Chapter 4
My alarm went off and I groggily tapped the screen. I stretched my arms and rubbed my eyes. Next, I crawled out of my bed and dragged myself over to the bathroom. Then I relieved myself and grabbed some clean clothes for my morning shower. The warm water relaxed my muscles and the body wash gave me the best sensation possible. I then reached for the shampoo, but the bottle felt almost empty.
'What? I thought there were some in here.' Then I remembered about Loona. 'Oh right, she must've showered when I was asleep.'
I thought it wasn't a big deal, because I've been needing to get a new bottle anyway. I rinsed my hair and dried myself off. While putting my dirty clothes away, I noticed the hamper was full. I made a mental note to take a trip to the laundromat. Loona was still snoozing when I carried the dirty clothes over to the end of the hallway. I didn't want to wake her up, so I had to be very quiet.
The hunger demons in my stomach growled for breakfast. Instead of making a full blown meal, I opted to eat toaster waffles instead. I opened the freezer and placed two blueberry waffles in the toaster. Two minutes later, I spread some butter on the hot waffles and chewed them quietly. While eating, I thought of writing a note, in case Loona wakes up while I'm gone. When my breakfast was finished, I got a pen and paper and began writing.
Loona,
I have some errands to run. You can have whatever's in the kitchen for breakfast. I'll be back in less than an hour.
-Evan
With that being said, I got the dirty clothes bag and left the apartment.
Not a soul was inside the laundromat. The lights made a slight buzzing sound and illuminated a white glow. The white tiles were caked with dirt and grime and a potent scent of detergent lingered in the air. Other than that, everything was quiet and peaceful, just the way I like it. I set the clothes down in front of a washing machine, while I exchanged some bills for quarters. After that, I shoved the clothes into the machine and poured the detergent and fabric softener in the respective dispensers. The washing machine filled with water and agitated my clothes.
A seat in front of the washer greeted me and I obliged. I sat down and propped my head against the wall, while listening to Pink Floyd through my earbuds. I then closed my eyes and relaxed. Surprisingly enough, I could only think about Loona. She showed up in my head almost every time I wanted to concentrate on something. If I wanted to come up with an idea about my book, a mental image of her invaded my mind. So I picked up my phone and began to read some articles to get my mind off of her. Except it turned into one of those annoying thoughts from the back of my head. The more I tried to repress it, the worse it got.
'Why is this happening?' I thought. 'Is this even normal for a guy to be thinking this much about someone I barely know?'
Before I knew it, the wash cycle had been completed. I pulled the wet clothes out and stuffed them in a dryer. I then paced around the laundromat to get the blood flowing. My brain had thoughts about what I should do for the day.
'Oh yeah, I gotta do some shopping.'
I put the thought in the back of my mind while scrolling through the daily news feed. Most of it was a huge reminder on how shitty the world can be. Although I could imagine Hell being much worse. But then again, I've never been there.
Some time had passed and the clothes had stopped drying. I was blasted with heat as I opened up the dryer door and collected my clothes. Then I lifted the laundry bag over my shoulder and drove to the grocery store.
I shut the door after I came back from doing today's errands. Loona's scarlet eyes were glued to her phone as she lay on the couch. I set all of the bags near the table and got my shoes and jacket off. After a minute of putting groceries away, I unwrapped a Pop-Tart and ate it as a snack. Loona and I talked for a little bit, mostly about how our day was going so far. I then retired to my office to get some writing done.
Sitting at my desk and typewriter powered on, my brain got into focus. My fingers began to type in a rhythmic pattern, moving smoothly. The mechanical sound of the printing unit slamming into the ribbon was like an orchestra to my ears. It's part of the reason why I like using a typewriter instead of a computer. However, I began to slow to a grinding halt. Unfortunately, the mental images of Loona invaded my head once again.
'Oh great, not this again.'
Frustration took over as I sat cross-armed in my chair. The paper stared back at me with its half-typed expression. Meanwhile, the words in my brain were a garbled mess from Loona's derailment. Slowly but surely, I typed a few more sentences until the page was complete. I slid a new sheet of paper into the machine and turned the knob to get it correctly positioned. Only, my fingers didn't move at all when they were supposed to.
I leaned back and rubbed my face, knowing today is going to be painstakingly slow. Ninety minutes passed and progress was at a minimum. To be honest, it felt like three hours in that little room. Every time I would pick up the pace, my conscience would once again remind me that Loona existed. This happened four times in a row and my patience had thinned. Finally, I decided to take a break and hauled myself over to the couch. The hellhound stared down at her phone, not paying attention to her surroundings. I plopped myself on the cushion and grabbed my phone.
