Our New Home

Ella :

Standing in front of the huge bungalow painted in white, my heart again started feeling heavy as I held Oliver’s arm and placed my head on his shoulder crying silently.

Multiple memories started flashing in front of my eyes with my parent, their laughter, dad’s jokes, me and Oliver pranking mom, mom baking for us in the kitchen. There were so many beautiful moments we spent in this house, I really couldn’t bear to leave it.

I know Oliver is too not ready to let go of this house but still, he managed to stay calm and not cry, like me. I sniffed as Oliver’s grip tightened on my waist comforting me.

Oliver seems my world now. I really couldn’t think of going through this tough time without him. “Let’s go,” He told me as he looked down on me in his arm.

I nodded as I wiped my tears and then walked to our car. Me and Oliver are leaving today while our stuff would be arriving tomorrow because our ancestor’s home was not used by anyone for a long time.

Oliver had decided to clean it on his own and had offered me to stay at home, so we could shift our things tomorrow easily.

But I didn’t’ agree with him and insisted on helping him. It doesn’t matter if I leave today or tomorrow, at last, I have to leave our house, no matter what.

I felt so blessed to have such a good thoughtful brother, I know Oliver has been struggling with his emotions a lot, and I as a sister would try my best to help him in any difficulty.

Hopefully, we both will come out of this difficult phase of our life very soon and together.

The whole drive, we stayed silent as I leaned on the car window lazily and looked at the greenery outside. Our ancestor’s home is located on the hillside of the city as our father mentioned to us once.

We have an address written of this home, not knowing what it really looks like but no matter what I am certain that, that house won’t be as good as our old bungalow. I sighed sadly as I kept looking out of the window lost in my own thoughts.

…

“Ethan!” I yelled in excitement when I saw Ethan standing with the group of our friends waiting for us. I rushed out of the car and hugged him tightly. I am so happy to see him, I can’t explain my joy.

He, as usual, hugged me back more tightly and then we started kissing passionately. Since my parent died, I had been so broken and sad that I literally cut off from everyone except Oliver.

And luckily, instead of getting angry my friends and Ethan tried to understand my state of mind and gave me the privacy I needed. I am glad to have such an understanding boyfriend.

We were lost in ourselves, just then I heard my other friends shouting loudly in tease. “Get a room lovebird.” I chuckled and stuck my tongue out to them while Ethan smiled widely at me.

I looked around and saw Oliver standing with Sofia, she was standing beside him while rubbing his forearm in comfort. I felt a bit envied by her but still, I managed to smile at her and greet her.

I knew it was Oliver’s plan to call them all here secretly and surprise me. He did all the things to please me and cheer me up and I really appreciate it but I want a little more from him, is it wrong to ask more from my stepbrother?

I was immersed in my thoughts when I heard one of my friends shout behind us. We all turned to look at him and that was the first time I look at the big house or villa or a bungalow.

I couldn’t tell, but one thing is sure that it is huge. I looked up at the triangle-shaped top, it looks extremely old as I could see the webs hanging on the house.

My eyes caught a black shadow at the front window on top, before I could focus on it, my one friend bumped into me and I fell heavily.

“Ouch…”

“Hey Ella, you’re fine?” Oliver rushed to me and pulled me up. I smiled when I saw his concerned eyes while Ethan scolded him. “Hey man, watch it.”

I don’t understand why he was running until I saw a smirk on Oliver’s face and then he again rushed after him with a giant spider holding in a tissue paper.

We all laughed when Oliver chased him and he shouted like a chicken and kept running and jumping like an ant in a hot pan.

We all had great fun while watching him getting scared from a spider and soon I also forget about that shadow I saw before.

We all then entered together in the mansion, it smelled mold and mildew. We all covered our noses and with one hand tried to remove the webs.

“F**k, how old is it?” Ethan murmured while walking inside. Oliver looked for the switch and then suddenly we got the lights too, thankfully.

Half people went up to clean while half stayed down. I went up with Sofia and Ethan while Oliver and others stayed down. Surprisingly, I found a bed and a dresser in one room while the other two rooms were empty.

It was covered with a white sheet filled with dust, I pulled the sheet and all the dust flew as I started coughing heavily because of it.

I tried to lessen the dust by fanning it from my hands and then finally I had a great look at the bed, it looked like an old ancient bed.

I touched the headboard of the bed and surprisingly I didn’t feel any dirt on it. Moving my fingers on the headboard, I felt like getting hot.

Suddenly, I felt like I am not touching a bed but a person, I was so lost in the touch that I didn’t feel when Ethan called me, and then finally Sofia came in and pulled my hand away from the bed.

Just then I got my senses back, “Ella, let’s go down. Food is here.” I nodded my head absentmindedly as I walked behind her but before leaving the room I couldn’t help but turn to look at that bed with a frown.