Chapter 6 ~ Changes, Pt. 1

Chapter 6 ~ Changes, Pt. 1

It was around eleven o'clock when Ethan arrived home that night. He was definitely glad to be in his rundown, yet comfortable pad than carrying heavy golf clubs on his shoulders all day. As he approached his front door, he was hoping that Audrina was home already. He had to admit, the sight of a beautiful creature was worth coming home to; even though she didn't know it. But when he entered his apartment, it was empty. That’s strange , he thought to himself. She’s normally home by now.



Ethan walked into his bedroom and put his keys on his dresser before he heard a thump coming from his bathroom. He listened more carefully, pressing his ear against the bathroom door. This time, he heard a low sigh. He gently opened the door and scanned the bathroom. He didn’t see anyone but heard a soft wimper coming from the shower area. “Audrina?” he asked. No answer.



"Audrey! You ok?" he asked when he saw Audrina sitting up against the shower wall, naked and wet. Her eyes were vacant as tears intertwined with her black mascara and trickled its way down her soft, peach-tone skin.



"Audrey?" No answer. She continued to stare off into space. Then something caught Ethan's eye.



There at the right arm was blood seeping out of Audrina's wrist.

"Audrey! What did you do?!"

Chapter 6 ~ Changes, Pt. 2

A week had gone by since the night Ethan had found her bleeding in the shower. Ever since then, she had been trying to avoid him at all costs. She felt bad for ignoring him, but couldn’t find herself to confront him about it. The least she could do was thank him for allowing her to sleep in his bed. “A couch is no place for a woman, anyway,” he had told her. A woman? Was that how he sees me? As a woman?



“Well as a woman, I better go take a shower,” she said to herself. She grabbed some towels and a washcloth out of the bathroom cupboard and her bag that was full of her toiletries. After she spread her stuff all onto the counter, she pulled out a hair dye kit she had bought at the drugstore earlier that week. It was now time for a change. She decided she no longer wanted to be reminded of her father every time she looked at her chocolate brown hair. Instead, she wanted the golden locks of her mother.



The warm shower left Audrina feeling ten times better. She slipped into a pair of shorts and a matching shirt and headed to the living room/dining room to see if Ethan was anywhere in sight. Just as she walked out of the bedroom, Ethan was coming out of the kitchen. “Hey!” she said, more cheerfully than usual.

“Hey! You…you look different,” he replied.

Audrina chuckled. “Yeah well, I needed a change.”

Ethan gazed at Audrina. “Sorry, I’m starin’,” he said when he noticed Audrina’s unease. “It’s just that, uh…you uh…look very…beautiful.” Ethan felt a little embarrassed after saying this. He wasn’t exactly one for giving compliments.



“Thanks,” she said, feeling herself blushing by the second. “Um…I just wanted to apologize for the way I’ve been acting. You’ve been so sweet to me and I’ve been such an ass lately. It’s just that, you know, the whole seeing-me-naked-in-the-shower-thing is kinda embarrassing.”

“You have nothin’ to be embarrassed about. You look good.” Oh, my God! Did I just say that to her? He thought. “I mean, it’s fine. Not that you don’t look good, ‘cause you do, I’m just sayin’ the situation is…fine.” Ethan, just shut up!



Audrina smiled at Ethan’s discomfort. “So you’re not weirded out about what you saw? I mean this,” she asked, pointing to the scar on her wrist.

“Nah, girl. I mean I am concerned. Very concerned. But I do understand. I had a sister that use to cut herself, too.”

“Use to?” she asked.

“Yeah. She uh…committed suicide about four years ago. We had a pretty hard life growin’ up. Both of our parents were alcoholics and abusive. So I ran away at about your age, but my sister was afraid to leave in fear that our father would catch us. So she stayed and overdosed on pain killers.”



“Wow. I’m so sorry,” said Audrina. Ethan shrugged. “I don’t usually cut myself. It’s just that everything sucks right now, you know? I mean, I lost both of my parents, my brothers, my two closest friends. I feel so alone!” Audrina couldn’t help the tears that came rushing out of her. Ethan immediately put his arms around her.

“Everything’s gonna be ok,” he assured her. “It’s gonna take some time, but it will be ok. And you’re not alone. You got me.” Audrina looked up into his eyes as if trying to discover lies, but there was nothing to be found but the truth. This man was pure. Sweet. Caring. His smile sent chills down her spine. She had never felt this way about anyone before. “Now c’mon. Get dress. I’m taking you out. We’ll get some dinner and maybe go bowling or somethin’. Does that sound good?” he asked.

Audrina nodded and ran back into the bedroom to change. She was so excited she couldn’t think straight. She was definitely falling for him. But was he falling for her?