I spent most of the afternoon watching YouTube videos on my phone. Sometimes I would periodically look over at Loona. Then I would get that one feeling you just can't describe. Just like earlier at the laundromat. Then I began to think that I really needed to know if I really liked Loona or not. And I was going to find that answer one way or another. But first, I need to figure out what I want to do with her. Should I go for a walk, or eat pizza at the place? Both sounded like a good option. Now the hard part is asking her out, which I only did one time in my youth. However, the end result was very unsuccessful, but I'm determined to try.
"Hey Loona, do you want to go out later?"
The hellhound looked at me with confusion. "You're not taking me on a date are you?"
"Oh no. I kind of want to have some fun tonight. Plus, you're my guest and I want you to have fun, too." I said, trying not to blush.
Loona was deep in thought, thinking about going out or not. I fidgeted with my hands, patiently waiting for a response. About ten seconds later, I got an answer.
"Ok, I'll go. But it won't be anything more than a couple of friends going out, understood?"
'Did she just call me a friend?'
"Er, duly noted. I will do my best to keep it that way." I did a salute to show that I was serious with my statement. Loona did a little giggle, which made me smile. "Well, let's not waste any more time," I said in an excited tone.
Loona and I walked into the pizza shop on Main Street. There wasn't anyone else inside, except for the employees. Which was fine by me, because I dislike loud environments. Unless I had my earbuds and listened to music. The décor of the place looked like it was stuck in the early 2000s, but I get a feeling of nostalgia, because I was born in that time period. To the right of the cash register, was an ice cream cabinet with different flavors to choose from. A teenage girl in a gray t-shirt and black apron came to sit us down at a small table for two. We ordered our food and kind of stared at each other, to see who would break the ice first.
'C'mon Evan, think of something.'
"So uh, besides being on your phone, what other hobbies do you enjoy?"
Loona thought for a moment. "I guess listening to music is one."
"Do you have a favorite band or genre?"
"Definitely rock. But I don't have a favorite band, because it's really hard to choose. How about you?"
I gulped some of my water and gestured for Loona to wait a second. "Rock is also my favorite genre, because I'm the son of a rock star. I also listen to some other genres such as older pop music. Which is even better than today's music by a long shot."
"Ugh, tell me about it. The songs they come out with are garbage."
"Agreed."
The waitress brought our hot and steamy pizza to the table. My mouth began to water at the sight of the melty cheese and pepperonis dotted around. I grabbed a slice and waited for it to cool, so my mouth wouldn't burn. Loona finished like four slices before I even finished one. She licked her fingers and wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"I'm amazed that you can eat really fast," I commented. "I kind of wish I could do that."
The hellhound chuckled. "It's just natural to me. Nobody I know eats fast like me."
I chewed what I had in my mouth and washed it down. Then I took the opportunity to ask Loona some other questions about herself.
"Speaking of people you know, is there anyone else in your family, besides Blitzo?"
Loona's expression changed in a blink of an eye. A frown formed on her face and she clutched her left arm in discomfort. The moment I saw that, I felt immediate guilt. The last thing I wanted her was to see her upset. We also made some really good progress with our friendship and I didn't want to lose that.
"Did I say something that upset you?"
The hellhound shook her head. "No, it's that I've never been asked that before."
"Do you want to talk about it? I won't force anything, but if it's something you need to talk about, I'm here to listen."
She looked towards the wall, still clutching her arm. I sat up straight in my chair and placed both of my hands on my knees. Loona hesitated to say anything for a few moments. Then I heard her take a deep breath and let it out.
"I don't really like to talk about this, but Blitzo isn't my real father. He adopted me when I was close to turning eighteen. My biological parents abandoned me when I was a puppy. I spent most of my life inside an orphanage with the worst living conditions imaginable. There were times when I couldn't eat properly. I got treated so badly…" She couldn't finish her sentence.
Loona trembled in her seat and shook her head a little. I listened attentively, not interrupting, letting Loona continue at her own pace.
"When I did get adopted, things did get a little better. But my childhood left a negative mark. Although I don't show it, those memories sometimes come back to haunt me. However, the feeling of not belonging anywhere, may be the worst of it."
The hellhound whimpered and tears rolled down her face. I gave her a napkin and she wiped them off. I didn't really have any words at that moment, just processing everything. Loona's right hand sat flat on the table, not moving a muscle. I reached over and placed my reassuring hand on it. Loona saw it and turned her head over to look at me.
"Loona… Thank you for sharing that with me. I cannot imagine how hard it must've been to go through all of that. But I want you to listen carefully, you belong here. Maybe not where we are, but you do belong here. And one other thing, there's people who care about you, myself included.
"Ya know, I didn't have a perfect childhood either. There was a group of kids that made me their number one target. Mainly because I was different from everyone else. Everyday, they would say how much of a weirdo I was. I ignored it for a while, until they eventually left me alone.
"During my last year of middle school, I wrote a short story for a class project. The teacher loved it so much, he encouraged me to keep writing. I took those words at heart and I used it as an escape mechanism. Later in life, one of the kids who tormented me said they regretted it. Instead of forgiving them, I said they can go fuck himself.
