Familiarity Breeds Comfort

Chapter 35

My skin has grown soggy from soaking for too long. I finally make my way out of the shower when I notice the bathroom is filled with steam. I sigh.

"Didn't think this through whatsoever." I attempt to feel around for a vent switch, but accidentally end up turning off the light. As I turn the light back on, I feel what resembles a breeze rush across my back. I pause, frightened by the sensation and turn to study the bathroom. Nothing out of the ordinary can be found. I turn back towards the light switch and finally find the vent switch. I flip the switch on as I begin to moisturize my hair. My playlist continues to play in the background, as I begin to lip-sync to 2000's Brittany Spears. I feel like myself for the first time in ages, and begin to slightly like what I see in the mirror again. 

As I glide the product through my hair, I feel another cold breeze pass by my shoulders. I turn around with more urgency this time, still, nothing. As I turn back to the mirror, I notice writing on it. Created with the fog. It reads:

"What will you choose?" In nearly perfect form, as if it had been typed by a computer. I pause and do my best to digest the message. I am uncertain who could've written it. Nervously I begin to joke.

"Okay Raphael. You're probably the who set the wheel thing too. Why don't you just come out of hiding?"

There no response. I continue to moisturize my hair and switch around my playlist until I can bump into a softcore playlist. As the music slows down, the eerie breeze returns. Frustrated, I quickly wash the product off my hands as I attempt to get dressed. As I slide my underwear on beneath my towel, a figure forms out of the fog. It's as if it floats by my in slow motion, holding eye contact the entire time. I stare back, unsure of what I'm looking at. The figure grins before disappearing. 

Petrified, I rush to put my gown on and quickly open the bathroom door. My parents look up suspiciously. I turn around once more to gauge the condition of the mirror. The writing has somehow disappeared, thought the fog has remained. I sigh before turning to my parents with disappointment. 

"Did you have a good shower Diana?" My father inquires.

"Yeah daddy." I walk behind him to look for some lotion.

"In the blue duffle bag hun. I have deodorant and perfume in there too if you want some." My mother shares. 

"Thanks mom."

As I begin to apply the lotion, I can hear a notification sound off, slightly lowering the volume of the music. I return to the bathroom to finish moisturizing now that it's mostly aired out. A second notification quickly follows after. 

Damon has double texted. "No! Don't tell me I've been ghosted before the fun can even start!" Seems like I'm not the only who fears rejection. I notice beneath Damon's text, there's another notification from the SOHLIS app. Sebastian has sent me another message:

"Just thought I'd follow up. How are you today?" I look at the message as my stomach begins to churn. I quickly exit from the app and return to my text message lobby.

"Not even, just got out the shower."

Damon responds almost immediately. "Without me? :("

Usually, that line would lead to feelings of disgust. But something about Damon's transparency in regards to his cheesiness was attractive to me. It reminded me a bit of my father. 

"Gimme 20 minutes"

"Okay, but not a minute longer!"

I tuck my phone away as I finish moisturizing my body. I quickly apply deodorant before returning to the room. 

"Someone looks squeaky clean!" My mother teases as I tuck myself back in. I roll my eyes before letting out a half smile and returning to messaging. 

As I proceed to text Damon, I receive a few notifications from SOHLIS. "You have 20 unread messages." "Sebastian messaged you!" I stare at the notification from Sebastian before it disappears before silencing notifications from the app and proceeding to text Damon.

"So, this is a story all about how my life got flipped. Turned upside down." I proceed to write. I chuckle at my own corniness before proceeding.

"One night, I was in my room having a few beers when I felt what seemed like a cold chill pass through my body." It wasn't exactly the truth. In fact, it was a much watered down version. But I couldn't see anyway in which I could share the truth with a perfect stranger without being deemed crazy. 

"In what felt like the next day, at least to me, I found myself waking up in the emergency room."

Without much thought, I press send. 

"Did you want dinner hun? I look at the time, it's already 8pm. I notice I am a bit hungry after all.

"That would be great mom, thanks."

Without second thought, my mom hops out and taps on my father's shoulder in attempt to drag him along.  My father hops up.

"Oh, that's right! Privacy time!" He says sincerely. My mother smacks his arm out of embarrassment while dragging him out the room. 

"We'll be back hun."

I wait for them to leave the room before returning my focus on to my phone. 

Damon's already responded. 

"What that seems insane. Like a movie even!"

For some reason, I feel a sudden rush of courage. I respond in bold. 

"Wanna hop on a call real quick. I can explain it much better that way."

