Floating in the Abyss ✔️

Chapter 16

The hotel worker brought the food into our room and set it up on the small table in our room. It had fancy covers on it and the knives and forks were wrapped up in pristine white pieces of fabric. I didn't remember a time where I had eaten with metal cutlery. Everything in the hospital had been wooden or plastic and I never used cutlery back there.

Laura signed a piece of paper and the worker left.

"Smells so good!" Laura grinned. She took the cover off and I recognized the food as pizza. I had never actually eaten it before, but I knew what it was. "Have you had this before?"

"No, it's pizza, right?" I asked, getting up and taking the other seat at the table. It was cut into floppy triangles, so Laura put a piece on my plate.

"Indeed it is. There are heaps of flavours, but this is the basic one. You can try the others another time but first we can see if you like it."

I picked it up, but it was too hot, so I had to wait.

"I would take you for a swim in the pool tonight, but I think we're both a bit tired, and the flight is early tomorrow. Also you don't have any bathers." I gave Laura a small smile. The thought was nice, but I knew that I couldn't go anyway. I had never learnt to swim. "It should be cool enough to eat now."

I carefully lifted the slice of pizza to my mouth and took a bite from the end. The melted cheese combined with the tomato sauce and dough was nearly as good as the caramel chocolate.

"What do you think?"

"Re-goo." I said, a mouth full of food. Laura laughed and continued eating her own. She then started talking me through the desserts menu and said it would be fun to get something. "You can pick." I told her.

"I think I've done enough choosing. Pick something and surprise me." Her eyes lit up with the idea, so I finished my pizza and read through the menu. I had little clue as to what each dish actually was, but I eliminated the apple pie. I had eaten plenty of apples in my life and wanted something new. There was a dish called molten lava cake which sounded cool and I could see it had chocolate in it, which was my newfound favourite food.

"Okay, this one." I pointed, showing her the name of the one I'd chosen.

"Ooh molten lava cake! Yum!" Laura smiled. "Our boys would be so jealous right now. They love pizza and Chris never lets them get dessert and this one is their favourite."

Somehow this kind of knowledge made me feel slightly closer to them. Those boys and I had something minor in common. It made everything feel less new and foreign, since my entire life had been turned upside down, in a good way.

Laura called and told me that our dessert would come in about half an hour, then suggested we watch a movie.

"What do you want to watch?" She asked. I didn't have a clue what I wanted to watch since I only knew Peppa Pig, but I remembered Nurse Charlotte telling me that Little Women had been turned into a movie.

"Little Women?" I asked, unsure.

"That is new so it's only at the cinemas, sorry Ash." Laura frowned.

"It's okay." I said, trying to smile. I wasn't disappointed, more embarrassed that I didn't already know that. I was so far behind on the life she lived.

"Anything else in mind?"

"I don't really know anything." I shrugged. That was the truth.

"That's fine! I have a good movie in mind. Why don't you get into bed and I'll start it." The hotel room we were staying in only had one big bed, at least double the size of the one I had been sleeping in at the hospital the past three weeks. I pulled back the crisp white covers and slid inside. The pillows were the softest, most comfortable thing I had ever slept on. They just melted into the shape of your body as you lay on them.

"Comfy?" Laura asked. "Don't forget we have dessert coming so don't lay down just yet!" I sat back up, propping the cushions behind my back and Laura scooted back next to me. She didn't go under the covers yet, which I assumed was because she would have to answer the door once our dessert came.

The movie began and the words 'The Princess Diaries' stretched themselves over the large TV screen located on the wall opposite our bed. I watched intently, amused by Fat Louis and the scooter Mia rode. It looked really fun and the cat was actually cute, unlike the ones around the neighbourhood I lived in. After about half an hour, as predicted, the doorbell rang again, and Laura jumped to get the food. The process was the same as last time, only after she signed, she grabbed the tray and passed it to me, getting under the covers herself. I lifted of the lid and the whole room was filled with a chocolate scent. Nothing had ever smelt this good before.

She served us a bowl each, slicing the cake perfectly in half and letting the sauce ooze all over the plate. My mouth was watering like crazy and the first bite was like heaven.

"I don't even need to ask if you like it." Laura chuckled, once again starting the movie. I continued to watch and was intrigued to find out as much as I could about the life of Mia.

I was not impressed when the movie finished, since there was so much more that I wanted to know.

"Did you enjoy that?"

"Is there more?" I asked back.

"I'll take that as a yes." Laura laughed. "And also yes; there are eleven books and there is a second movie. They're looking at making a third I think."

"Eleven?" I exclaimed, only making her laugh.

"We could watch the second movie now, but it might be better to save it and watch it on the plane tomorrow. It's getting late."

"Okay." I smiled, content with that idea.

"Goodnight Ash, sleep well." Laura leaned over and brushed the hair out my face then kissed my forehead. The affection was new, but I wasn't complaining. It felt nice and was comforting.

"Goodnight." I smiled back.
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