He put the bag on the bed. He could unpack later. He looked around at his old room. It was weird being back home after all these years. He had kept away for good reason but now that his house had suffered a water damage, he needed a place to stay the next month while the damage was being repaired.
He walked out of the room to go back downstairs. He stopped and looked towards the door to the room next to his. Maya's room. He hadn't been in there since she disappeared. Shortly after he had left the house for good. The memories were too heavy and it felt like she was still around somewhere. He couldn't take it and needed to get out.
He walked to the door and stopped outside of it. He took a deep breath before opening it. He looked inside. Everything looked just as when she was still there. He took a step inside. A tear went down his cheek. He missed her so bad. They had never been apart. They were twins after all, and as most twins they had had a strong bond, but one day she was suddenly gone. No note, no explanation, no nothing.
"Roman, dinner!" His mother called from downstairs.
He walked out of her room again, closing the door behind him.
"Coming!" He yelled back and made his way downstairs.
He sat down.
"Smells good, mom," he said as she served dinner.
"Thanks. It's good to have you home," she said.
"It's good to be home," he lied and smiled at her.
He hated being back there but he wouldn't tell her. No reason to make her sad. It wasn't her fault Maya had disappeared and left the entire house a sad place to be. He looked up as he heard a weird banging sound.
"The pipes are going crazy," his father said.
"What's wrong with them?" Roman asked.
"I don't know. They've been banging for some years now. I've been meaning to have someone come look at them," his father answered.
"So why haven't you?" Roman asked.
"I just keep forgetting it. Maybe when they're done with your house, we can come live with you while they change all of the old pipes here," his father said.
"You're welcome," Roman said and smiled.
The house had died down but Roman was lying awake in his bed. He couldn't stop thinking about Maya. Being home had made all the memories more alive again. His parents seemed to think she was dead but he refused to believe that. He could still feel her in his heart. He called it twin intuition, something his parents would never be able to understand. He rolled over on his stomach and looked at the wall. Her bed was just on the other side and they usually knocked on the wall to send small messages to each other. A system they had made up and that no one but them knew. He raised his hand and knocked the code for "goodnight".