He responds immediately. "And get a chance to hear what my old colleague sounds like? Sounds too good to be true!"

"It's not even confirmed that we attending school at the same time." I text back impulsively before looking off to the side embarrassed. I fear I've been too snarky. Before doubt can fully settle in, Damon proceeds to call me. I stare at the phone, suddenly regretting my decision and let the call go to voicemail at first. I begin to panic, wondering if I should follow up with a text message when he calls again. This time, I take a deep breath and pick up.

"Hello?"

For a moment, there is silence before I can hear his sultry, velvety voice begin to speak.

"No freaking way." He says in a dramatized fashion.

"Don't tell me my colleague sounds sexy too."

I chuckle, unsure of what to say next. He sounds exactly what he looks like. And looks exactly what he acts like. 

"So, finish telling me the story superwoman."

Having barely spoken in months, my voice is a bit rusty. "Well, like I was saying." I proceed to speak when my voice cracks. I pause out of embarrassment. 

"I'm listening." He reassures. Though he is but a stranger, I feel strangely comfortable with him. 

I clear my throat before continuing. "It was so eerie. Like, I just woke up one day and saw those creepy artificial hospital lights and my parents crying over me. I thought I died and my soul was like watching my body or something." I chuckle. 

He pauses before responding in a serious tone. "That's incredibly. You really have quite the story." He sounds genuine, as I grow a bit shy.

"That just makes you even more of a badass in my book." He says in a calm, even tone. 

"Yeah, well I'm counting the days when I can get out of here."

"Any words from the Doctor?"

"It's looking like two days from now."

"Excellent, very nice." He flirts.

"I guess I will have to be one of the first people who see's you then?"

I chuckle before responding. "That's only if you're willing to fight with my friend Pauly for dibs."

"Oh, do we have a clinger?"

"No, more like an a*s kicker." We chuckle in unison. It all feels very fluid and natural. There is a comfortable silence before Damon attempts to carry on the conversation. 

"So, you said you just came back? Where were you before?" 

Flashbacks of when I lived with Ethan start to infiltrate my mind. I see glimpses of him drunk, charging towards me. I do my best to center myself and remain present. Clearing my throat as I clear my mind. 

"I was in Belfagor."

"Belfagor? What's that? Sounds like something straight out of a novel."

I tuck my hair behind my ear before shyly responding "It is."

"Oh?" Ethan seems genuinely interested in getting to know me. It gives me more courage to open up a bit.

"It's from a book I wrote when I was a kid. It's supposed to be synonymous with hell."

"I knew I was on to something!" Ethan exclaims. 

"Yeah, I have no clue what it means. It just came to mind." I pause, thinking of what I should say next. 

"You're very perceptive though. I totally thought you'd be like an a*****e jock."

"You're not entirely off the mark." Her gloats. I roll my eyes before chuckling. He clears his throat before proceeding.

"Nah, but I've changed a bit. Experienced a lot of life which helped me to shift my perspective a bit more."

I became intensely curious about him at this time. But as I hear my parents giggling just up the hallway, I proceed to cut the conversation short. 

"Well, I'm off to have dinner. But you're definitely gonna have to tell me about this story sometime."

"Sure. How's tomorrow sound?" I feel a rush of butterflies. It seems like he also is interested in getting to know me a bit more too. 

"If I can find some quiet time." I joke. 

"Well, please do." I can hear him smiling through the phone. 

"Night Damon."

"Night Beautiful." 

I don't want to end the call, but I hear my parents approach the door and it becomes second instinct. 

"Beautiful! We have dinner!"

I smile in attempt to hide my disappointment. 

"What is it?" I ask halfheartedly. 

"Pasta and Salmon!"

The bag looks larger than normal. It seems my parents plan to eat together tonight. They rush to sit down as we look at the blackened screen. Home Alone has stopped playing, we barely managed to watch the film. Without hesitation, my dad switches to a fighting match. My mother doesn't bother to respond. Instead, she focuses on unboxing the meal.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?"

Still playing back some of the conversation with Damon, I let out a distracted "Yeah."

The smell of the Salmon knocks me back into my sense. I rush to grab a plastic fork and grip it almost in protest. My mom chuckles as she hands me the Styrofoam plate. I open it with urgency before looking up to my mother, who is carefully observing me. She chuckles as I sink back into my bed in embarrassment and slowly proceed to take the first bite. 

We eat in unison, gravitating between small talk, watching the match, and momentary silence. It suddenly hits me. By this time on Wednesday, we will all be back home.