Immaculate

Electrics

Part 114

Sang's POV

I watched as Gabriel moved the coffee table four inches to the left and gave a satisfied nod of his head.

"Done," he said and turned to look at me, his head tilted to one side. "What do you think, Trouble?"

"I think you have a good eye," I told him and I meant it. The furniture he had picked was beautiful, classic lines and elegant, just like Mr Blackbourne. The colour scheme was muted greys and duck egg blue and I had to say it looked perfect. There was a corner sofa that could sit six, two matching armchairs were placed in front of a glass cabinet that was still empty. The coffee table sat on a rug that covered the new carpet. The curtains at the windows were held back by ties that matched the sofa and I knew they had been custom made. The whole room made me want to hold my breath and levitate incase I mucked anything up.

"Do you like it?" Kota asked from where he had sank into the corner of the sofa.

"Yes, I do, I can't believe how much you managed to get done," I said.

"The carpet fitters came just after the last of the furniture was removed," Mr Blackbourne said as he came into the room behind me. "Once they left the rest of the furniture was delivered and we got stuck in. It helps that there was eight of us."

"I should have helped," I murmured and he shrugged.

"I was debating leaving it for you to say where you wanted things, but it was getting late. If something feels wrong, or if you want to change any of it, just ask if you can't move it, or move it yourself."

"No, it's perfect," I said and meant it. It was a far cry from the living room I remembered my father sitting in as he watched TV on the old shabby sofa. I had a sudden realisation as to how Marie was feeling. The furniture might have been old and shabby, but it had been familiar. Everything was changing here and changing fast. It no longer looked like the home we were used to and I realised how displaced she felt.

"Come and see the family room, Trouble," Gabriel said and grabbing me by the hand he dragged me out of the room and into the family room. I stopped short. Where the other room had been cool perfection, this room was warm and cosy. The carpet was a deep maroon, the sofas and chair that were scattered around the room were mismatched, the coffee table was wooden and had two drawers underneath it. There was an oak sideboard running under the window, with a hi fi system on it. There was a writing desk in the corner with a empty bookcase next to it. An office chair sat in front of it. It was odd how nothing matched but it worked, it worked really well.

There was an upright piano against the wall next to the writing desk, Victor was sat at the seat watching me look around. I gave him a wave and a smile and he winked at me.

I spotted a TV with a DVD player and an Xbox on a unit on the far side of the wall.

"More comfortable," Gabriel said and passed me to kick at where a pile of bean bags in the corner made up the number of seats we would all need if we were in here.

"The writing desk and bookcase will be handy for your school work," Kota said and crossing to it, he pulled the flap down and I saw the laptop inside. He opened the door underneath and I saw a wireless printer. On the other shelf was the scrapbook that I had started.

"When we wrap things up at the school," Mr Blackbourne spoke up from where he was in the doorway. "It's somewhere you can work when you're here."

A sense of excitement filled me, I was sure that they would make good on their word. Mr Blackbourne had told me that I was not going back to that school if they were not there and I believed him, but seeing this, hearing what he had said, made it even more real. I looked at Nathan and grinned at him and I think he saw some of the excitement in my face because his smile was wide.