Chapter 13: First Day In New Apartment

    I got up at 9 in the morning and found the coffee pot half way full of coffee already. Next to the coffee pot was a note from Nathan.  

        I had to go to work this morning so I made coffee for us. I'll be home sometime after 4pm. Have fun at the apartment.

            Mon-Thurs 6am-3pm

            Sun 7am-4pm

         -Nathan

I read the note and then poured myself a cup of coffee. I then found bacon, eggs, and bread. I made breakfast then went and took a shower. When I was done I did some cleaning and played music while I did so. 

I wiped down the counters, stove, and table. I cleaned the oven and microwave. I organized the pantry and fridge. I swept and mopped the kitchen floor. 

When I was done with the kitchen, I started in the living room. I dusted everything that needed to be dusted. I put a few items back where they were supposed to be. I vacuumed the carpet and sprayed febreeze in the living room.

Then I moved on to the bathroom. I wiped down the bathroom counters and cleaned the sink. I cleaned the bathtub and toilet. I organized everything that needed to be organized and cleaned the mirror. Then I swept and mopped the bathroom floor.

When I was done with the bathroom, I moved on to Nathan's room. I remade his bed a little neater and tidied up his closet. I picked up a few items off the floor and put them where they belong, Then I vacuumed his carpet.

Once I had completed cleaning his room, I moved on to the laundry room. I organized the stuff in the cabinets above the washer and dryer. I then swept and moped in there. Cleaning his apartment took me about 2 hours.

When I was done cleaning I took a book from my bookshelf into the living room and got into a comfortable position to read. I was reading 'To Kill A Mockingbird.' by Harper Lee. I read it my freshman year of highschool and absolutely loved it.

I always loved to read. When I read a book I get a chance to escape reality. I'm taken out of my world and inserted into the world of the book. I'd much rather deal with their stress than my own sometimes. 

Reading saved my life once. When I first lost my Mom, I didn't think I could do it. I didn't think I could go on without her. I wanted to say 'fuck it', and end it right there. So, I picked up Twilight and started to read and it helped. It helped more than I thought it would. 

I read for 4 hour straight before I decided it was time for lunch. I heated up some leftovers from last night's dinner. I ate in silence, well except for the occasional voice that wasn't actually there. My medication really helps with that. 

The voices and visions started not long after my Mom passed away. They used to talk all the time and I'd see things a few times a day. Now I hear an occasional voice a day and see things every few days or so.

When I was done with lunch, I loaded the dishwasher and cleaned the sink. I wiped down the table again and made another pot of coffee. I have a coffee obsession. When it was ready I made myself a cup and brought it out to the living room.

I put my book up and went to find my laptop. When I found it I brought it to the living room and worked on a story and drank coffee until Nathan got home.

I was so caught up in writing my story that I didn't even notice when Nathan walked through the front door. He had to tap my laptop before I noticed him. "Sorry, I was really into my story for a second there." He chuckled, "It's ok. How was your day?" he asked. I gave him a recap of what I did today. 

"You cleaned the entire apartment?" he asked, shocked. "Yeah, I just kinda felt like it could use it." He grimaced, "Was it really that bad?" he asked. "No, I was just in the mood to clean." I said. "Ok, good. Oh by the way, I'm making dinner tonight." he said. "Ok. So um, I have a question." I said. 

"What's up?" he asked. "Um, could we get a dog?" I asked nervously. "Sure, what kind of dog were you thinking?" he asked. "Wait really? Awesome. Uh, German shepherd." He smiled, "I love German shepherds. We can totally get one on our day off." He sat down next to me and we watched as I wrote my story until it was time to make dinner. 

I read while he made dinner. When dinner was ready we sat at the table and ate. "Hey Nathan, what's your full name?" I asked. He grinned a little, "Nathan Lucifer." My eyes got big then I smiled, "My feelings grow for you every second." He smiled back at me, "What's your full name?" he asked. "Renée Firestone" I said. 

We continued to ask random little questions through dinner until it was time to clean up. Nathan told me he was doing the cleaning since I cleaned the entire apartment today.

After dinner and cleaning we sat down on the couch in the living room. We put on music and read our books. We did this for about an hour before Nathan put his book down. He started to lean towards me and I thought he was gonna kiss me but he laid his head in my lap, using it as a pillow. "What are you doing?" I asked. "Using your lap as a pillow if you don't mind. I shrugged and put my book down.

I ran my fingers through his soft black hair and he sighed in content. I started to sing and we did this for a while before he sat up again. He leaned towards me, and cupped my cheek. Then he kissed me. It was a short and sweet kiss. "Renée." he said. I smiled at the way he said my name, "Yes?". He kissed me again, "I love you."

My jaw dropped, "I-I-I" I tried to speak but just ended up stuttering. "I don't expect you to say it back, but do you love me?" he asked. I smiled and in a quiet voice I said, "Yes."