Mine

Chapter 5

In their rush, Aria hadn't gotten a chance to admire her surroundings. For the love of all that is Holy, she awed.

'So, this is the living room as you can see.', he gestured towards the large expanse of what he called a living room.

The front door led to a small, intimate hallway which then opened up to what could only be described as a salon cum home theatre. The hallway was lined on one side with a mahogany table and an umbrella stand providing a small refuge before entering the apartment. The 'living room' was larger than her whole dorm room at Morris'. In the middle of it sat a grey upholstered sectional sofa with the low coffee table on the middle, which currently housed most of Aria's boxes. The off white rug on which it lay perfectly complemented the pale hardwood floor that ran all across the apartment. The entire ensemble was directed towards a larger than average flat screen television, connected with what seemed to be a home theatre system and some gaming console which she could only vaguely identify. On the wall next to flat screen, was a series of matching wooden shelves, artfully converted into bookshelves, which contained an expanse of DVD's at the moment. Adjacent to that were slinging glass doors which ran all across the side wall, leading out to a parallel balcony. Aria could see two outdoor lounge chairs placed outside.

'Behind you is the kitchen.', he turned and moved over to stand over by the kitchen island.

The kitchen area was slightly elevated by a platform behind the living area. Grey granite countertops fitted with wooden furnishings and stainless steel appliances stood proudly. A dominating steel fridge was placed on one side. The countertop rounded off to the kitchen island which was accompanied by three maroon high chairs.

Blake led her towards another hallway at the fourth side of the apartment, this one a little longer than the other. They crossed a closed door on the right and he indicated with a flick of his thumb, 'That's the meth lab.'

Aria stopped mid-step as he continued to walk on. She nervously glanced back at the door, unsure whether he was serious or not. Of course he's not. If there was a meth lab, you'd smell it, she reasoned.

Like you would know what meth smells like, another voice countered.

Blake cleared his throat and Aria turned to him. He stood at the end of the hallway, holding a door open; an amused expression on his face. He was joking. Aria glared at him before walking up to the room he had just opened.

'This is your room.', he informed as she stood at the threshold. Her breath seized in her lungs as she looked about the room.

The floor was carpeted in the same off white colour as the rug in the living room. A bed which looked a little bigger than a single bed was placed with its headboard against the wall. It was balanced by matching nightstands on both sides. On the left of the room was a small desk parallel to the wall and a chair placed in front of it. The wall above the desk was fitted with book shelves similar to the ones in the living room and contained a number of books. On the other side of the room, was a large window with drapes and beside it two doors; one single and the other a pair of double doors. The entire colour palate of the rooms was a soothing mix of light blue, off white and beige.

She choked up, literally choked up at its beauty. Suddenly, she was back to being a thirteen year old girl who had imagined a room like the one she was looking at. But of course this isn't really your room, she reminded harshly and tightly shut the memory of that little girl away in a remote corner of her brain. She took a tentative step inside, now fully admiring the way the room was illuminated by the golden glow of the setting sun.

Aria looked around her new room one final time before turning to face the man casually leaning against the threshold; his arms crossed over his chest. She stepped closer to the door as a hand instinctively went out wrap around the doorknob. She tested the handle before stopping hesitantly to inspect the lock.