**Author's Note at end
The sun came up far too soon, casting a harsh ray on Emina's face. She groaned in protest but soon was hissing from the stiffness and pain that had settled in her bones. When she fell asleep, she had no idea but here she was in front of a black computer screen. Grumbling, she forcefully moved against the internal protests of her body as she stretched and torqued her body every which way to bring back mobility. Sighing, she shook her mouse to see the time but grimaced at the assault to her vision that was the C&R furniture.
Ugh, that's right. I'm transferred. Ooookay, that I can deal with later. Time to wash up and get some food in me. Scratching at her scalp a bit she pushed back the chair with her feet and made her way to the master bathroom. It was a simple full bathroom with standard fixtures. There was a simple square cabinet mirror above the sink and another directly across on the wall with the door. She found the positioning of the second one odd, but with such small space it made sense. The plain taupe tiling and basic white walls were given some life and warmth with the pop of color from her choice of decor, bringing a small smile to her tired face. In no time she was washed up and out in her kitchen whistling while she made her breakfast but stopped at the sound of someone singing. She frowned a little to herself as she quickly plated the simple fried eggs and rushed to her computer to see if an started to play. Seeing nothing there, she found herself even more perplexed. Stopping, she took the moment to properly listen again but it was gone. With a shrug she returned to her abandoned food and enjoyed the humble feast for one.
The rest of her day went by slowly and torturously as she made her way through the small city of boxes that was the rest of her apartment. It was definitely a struggle to keep organized and set up with all the packing material and tape that got in the way. At times she just wanted to scream and smash all the cardboard like a monster through a metropolis but she had quickly learned the walls around were thin-very thin. She could practically hear all sorts of conversations from the halls and apartment above. She had began to stop around at one point and the neighbor below had promptly thumped something against their roof and her floor for her to know that she needed to be more mindful. At the moment she wanted to just jump and stomp more back at them but she knew she was just displacing her frustration from her unpacking on to the person below.
Her furniture had come in the middle of the clean up of everything, giving the movers room to navigate and place as she pointed out where to set everything though it was not much. A simple sofa, coffee table, TV, TV stand, a tall lamp, a rug, and a small circle dining table with two chairs. All the pieces were pretty old, hand me downs from her parents who no longer needed them but were still in good condition to not throw away.
She had no idea how she had done it, but she did it. Her entire apartment was perfectly set and all the salvageable boxes were neatly deconstructed and set against the wall in her walk-in closet. Everything was finally in its place and she was officially settled in. She was finally able to call this place home and relax. Smiling to herself, she plopped down on to her sofa and looked around at her own little place. The daunting task had finally come to an end. The deep sigh of relief she let out slowly grew into a small chuckle as she grabbed the nearest pillow and hugged it lightly to her chest as she fall on to her side.
The peace was short lived as her stomach started to growl and shout in protest. With a laugh she swung her body back up as she placed the pillow back where she had grabbed it from. She mulled over what options there were here and if she would rather have something from outside. Pursing her lips, she wiggled them side to side as she carefully worked out her options when she remembered the sizable dent in her money right now because of the moving. Though she was promised a raise with the job transfer, she was still very much in the danger zone until her next few paychecks.
"Home cooking it is!" She made her way to her kitchen and quickly pulled together a simple noodle with chicken broth and some frozen vegetables. "I should buy some meat with my next free paycheck. I nice chicken curry would be delicious!" She hummed, wishing she could have some now but knew she had to wait. "I start working again day after tomorrow. I'll take one more look around town tomorrow and hopefully not get lost this time. I'll need to take note of which stores are where until I get used to the area." She mumbled, grabbing a pen and pad from a drawer to jot down what she needed to do tomorrow. "Oh, I need to make sure about the bus or train schedule as well. I'm closer to work but I need to find the nearest stops here since I don't have a car." She added and starred the item before looking over the list. "Looks good enough, I'll just bring instant noodles with me to work to avoid the cafeteria. As delicious as the food is there I can't afford it." She pouted a little at the reality. "Life as an adult is so unfair." She grumbled as she let her head fall back and she stared up at her white ceiling.
Alright, that's enough of that! No need to get so depressed, I can have the yummy food again when I get some savings again! You've finally got your own place Emina! She clapped her cheeks as she sat up. She needed to think positive. Just clean up and get a good night's rest! Everything is done and you've got nothing to worry about! Quickly she cleaned up the used dishes and set the notepad by the bowl that held her keys before retiring to her room for the evening and getting ready for bed. Making sure everything was off and the door securely locked, she settled into her bed with a happy sigh and shut her eyes.
"Darling!" Someone shouted and her eyes snap open, jumping out of bed at the sudden and alarming sound.
What the hell?! She quickly squinted through the dark as she grabbed her phone and fumbled for the light switch across the room in her addled body. She rapidly blinked at the bright light that stung at her eyes only to find her bedroom was empty except for her. She looked around the room frantically when the male voice shouted for 'darling' again and she jumped once more but quickly looked down at her feet. Wait...is something going in the downstairs apartment?! Should I call the police? An ambulance? Should I go downstairs and help?! She jumped at the sound of the man shouting once more but stopped when she heard muttering and what sounded like exasperation. She stopped and waited a moment as she heard some muffled pacing and then someone else started to speak. Her shoulders slumped with relief. A stupid lover's spat...at, she glanced at her phone. Two-forty in the morning, brilliant. She groaned and shut the light before returning to the comfort of her bed. They should really be more mindful of their neighbors! Yeah this place was empty for a while but anyone could move in anytime! She turned in her bed, pulling the blanket around her as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to ignore the odd argument below. This was going to be a long night and probably many more to come.
**Happy New Year's to everyone. Thank you for you time and support. I hope you have a wonderful new year and continue to enjoy my stories. Please do comment if possible, I'd love to hear what you think so far and you would like to see in a story.