My Romance Life System
Chapter 90: Settle In

Chapter 90: Settle In

Kofi unlocked the door and pushed it open, gesturing for Thea to enter. He flicked on the light switch just inside the frame. The living room was illuminated, revealing a simple but tidy space.

’Okay, this is it. The point of no return.’

Thea took a hesitant step inside, her eyes wide. She was still clutching the plastic bag with her old clothes. She looked around the room, at the clean floors, the small couch with its neatly arranged cushions, and the stack of manga on the coffee table. Her expression started to crumble.

’Ah, this is bad. Her eyes are getting watery.’

He watched as her lower lip began to tremble. Her gaze drifted from the living room to the small, attached kitchen, where the counters were wiped clean and the new frying pan sat on a drying rack by the sink.

It was just a normal apartment. It was nothing special. But for her, it was clearly something else entirely.

A single tear escaped and rolled down her bruised cheek.

’She’s going to cry. What am I supposed to do? Should I say something? Pat her on the back? That seems wrong.’

"Uh," he started, his own voice sounding awkward. "This is it. You can, um, put your bag down."

Thea didn’t move. She just stood there in the entryway, her shoulders shaking slightly. She quickly wiped the tear away with the back of her free hand, as if angry at herself for letting it fall.

’I should just give her a minute.’

He decided it was best not to draw attention to it. He walked past her and set his own bag down by the couch. "The guest room is this way," he said, keeping his tone as neutral as possible. "I’ll show you."

She finally seemed to snap out of her trance. She gave a small, jerky nod and followed him down the short hallway, her feet shuffling on the clean wooden floor. He opened the last door on the left.

"This one is yours," he said, stepping aside to let her see.

The room was simple. It had a bed with a plain blue comforter, a small wooden desk, and a window that looked out onto the street.

Thea stood in the doorway, her knuckles white where she gripped the plastic bag. She was staring at the bed. It wasn’t just a mattress on the floor. It was a real bed, with a frame and a headboard.

"This... this is a guest room?" Her voice was a small, disbelieving whisper.

"Yeah. It has its own bathroom, too." He pointed to another door inside the room.

He watched her take a slow, hesitant step into the room. She walked over to the bed and gently touched the comforter with her fingertips, as if testing to see if it was real.

’She looks so small.’

"I, um," she started, her back still to him. "Thank you."

"It’s no problem."

He felt like he was intruding. This was a lot for her to process. He needed to give her some space. "I’ll let you get settled in," he said, starting to back out of the room. "I’m going to make some dinner. You should probably rest."

She didn’t turn around. She just gave another small nod.

He quietly pulled the door closed, leaving her alone. He went back to the kitchen and just stood there for a minute, leaning against the counter. He could hear the faint sound of the shower starting in the guest bathroom.

’Good. That’s a good sign.’

He looked around his own quiet, empty apartment. It wasn’t empty anymore. He had another person’s entire, broken life sitting in his guest room. This was a level of responsibility he couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

’One day at a time,’ he told himself, echoing his own words from the hospital. ’Just one day at a time.’

He opened the fridge. He had chicken, rice and vegetables.

’Alright. Time to make dinner.’

---

Thea stood under the hot water, letting it run over her head and down her back. The hospital gown lay in a wet heap on the floor. The bathroom was small, but it was cleaner than any room in her aunt’s house. There was a bar of soap that smelled like sandalwood and a bottle of shampoo that wasn’t a cheap, generic brand.

She just stood there, letting the water wash away the grime of the last few days. The hospital, the fight, the house... it all felt like a movie she had watched about someone else.

She turned off the water and stepped out onto the soft bath mat, wrapping one of the clean, fluffy towels around herself. She looked at her reflection in the fogged-up mirror. The bruise on her cheek was a dark, ugly purple. Her lip was still swollen.

She looked like a ghost.

She opened the plastic bag Kofi had given her at the hospital. Inside was her uniform, still dirty and smelling faintly of the fight. There was also a set of clothes. A plain black t-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. They were clearly his, way too big for her, but they were clean.

’He thought of this.’

She got dressed. The shirt hung off her shoulders, and she had to roll the sweatpants up at the waist and the ankles, but the soft cotton felt like a luxury. She felt small and lost in his clothes, but she also felt... safe.

She walked out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. Her room. It was still a strange concept. She sat on the edge of the bed, the mattress soft and solid beneath her. She ran her hand over the blue comforter again.

A quiet knock came at the door. "Thea?" It was Kofi’s voice. "Dinner’s ready. If you’re hungry."

She stood up and walked to the door, opening it a crack. He was standing in the hallway, holding two bowls. The smell of chicken and soy sauce filled the air. He wasn’t looking at her face, he was looking at her feet, where the sweatpants were rolled up.

"I, uh, found some of my old clothes for you," he said, his ears turning a little red. "They’re probably too big. We can go shopping for some new stuff tomorrow."

She just nodded, because she didn’t know what to say.

"You can eat in your room if you want," he offered. "Or you can eat in the living room. There’s a TV."

She thought about it. The idea of being alone in this clean, quiet room was tempting. But the idea of being completely alone again was terrifying.

"...The living room," she said, her voice small.

"Okay."

He handed her one of the bowls. It was warm in her hands. She followed him out to the living room and they sat on the couch, a safe distance apart. He turned on the TV to a random anime, the volume low.

She looked down at the bowl in her lap. It smelled amazing.

She took a bite. It was hot, and savory. It was the second good meal she’d had in two days.

She ate without saying a word, her eyes fixed on the colorful cartoon on the screen. She didn’t know what the show was about. It didn’t matter.

She was no longer alone, that’s all that mattered.