You Feel Like Home

Chapter 17

"He's so stupid." I mumble, a sense of excitement bubbling in me as I walk around the house. "He's an idiot. How can he just go and buy a stupid house? What's his problem? He's so mean. How can he leave me like this after showing me our home together?" My words totally contradict my feelings though, as I literally bounce around with a grin.

I continue to talk to myself as I walk through every room in the house. There's already furniture, beds, appliances, security cameras...everything. It doesn't seem like he just bought the house on a whim.

Everything is so nicely decorated, and the marble floors shine so brightly with the sun hitting them.

There's little name tags on the doors of each room, and I let out a small laugh at the thought of Ethan labeling everything so I know what is what. One room, though, I absolutely refuse to go in.

The basement.

I have watched way too many movies, and my black ass is not going to be one of those idiots who goes into the basement for fun then gets killed. We are smarter than that.

With that being said...I'm not going to let the possibility of someone being in there and coming out to kill me happen either. So I grab one of the chairs from the dining table and shove it under the doorknob.

The doorbell rings, making me jump at the unexpectedness.

I hesitate to move to the door, unsure of who it could be. What if it's Ethan's mom? Or maybe it's Ethan himself.

Wait, no. He has a key. He wouldn't ring the doorbell. After panicking for a few moments I quietly make my way to the front door, leaning up on my tippy toes to squint out the peephole.

Huh. I don't see anyone.

I open the door just slightly, and greeting me on the doorstep is a bag. Once I pick it up I realize it was a food delivery. Quickly closing the door, I walk to the dining room and set the food down. Scanning the receipt taped to the sealed bag, I search the piece of paper for the cardholders name just to make sure.

As suspected, Ethan's name is sat right there, typed on the receipt.

A small smile comes over my face, though so does an ache in my heart. I hate that he's not here. Usually if you stay in a house meant for you and your partner, the partner is supposed to be there too.

The doorbell rings again, and I go through that same sense of panic I did before. Quickly going to the door again, I don't even look out the peephole before swinging it open.

A man stands at the door, rubbing his hands. Multiple bags of things sit at his feet.

"Hi, are you..." He quickly takes out his phone, looking at his screen for a moment. "Nova?"

"Yes. That's me." I bite my lip.

"Someone named Ethan ordered these for you." He starts to hand me the bags.

Taking a peek inside of one, I realize they're groceries.

Being too many to carry at once, I set them down on the wall alongside the door.

"Oh, and I was also asked to write this up for you." He says awkwardly, handing me a folded piece of paper.

"Oh, uh. Thanks." I chuckle a bit. "Sorry for the trouble."