Athena

Chapter 4

One night turned into two, which turned to three, and Mona was still sleeping on my sofa. That first night, we'd sat up talking until the morning sun rose outside, and we'd still sat there as the first weekend travelers moved out on the street. It was something special about her that I couldn't put my finger on. It wasn't as if I hadn't been in relationships before. I'd had several longer ones. But all of them faded in the light of her, and we hadn't even entered into any kind of relationship yet, even friendship.

I asked myself 'why' countless times those days, and the only thing I could come up with was that she was free-spirited. My relationships in the past had always been on my terms, somehow, and my wishes. Mona was different. She didn't obey any rules, and didn't adhere to any norms. It sounds silly, but maybe because I was not that kind of person, I wanted that in someone else. I was stiff, reserved, and awkward with other people. While Mona was forthcoming, spontaneous, and unrestricted. Her borders were loose, while mine were hard.

I didn't tell her this, I simply followed along in her talks, giving my input where I could and to my surprise, she enjoyed it. She seemed to like my company, just as I liked hers. I couldn't understand why, but it made me happy to see it.

By the fifth night, she slept in my bed and we fell asleep holding hands. Somehow, she never left after that, and my flat became hers. Not that she paid any rent, a stable job wasn't a part of her life, and she did only own that guitar and her backpack, just as I had suspected. I guess that's why I liked her, because she wasn't like me and lived a life I never had.

I had thought that was the end of the changes in my life, now when she had come into it. But it wasn't over yet.