"Could you please give me a hand Harry," Maia emphasised on her please.
"Now I will." Harry chimed in to help Maia as she held 4 boxes, one above the other, therefore blocking her vision.
Lilith and I were inside the rented space, unboxing and arranging all the toys into mini boxes.
Harry came to check on us if we needed help. Jake didn't want to get involved, so he didn't come. Chris was busy with work. As for Ethan, I have no idea where he is.
Think of the devil and here he comes.
Ethan walked in meekly. His eyes travelled across the place, "Nice." He said.
As he looked back at us, Ethan avoided my eyes and, locked his with Maia who came in carrying a few boxes alongside with Harry.
"I just know it when I see something good."
"I doubt that." Harry quickly walked away after passing the comment.
"Are there any more boxes?" Lilith asked.
"Yeah, a few." Maia said.
"I'll get them." Lilith walked away too.
"Uh. I'll just..." Ethan pointed behind him and, just turned around and left.
"Welp? What's going on between you guys?" Maia leaned on the table, confused.
"Nothin'. Nothing at all." I shrugged.
"Hmm." She hummed then looked down at her feet, "My... parents."
My eyebrows quirked, but I listened.
She looked up at me, "It was a Wednesday. I was at school when I got called to the office. Said, someone wanted to talk to me. It was an officer," she laughed, "He told..." she trailed off.
"What did he say?" I asked.
"Funny." She laughed sarcastically, ignoring my question, "I left home, never knowing that... that was the last time I'd ever see my parents." Maia said.
"The police had got a call from my mother. She was panicking, saying that there was someone in the house..." she went deep into thought.
"Nevermind that. All I mean to say is that, cherish the time you have with someone. Because, you won't know when they are walking away from your life permanently."
I looked into her dull eyes, "Maia, Thank you."
After we were done for the day we packed up.
"Here." Lilith passed me the key. "Tomorrow we'll be coming late." She answered to my confusion.
"Oh okay."
Tomorrow was Christmas Eve. So, we had one last day to prepare.
We had made separate boxes for the elders and the children.
Children had a few toys and clothes. While elders had other small necessaties with clothes.
Food would be given on the spot. Everything was ordered from restaurants so there was no preparation to be made.
Well, I sigh and stretch my arms. Time to tell Chris.
I head back to the Inn to find Chris sitting on the couch watching television.
That's actually the first time I saw him relaxed.
"Heyy." I say awkwardly and he turns to look at me.
"What?" He asked, clearly irritated by me disturbing his free time.
"I can't go with you... on the date..." his eyes focused on me as the words slipped from my mouth.
"Well," he let out a deep breath. "You know it then."
"Yes... we'll leave after helping on Christmas."
"Okay," the gruffness in his voice was evident.
To be honest, he referred to Ethan as a lonely boy... but, I don't think that's true.
It's actually the other way round, isn't it?
Because the actual lonely boy was... him.
I nod my head after his approval and move away.
The stairs were as creepy as usual but, I was too absorbed in my thoughts to even notice my surroundings.
What is it with them?
What am I missing?
What happened in the past that made them hate each other?
I didn't have the answers to these questions. But neither matters anymore, since we are leaving anyway.
We?
Where is Ethan anyways?
I hope he's not drinking again.
"Ugh!" I hit the pillow on my head, which kept pinging me with thoughts I didn't want to think about.
×××
Today was the day.
The day of intense hard work... Alone.
God! Where are they?!
Neither of them had shown up to help. It was already afternoon and we still had so much to do.
I turned around as a knock on the wall startled me, "Need help." Ethan asked standing there in his black shirt.
"No, I'm okay." I refuse.
Despite my tone he walked closer and started arranging the bags.
"I said, I don't need your help." I frowned. One moment he ignores and the other he's nice.
"I know, but I wasn't asking."
"Whatever-" I place my hand over my mouth. That word is really contagious!
Infact, now that I used it, I know how well it works to end any discussion and still win it.
We silently complete the arrangements and before we knew it, it was sundown.
"I'm hungry." Ethan groans and sits back on the chair.
"Then go and eat." I climb up the ladder to pin up a cloth on the window.
I carefully take the pin held in my palm, "When the food will arrive we can't," I applied pressure on the pin to held the dark piece of cloth. "we can't have any sunlight on it."
"Eh!" I cry out as my finger gets pricked.
"What are you doing?! Come down." Ethan stands behind me.
Too many problems at one place.
"Just go away." Atleast I could send one away.
Ethan didn't move. He stood behind holding the ladder.
Distracted, I move on the edge of the ladder.
"Ida, don't go on the edg- woah!" Ethan caught me just on time and a loud noise erupted as the ladder stumbled on the ground.
"Can't you be careful?!" He shouted. His two hands tight around my waist and my back pressed against his body.
A steady breath tingles on my ear as he gets closer.
"You can't keep your hands off me," I say. "I like it, but I don't when I say stop and you don't listen."
"The Suns down, we should go." The grip around me loosens.
"So, are you just gonna run away. Again?"
He had no reply.
We stood silently. My gaze piercing into his, but he had no courage to look up.
"Tell something." I urge for him to speak.
"I-" he stammers and finally looks up to me but too afraid, looks back down.
"Tell something," I urge and this time his hands were tight into a fist. As if he was ready to face it.
He looked up to me, "Chris hates me. And I know he would do anything to hurt me. This time, when he met you. He knew my weakness. He knew where it would hit hard. And it did, but I couldn't bare it. So I thought, maybe if I..." he came closer and cupped my face, "But I was wrong. What I did, is just what he wanted. I'm sorry for loosing control. I also want you to know, that I love you."
My heart skipped a beat. There was nothing I could hear other than his last words, as if the surroundings had faded.
"You love me?" I ask.
"Yes. I love you." He smiled. A real smile, like he knew he was happy to know he did.
I searched into his choclate eyes, to know... he was telling the truth.
"Don't ever do that again," I sighed.
"Okay." He said in relief and took me into his embrace.
He kissed my hair and kept me in his warm embrace, that felt even better in the cold months.