Cruel Sanctuary

Chapter 26

In those movies where there is 'coincidentally' only one bed in a hotel room or just one bedroom made up in a house, I always thought the chances of that happening was ridiculous, along with the idea itself. It will never happen in real life or so my dumbass brain thought so. Owen is currently on the phone, raging at Tina. Why? Because the cleaner was only told to make up the master bedroom and leave all the other rooms without their sheets. 

At first I questioned why we couldn't just make another room up but Owen claims that the sheets aren't kept in the house because they don't visit frequently enough. Apparently, if the sheets are left untouched for too long, bugs inhabit them and they get filthy. Therefore, they are kept at the cleaner's house who is now on a weekend break. I suppose she nipped in to prepare the house as a quick paid favour before her holiday. 

"Mum, this is just a violation of privacy!" he whines into the phone, "I don't care if you thought it would bring us closer together...I know...well, you're bringing us, quite literally, closer together...no, we don't want that...just call the cleaner and tell her that when she next comes up that she needs to make the bedroom up next door to mine...yes...I don't care...no...when will she be coming?" The conversation just continues. It's quite humiliating and awkward just perched on the big bed with my bags surrounding me. 

"FOUR DAYS?" I hear Owen shout and my head snaps to him from the floor, "Mum, that's four nights in the same bed, the same room and the same space! Do you want us to claw each other's eyes out?" I chuckle lightly at his allegation and he turns to me with a slight smile playing at his lips, "Mum, I'm aware-" he gets cut off and he sighs, deeply, "Fine!" he comes out with, plopping down onto his back next to me on the bed, "Just make sure she is here in four days...yes, I love you too...bye." He puts the phone down and groans into his hands, "Why does this always happen to us?" 

I roll my eyes, getting up and opening my suitcase on the bed, "I don't know but at least we have a solid place to stay during this horrible storm," I lecture him whilst separating my tops, trousers, swimwear and day dresses into piles, then pointing out at the black cloud looming over the island. 

"I suppose so. It's only four days," he sits up and grabs my toiletry bags from my backpack and takes them to the dressing table across the room, beginning to unpack them, "I thought the weather was supposed to be nice," he grumbles and I go over to him, ripping the pack of tampons from his hands as he opens the packaging and goes to put them into a little toiletry bag. 

"It'll get better and what're you doing?" 

He looks at me, "I was going to put the tampons into one of your tiny bags so that the cleaner doesn't see them and you get embarrassed. I don't shy away from periods, they're natural," he shrugs and I gush slightly, "Oh, well, thank you. I'm not on, by the way. I just brought them in case," I overshare with him and he shrugs, "I wouldn't be bothered if you were or weren't. We might as well just try to have a good time before our wedding in two weeks." 

I nod in agreement and head over to my clothes and we begin to unpack. 

***

Shocking myself, I admit to Owen that I fancy Chinese food as I rub my stomach as Owen and I put away the remaining food left from the shopping trip early today. I would only ever have some plain noodles as they are the least greasy food and the healthiest from what I can gather. I don't want to push myself too much. 

Owen turns to me from the cupboards with an impressed look on his face after placing the last packet of food into the cupboard, "We're making progress," he smiles gently and I reciprocate the look, "I guess we'll order a Chinese in then," he steps away and grabs the phone, beginning to dial the number, "This is my favourite Chinese place ever, what would you like? I know you used to like lemon chicken with the sauce separate and rice but I'm not sure now."