acquaintances were available.
I was shivering now, back resting against the door, ears picking up every nuance of the fight happening inside. I'd ventured into the garden earlier to check if my brother's bedroom window had been open - a shortcut I utilized often - only to find it firmly shut. My only option now was to text Lily, but there was no way I could do that either. The simple reason was that she'd find a way to chase her parents out and spend her evening coaxing me into...
Nope. I shook my head, willing that particular thought away. Lily was a no-go. My phone was in my hand, screen showing a list of all my contacts. They stared up at me in what can only be described as a taunting way. Eighteen years of amassing friends and this was what I had to show for it.
My mom's screams were accompanied by the shattering of china connecting with the living room floor. I closed my eyes. I couldn't face this today. I wouldn't.
My phone lit up with a notification.
Axel: "New attachment."
Axel: "I've finished editing the script for next week. Let me know if it's OK."
Rainwater trickled down my face and a drop landed on my phone. It smudged Axel's name. I stared at his message, eyes blinking slowly.
Bad idea. This was a very bad idea. I blamed it on my frostbitten fingers when I swiped at the screen and began typing.
Nao: "Hey, I think I need a favor."
I was dripping all over Axel's doorstep.
It was thirty minutes later, and I had just spent the last bit of my allowance on bus fare. Finding myself outside Axel's apartment would have been more scandalous if I wasn't in the process of freezing to death. Shivers wracked through me at regular intervals, and I was in desperate need of a shower. Despite this, my fingertip hovered just a few inches from the shiny doorbell.
Was I really about to do this? Had I really texted Axel and asked him if I could sleep over? Was that a thing that had happened? I wondered if anyone would notice if I curled up in the apartment stairwell and slept there instead, but then I sneezed, and the idea scuffled away. I swallowed hard, confirming that yes, this was happening, and yes, I would get hypothermia and possibly pneumonia if I didn't shower soon. A puddle was spreading around my feet, solidifying my thoughts. Hypothermia and pneumonia. Press the damn button, Nao.
I pressed the damn button, steeling myself for whatever may come.
It took less than a minute for the door to open. Warmth slammed into my chest, forcing an involuntary gasp out of me. Axel stood in the doorway, holding the door open. His jawline was sharp, his bruises ugly, but I'd never been happier to see him.
My last visit here had been a cold and unfriendly affair. Now, however, the empty flat seemed like the most inviting place in the world. Warmth emanated from within it, a stark contrast to my cold and clammy skin. The minimalistic kitchen was almost cozy now. Axel handed me a fluffy towel and I suppressed the urge to bury my face in it.
"You look cold," he deadpanned, shutting the door behind me as I shuffled inside. He made no comment about the rainwater, the way it pooled around our feet, or how I was shaking like a leaf when I unlaced my sneakers. Axel was wearing a white pullover hoodie, and his jet black hair stuck out in random places. There were fresh bruises on his jaw.
"Freezing," I confirmed, squirming out of my jacket. It was soaked all the way through, and little water drops flew every time I moved. I felt like I might collapse at any minute. I needed a shower, stat.
"Shower's in there," Axel said, nodding towards a door on my left-hand side. It was like he read my mind. This should have concerned me, but all I could do was focus my attention on turning the knob and leaping into the room. I wasted no time on conversation or pleasantries - Axel seemed to dislike those things anyway - and in a matter of seconds I had peeled my clothes off and hopped into the shower.
Figuring out the shower controls took a few frustrating moments, but when the hot water finally hit me, I let out a euphoric groan. A wave of both pain and comfort shot through my body. My toes curled against the marble floor, resisting the burn of hot water against cold skin. My poor feet had been stuck in those wet sneakers for hours. Warming them up was like being born anew. I rested my head against the tiled walls as pins and needles spread down my limbs, warming me up piece by piece. Nothing had ever felt this good before. I thought I could fall asleep right there and then.
The bathroom was ridiculously shiny and just as minimalistic as the living room. There was no bathtub, but the shower was secluded from the rest of the room, and just large enough to accommodate a growing teenager. A tasteful glass wall kept the water from flooding the marble tiles. All the surfaces were granite, and the details were a stark shiny silver, even down to the faucets and the knobs on the cabinets. The only items on Axel's sink were his toothbrush and a bottle of shaving cream. I closed my eyes against the surroundings for a few seconds.
Heat continued seeping into me, and with it came my senses. I frowned against the glass wall, frantically solving the puzzle that was the situation at hand. The divider grew foggy with steam, mimicking my clouded mind. How had I ended up here, exactly?
I slowly recalled the details. My mom and my brother, Seth's distant voice over the phone, and all the 'sorry's from my friends. I remembered the cold bus ride, the eternal elevator trip, and the way Axel hadn't asked me a single question. Not a single one.