"Since then, I reflected on that one point in time, and I wish I would've forgiven them. It's actually part of the reason why I came back for you, to make up for that one mistake. I've been talking a lot, I hope I didn't bore you with my rambling."
"No, I'm really grateful that you shared it. Thank you for saying that encouraging message, I really needed to hear that."
"My pleasure. Uh, how about we get an ice cream?"
Loona nodded her head. "Sure, I want a vanilla flavor."
"Really? That's my favorite flavor too."
I got up and went to the front counter, for two vanilla ice creams and a take out box. We both licked our cones, until I got to the top of the cone. The silence made me feel a little unsatisfied with my efforts. So I came up with a joke to lighten the mood.
I placed a finger in the cold substance and began to spread it on the side of my nose. Then I went back and dotted some more on my cheek. Some of it dripped, making my skin sticky to the touch. Hopefully this joke I was about to do would make Loona laugh. If not, it would be very embarrassing and messy.
"Loona look," I said, trying to contain my laughter. "I spilled ice cream on my face."
I then burst out laughing after the punchline. A Smile stretched across the hellhound's face. The whole room filled with laughter as if a ray of sunshine dispersed a raincloud. When everything calmed down, I grabbed a napkin and wiped the ice cream off of my face.
"You really do know how to make someone laugh," the hellhound said.
"I'll take that as a complement."
Loona took out her phone to check the time.
"It's getting late, how about we start heading back?"
"I suppose that would be a good idea."
The two of us once again stepped into my humble abode. Loona changed back into her hellhound form, while I placed the pizza box in the fridge. The clock on the microwave read quarter to nine, which is a little bit late for me. However, I didn't feel tired at all.
'Ah screw it, I can stay up tonight.'
"Is there anything else you want to do before bedtime?"
Loona rubbed the bottom of her chin, deep in thought. "Can you read some of your short stories to me?"
'That's a weird request. I thought she was going to ask to watch a movie or something.'
I shrugged. "Sure, I can do that. But be warned, they were written when I was an amateur."
"Ah, I don't care, go for it."
Without a moment to spare, I opened the closet door and slid out a cardboard box. Everything inside were all of the short stories I wrote during my adolescence. Some were class assignments and there are others that I wrote in my free time. I lifted the box from the ground and went back to the living room. Next, I shuffled through the tabs and pulled out a whopping fifty pages of paper.
"Okay, this first story is what kicked off my writing campaign. I hope you enjoy it."
Loona nodded her head and adjusted her sitting position. I cleared my throat and began to narrate the first lines on the page. The actual story itself is about a boy living in a dystopian town, controlled by a lumber company. In the end, he escapes with his older sister and a couple of friends. Even though I love this story to death, I kind of wish there was more to it. But I could always rewrite it down the road.
About halfway through, the hellhound rested her head on top of mine. I didn't expect it, nor minded it at all. However, the spikes on Loona's choker were literally two inches away from puncturing my face.
"Hey, can you take your choker off? I don't feel comfortable with the spikes." Loona did as I requested and took it off. She did look different without it, but it's better than getting accidentally punctured.
I felt a bit confined with Loona pressed close to me. Almost reflexively, I gently wrapped my arm around her waist, and to my surprise, she didn't respond. Her fur was remarkably soft, and it was tempting to run my hand through it endlessly. It brought back memories of my childhood when my mother and I used to cuddle. This whole event stirred up a warm feeling inside me. As the evening unfolded, I noticed the tip of her tail happily wagging, indicating that she was enjoying it.
"Well, what did you think?" I asked her.
No response.
'Did she fall asleep?'
"Hey Loona, are you awake?" I felt her body move in an upright position, as she yawned. "Was my story that boring?" I half joked.
Loona shook her head. "No silly, I'm just really tired."
I chuckled. "Makes sense, it's been a long day."
We bid each other goodnight, and I prepared for bed. As I lay there, contemplating the tingling sensation and the vivid memories from earlier in the day, a realization struck me like a heavy weight, I had developed feelings for Loona. Ever since we reconciled and opened up about our pasts, it seemed as if an unbreakable bond of trust had formed between us. All of this was going by so fast, it was surreal.
One other realization crept in me, tomorrow was Loona's last day. I want to tell her my feelings, but mustering that kind of courage is undeniably difficult. It could shatter our bond like a glass pane, and my heart would be broken beyond belief. I may just end up as a little blip in her memory, as if nothing ever happened. My mind was made up, I will tell Loona my feelings, no matter how hard it may be.
-Author's Notes-
Thank you all for waiting so patiently. It took me a long time to write this chapter, but a little perseverance can go a long way. In the next part, we'll see if Evan will have the courage or not to share his feelings. Anyways, tell me what you think and I'll see you next time.
