Living In Oblivion

10

The next day, Avanti woke up early, determined to turn her confinement within these four walls into a cozy room. She settled on the floor, put on some music on her phone, and opened her luggage, taking out her clothes and other belongings. Opening the cupboard, she took out some old files, woollen sweaters, and bed sheets, placing them neatly on the bed after wiping off the dust. She emptied the cupboard and examined the space, realizing it would be enough for her clothes but she would need additional space for her footwear, bed sheets, gadgets, blankets, and more. She decided to ask Divit later if she could use the empty cabinets in the hall to store some of her belongings.

It took her a few hours to settle almost everything in her cupboard when her eyes caught sight of something placed neatly on top, covered with a white cloth that had turned slightly dusty, indicating it hadn't been touched in a while. Curiosity sparked within her, and Avanti dragged a wooden table to the cupboard, climbing on it to remove the dusty cloth using only her finger and thumb. Her eyes narrowed, and a frown formed on her forehead as she looked at the object in utter confusion—an old typewriter. What was it doing here? Her mind immediately started contemplating the possibilities. Did it belong to Divit? He was an engineer. What could he possibly do with a typewriter? She remembered seeing him writing yesterday. Could it be that he wanted to be a writer, but his parents didn't support him? Or perhaps it wasn't his at all. She sighed, realizing she might be overthinking it and letting her imagination run wild.

Past noon, Avanti walked out of her room and noticed that Divit's adjacent room was wide open, indicating he was already up and out. She walked to the kitchen to find him cooking an omelette for himself.

"Good morning, Sir," she chirped, her eyes scrunching at the sight of him struggling to unstick the burnt part of the omelette from the pan.

"Good afternoon," he replied, turning the omelette in the pan without looking at her.

Rolling her eyes at his struggling attempts, Avanti controlled the urge to offer help, knowing he would probably decline. But after watching him struggle for a few more seconds, she shrugged off her restraint and asked, "Should I help?"

"Yes, please," much to her surprise, he immediately stepped back, passing her the spatula and making space for her. "Thought you would never ask," he murmured under his breath, though Avanti's ears were sharp enough to catch it. A smug smile sprawled across her lips, and she couldn't help herself.

"Thought you would never accept," she couldn't resist teasing him, her words slipping out instinctively as she gave him a side glance and shrugged, raising her eyebrows.

Divit pressed his lips together, thinking of a reply. Glancing at the way her eyes shone with amusement, as if he was an amusing spectacle, he looked away and shrugged. "Whatever."

Avanti burst into laughter at his irritated expression. He watched her, annoyed, realizing that she was clearly enjoying getting the upper hand over him. He loved bringing her down to a level where grinning and speaking weren't compulsory.

Trying to control her laughter, she pressed her lips together and served him his half-burnt omelette. Muttering a "thank you," he took his plate and left to eat, while Avanti shook her head and prepared herself a coffee and two omelettes—one for herself and another for Divit, knowing his was too burnt to eat.

She walked out and sat opposite him at the dining table, serving him another omelette. "That was not needed," he said, contradictory to his words, but he immediately put his fork down and took a bite.

Avanti waved her hand in dismissal while taking a sip from her coffee. "Sir, can I use the empty cabinets in the hall to store my stuff if you don't mind?"