Red String of Fate - Thiam

Chapter 3 - Belonging

December 2nd - Thursday

Theo P.O.V.

"Welcome home."

My gaze falls on Liam who has a huge smile on his face. I wait for him to open the door but he doesn't move.

"What are you waiting for?"

"You open the door. Now it's your home too."

My hands are sweating and shaking slightly. As much as I try to hide it, I know that Liam has already noticed it.

I put the key in the lock and open the door. It wouldn't be the first time I'd be at Liam's house, however this time the feeling is different. Because now it's not just Liam's house, but also the house where I'm going to stay. The walls feel more welcoming and I find myself noticing how the furniture looks more comfortable. As soon as I set foot inside the house a young woman appears in the hall excitedly.

"Hi, you must be Theo, I'm Jenna, Liam talked a lot about you."

"Hello. Nice to meet you."

I reach out to shake her hand but Jenna ignores it and pulls me into a hug. I hear Liam hold his breath behind me. I tense and my body freezes, but Jenna doesn't seem to mind that I don't hug her back.

"Theo, Liam will show you the room where you're staying. Dinner is in half an hour."

I nod with an uncomfortable smile. I follow Liam down the hall.

"This is your room, right next to mine."

I look at the guest room door and then at Liam's room. The only difference between the two is that Liam's has a sign with his name engraved on it.

Liam looks at me expectantly waiting for me to enter the room.

I open the door and am overwhelmed by the pleasant smell of cleaning products. The room is large with a single bed in the center, an armchair, a desk, a cabinet of drawers, a wardrobe and a bedside table.

"What is that?" I ask, pointing to the furry mass on the bed.

"It's a stuffed animal, have you heard of it?" Liam laughs and grabs the plushie.

"You don't expect me to sleep with this, do you?" I roll my eyes when Liam puts the stuffed Sloth in my hands.

"I am, and you have to give him a name too."

"Don't even think about that." I roll my eyes but when I put my backpack on the bed I can't help but smile. My heart warms with the new feeling, a feeling I can't name.

"Come on, you have to give it a name."

"Okay..." I think for a moment, turning the stuffed animal between my hands. "Slow."

"Are you serious? Slow the Sloth? That sounds terribly bad." Liam frowns.

"So...Flash. Flash the Sloth. Sounds good." I throw Flash the Sloth onto the armchair in the corner of the room and Liam glares at me.

"You have creativity there. But Flash the Sloth sounds good." Liam sits on the edge of my bed and grabs my backpack. "I can put your clothes in the washing machine and you can go take a shower. I'll give you some of my clothes to wear today."

"I doubt they'll fit me, you're too small." I mock, deciding to sit next to him.

"You're only an inch taller than me, I'm sure my clothes fit you."

Liam gets up and puts my backpack on his shoulder.

"You can take a shower in my bathroom or the one in the hallway."