Loneliness

The apartment had an odd feeling today. Ivaylo stopped from the next bite to acknowledge it, when the phone vibrated. A message from the office came through. They were calling him to come even during the weekend because something happened with the data and needed to be fixed.

He had no other choice but to go. He spent there the whole day, so nothing felt different, but when he returned to the apartment, it was just surreal. Suddenly the whole space felt so distant and cold. It was still nice to look at but something was missing...

He planned to go read a book at the window when suddenly another storm came, with all the lightning and thunder. Ivaylo horrified froze at the spot. His wide eyes expressed fright, what's more, he had an open window, so the raw sound made him even more terrified. He dropped the book he was about to read to the floor.

The scent of wet soil crept inside the apartment. Soon after the thunder, Ivaylo could hear the raindrops falling on the pavement. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground grabbing his ears and flattening them against his head. He closed his eyes and thought about a possible salvation. The uneasiness was escalating...

He remembered! The bedroom. He quickly picked himself up and ran straight for the bedroom and shut the door behind him. Heart beating wildly. Ivaylo fell on all fours and crawled into the bed under the weighted blanket covering himself from head to toe. That soundproof room made its magic and after a short while Ivaylo calmed down. The storm continued until the next day.

In the morning Ivaylo opened the door... just a little crack... he heard thunder and shut it back tight. The next, whole Sunday it was storming outside and Ivaylo opted to stay inside the bedroom in his hiding spot, depriving himself of all his basic needs.

The young girl returned late in the evening. The whole apartment was dipped into the darkness. She was wary about it because that Beastman should be at home... or not? As she walked into the living room, she noticed the window being a little open and the whole place got a bit chilly.

She rubbed her arms together against her body and then closed it. The human girl noticed a book lying on the floor *strange* and just picked it up and placed it on the kotatsu. The kitchen looked clean and untouched. Did he really leave?!

The bathroom was slightly open, when she peeked from behind the corner, only the bedroom was left to inspect. The door was closed and she slowly opened it and looked inside. She saw a hand with claws sticking out from under the blanket, holding it over the head. She announced her presence.

Ivaylo pulled it immediately down. He misunderstood and misinterpreted his true feelings. He thought and acted angry, but in reality, he was relieved and glad of her return. It was a mix of emotions, that also made him feel hurt, that she left him all alone for that long time.

His subconsciousness hid from him that one, important thing... He missed her and felt lonely! The Beast part of him, pushed forward the hate, he was taught from his early childhood. "Don't bother me!" was shouted directly at her.

Ivaylo was tired and weak. He hasn't eaten since yesterday's lunch. His stomach growled. The young lady again disappeared behind the door. After several minutes, she came back with something to eat for him on a tray. She put two and two together. Since the storm prevailed the whole weekend, he probably didn't eat and stayed the whole time inside her room.

Ivaylo was now more relaxed and back to his arrogant self. He rolled his eyes over her offering but still took it. She smiled at him and went to read a book in the living room. Sometimes he treated her like a slave just because she was a human, he expected her to be at his service.

The storm subsided enough for Ivaylo, to make him finally walk out of the bedroom. He was glaring at her for leaving him in pure loneliness but didn't say anything to her. The peace returned to their household.

He turned on the TV news and watched them from behind the kotatsu sipping on hot green tea. After, slowly sliding down on the top of the table, with one arm stretched out and on the other, he rested his head. Ivaylo fell asleep.

The girl noticed it right away. She sighed, walked over with the blanket in her hands stopping next to the sleeping Beastman. She covered his shoulders with the fluffy thing, turned off the TV with the remote controller, and left for her bedroom.

Should she exchange the sheets? She was too tired for it. It will be the first thing in the morning. As she lay down and pulled it up, she squeezed it in her both hands and smelled it. She noticed, that her blanket now had the scent of him and it didn't bother her. She nestled herself in the bed and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, Ivaylo was awakened by her making noise in the kitchen. With a slow blink opening his eyes observing her cooking skills from afar, he scrutinized her petite figure from the back. He checked the time. It was too early, why was she up at this time?!

Suddenly, she turned with two plates and got surprised. Ivaylo was already up, she just smiled and brought over the pancakes she made for breakfast and some hot cocoa. Ivaylo unintentionally wagged his tail. Fortunately, she couldn't see it from that angle.

He grabbed his tail at the right time to stop it and put a cold stone grimace on his face to not give away, he was happy about that meal, which brought him childhood memories. After a pleasant morning, they both went to their jobs for the day. Ivaylo was a lot calmer than during the stupid stormy weekend.