Chapter 32
A familiar house comes before my sight and the uneasiness which I am feeling grows making my stomach churn. Swallowing I try to get hold of myself, as at some point I do have to get over with it, and as soon as I face this, the better it is.
This house reminds me of all of my dreams and aspirations which are now going to be left unfulfilled... one accident changed everything.
Letting out a small sigh, I walk towards the main door noticing how the wild bushes are covering the garden. Lina quietly walks beside me as she clutches her small bag pack to her chest.
Taking out the keys from my pocket, I twist the key between my fingers as this might be the last time I will be holding these keys because I am planning to sell this place or probably rent it out because it hurts too much to keep this place for myself.
Unlocking the door I step inside as my eyes burn with unshed tears as the pain which I was trying to suppress clenches my heart. Suddenly the silence feels suffocating as the flashes of accident plays before my eyes. After a long time, I am feeling this urge to cry, because of how my whole life has changed at that moment. That moment took away my every dream from me, leaving me with nothing but to fight with myself every day to live with this new identity of mine.
Clenching my eyes I hold back my tears as I pinch the bridge of my nose. Suddenly, I remember I am not alone as Lina is also here with me. I realize she never once asked about anything, as she's giving me the privacy which I needed. This is another thing about Lina which I like that she never pushes you for answers, she just waits for you to talk to her whenever you are ready.
Glancing at Lina, my anxiety settles down a little as I find her busy looking around the house.
"Want me to give you a tour?" I ask while my lips lift in a nervous smile, "Although, there is nothing much..." I bite inside of my lip remember how Jessica reacted when I had shown her the house.
"Is this your place?" She looks at me with raised eyebrows, "Like your own house?" She seems shocked.
Her shock makes me relax a bit as I nod my head.
"I wanted to make this place my home." With a small sigh, I inform her, grief settles in my heart once again, as this might not be possible anymore.
For now, this might be my house, but it will never become my home.
"I would love to see this house." She smiles looking eager. "From what I have seen until now, I think it is beautiful." The genuineness in her eyes tells she is not faking it just for the sake of not hurting my feelings, but really means what she has said.
"I am not sure whether it is beautiful or not, but what I can tell this is made with all my savings which I saved until now." Waving my hand around the house, I shrug while my heart fills with sadness.
"Then this makes this place even more beautiful as it is not just a house but it is your dream." She softly smiles as she slips her hand into mine giving it a comforting squeeze as if she has read the sadness behind my words.
Holding her hand, I let the warmth of her hand and the soft smile playing on her lips soothe the ache which is twisting my heart.
"C'mon let me show you the place before it gets dark as I am not sure the electricity is working properly here or not, as this house needed new wiring." Forcing a smile on my face, I keep holding her hand while walking further inside the house.
Slipping my hands inside my pockets, I quietly watch Lina as she walks around the house taking in everything. She hasn't said anything but the expression on her face tells, she is actually liking what she is seeing.
From time to time, if she sees anything interesting her gaze turns to me with a smile like she wants to know how I feel about that thing.The day I had bought this house, I had started decorating it. The house has basic furniture and a few other mismatched items from here and there. Even though I don't have any idea about house decor or anything, but I loved buying things for my house and used to buy whatever caught my attention."This is place is so homely and cozy." She nods her head as she stands in the middle of the bedroom."Is this a subtle way of saying that this place is old and small?" Arching an eyebrow, I ask her repeating the words which Jessica had said about this place.Lina frowns as she looks at me, then rolling her eyes she sighs and completely ignoring me and my question she walks towards the window to look outside."The garden needs a bit of work, the wild shrubs are just adding more to the character of the house but they need some trimming." She crosses her arms while her expression says she is in some deep thoughts, a few moments have passed when she turns to me, "I think you should buy one of those old classic porch swings for the porch, I just love those and I think it will blend perfectly with this house." She signs as she again briefly looks outside."Yeah?" Raising my eyebrow, I walk towards her, "And what else do you want me to do?""Oh, add those wooden fences, it makes the house looks homier, I don't like those metal fences as they make the house more like a prison than a home." She scrunched up her nose in distaste and shakes her head a little. "You can even add that canopy kind of thing above this bed." Turning around she points to the wall above the bed."What else?" Biting my smile, I ask her while keeping my face straight."Let's go and see what else we can do with this house." Her excitement is contagious, earlier I was just pulling her leg but now even I am feeling excited to know how she envisions this place.After she goes from one corner to another of the house, sharing her thoughts with me then finally we enter the kitchen. Her face brightens considerably as she walks into the kitchen as I lean against the doorway waiting to find out what she wants for the kitchen."Wow, this is perfect." She slides her hand over the wooden counter as her eyes move from one thing to another, "I love it just the way it is, nothing to change.""Do you think you can get that small wooden table for the kitchen? It will be nice to have a coffee here in the evenings." She points at the window which overlooks the small front garden.Suddenly, she looks lost in her thoughts as gradually her smile falls from her lips."What are you thinking?" Stepping inside the kitchen I gently touch her chin, "Not liking the idea of having a wooden table here anymore or the thought of making coffee is making you drop the idea?" I joke trying to erase the serious expression from her face.She laughs, however, her laugh looks a little forced as she shakes her head."Nothing." She presses her lips together in a fake smile, "It is your home you can design and decorate it however you like." Her smile relaxes a bit as she looks at me."Yeah, but your opinions matter." I nod my head, still not understanding the reason behind this change in her attitude."A home is a place which is one's dream and this is your dream." She holds my gaze, "So, it should be just the way you want or the person who is going to live with you wants it to be. Not me or anyone else opinions matter."The hint of longing in her eyes twists my heart. I can see her struggling to keep her real emotions hidden behind her smile but her eyes are not helping her at all."Can you drop me back at my hotel?" She abruptly asks, making me frown however, something in her expression stops me from asking her why she suddenly wants to leave.After staring at her face for some moments, as I try to figure what has made her sad, I nod my head dejectedly realizing I still don't know much about her."Thank you." She smiles as she walks outside the kitchen.Combing my hair with my fingers, I sigh while following her outside.When I came here the reason behind the heaviness inside my heart was different, however, now my heart is hurting by seeing her forced smile.My feelings are all tangled up when it comes to Lina, but one thing I know that everything about her deeply affects me.
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Thank you for reading.
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