Eternal Veil

Chapter 5

I spend the next couple of hours unpacking my belongings and, more importantly, visualizing how I'll create a comfort space for myself with the blank canvas I've been given. I've lofted my bed just high enough for storage to fit underneath, and the dreary beige walls are practically begging to be decorated. The furniture is in a sorry state as well: my desk is sporting a wobbly leg, the creaky wardrobe to its left is barely big enough to fit my clothes, and –my personal favorite– the nightstand is missing a drawer. Bad, I know, but nothing a few string-lights and pictures can't fix.

Liv is a whirlwind, in fact she hasn't stopped talking since I arrived. She tosses out stories and random facts like confetti as she finishes setting up her side of the room. At first I go with the whole smile and nod method, but it doesn't take long for her infectious spirit to rub off on me.

"I still can't believe we're actually here in the flesh," Liv says, folding up her plush pink blanket and laying it across the back of her desk chair.

"Yeah, this place is a huge change," I reply, folding a shirt and laying it methodically in my drawer, "Almost too much of a change, you know?" I admit.

She hums in agreement before asking, "So, why London then? Why come all the way here?"

I pause briefly before I answer, twirling the ring on my finger. "I needed a way out– from all the shit back at home. It was like, if I didn't leave, I'd never break free of it all." Despite the truth in this, the words ring hollow. There's a pull I've felt in my very bones, tugging me to this city for as long as I can remember. It's unexplainable, not just to the ears of others, but I myself don't even know what it means or why I feel it.

Liv watches me with gentle understanding, her eyes softening. "I get it," she says after a moment, her voice quieter, now holding an unexpected tenderness, "Sometimes you just need to run from it all. As far as you possibly can." She turns back to her bed to fluff the frilly pillows laying atop it, but as if sensing the weight of my words, she turns back to me and attempts to lighten the mood, "Besides, who wouldn't want to run away to London? I mean... the accents?!"

I let out a small laugh, appreciating her effort to deflect the sudden seriousness that had shrouded itself over us. "Fair enough."

For the first time in hours, we work in companionable silence, leaving only the sound of hangers clinking and drawers shutting. I take a step back and feel proud of my progress. For a place that closely resembled a prison cell as recent as 3 hours ago, it cleaned up fairly nice. I put together the finishing touches– a framed photo of Mom from when she was young, a vibrant stack of my favorite books, and of course, Wolfie, my very worn, very dorky plush who's been with me since the day I was born. He's in dire need of a bath, no question.

I place Wolfie on the bed and glance to Liv's side of the room. Straight out of a PotteryBarn magazine. "Well if it wasn't obvious before, now we know who the better decorator is between the two of us."

She laughs and looks over to my side. An array of colorful band posters unevenly taped up on the walls, my too large collection of books taking residence on almost every available inch of surface area, string lights hung up the best I could manage. "Your side," she pauses, certainly thinking of a way to break it to me softly, "definitely has character."

Liv plops on her bed and studies me, "You know, I have a feeling we're gonna mesh well. You're cool, even if you're kind of a mystery."

The remark catches me off-guard, but I smirk nonetheless. "Maybe I just like to keep people on their toes."

"Fair enough," Liv grins back. "And speaking of keeping people guessing..." She hops off her bed and parades over to her closet, rifling through her dense collection of tops. She lands on a forest green corset and mutters, "Perfect." She turns to me, that same mischievous look on her face, "Scratch whatever boring thing you were thinking of wearing tonight and wear this instead. You'll look killer."