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𝐸𝑛𝑗𝑜𝑦 ^_^
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𝑌𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟...𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛...𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤
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When your emotions overwhelm your thoughts and your thoughts cloud your mind...
When time loses meaning as you drown in it...
In the middle of the night, when you're the only one awake...
You're caught up in it all.
This is especially true after making a major change in your life, when the adrenaline is still rushing, sending spasms of butterflies through your stomach and keeping you from sleeping or thinking clearly.
And still, you continue to drown in your thoughts.
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Well, that was exactly Eileen's state of mind.
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Ever since she returned home that day, and every night after Arthur dropped her off.
Arthur was like a radiant sun that always gave off warmth. Being around him made life feel good and made the world feel right.
He talked a lot, yes, but lately, silence had become their shared language.
Eileen didn’t know whether it was his way of respecting her quiet nature (she ruled this out because he always used to talk a lot) or if something was preoccupying this 'big kid'.
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—
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Days passed.
Arthur disappeared again.
But this time, he messaged her on Instagram.
This was a change for Eileen.
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She only opened the app to see their conversation; there were no other chats.
There were no other messages and no other apps she cared about.
Their chats were always just a few messages late at night.
As if he was saying: 'Hey... I'm alive.'
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They never called. Just brief texts.
And now… a full week without the sunshine boy.
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It was late at night, and Eileen was lying wide awake, staring at the ceiling.
Her body felt heavy, but she couldn’t sleep.
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Then, a sound from the street caught her attention.
It was unusual in such a nearly-abandoned neighbourhood.
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An inexplicable urge told her to look outside.
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So, with sluggish, heavy steps, she went to the window and scanned the street.
Her senses instantly sharpened when she saw someone standing at the door of her annoying—but somehow endearing—neighbour.
She tensed until she saw his messy blonde hair.
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Throwing on her coat, she stepped outside.
She took tiny steps, her hands buried deep in her pockets, her body curling up every time a cold breeze touched her.
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She finally stood before the boy who was now sitting on the kerb, seemingly having given up.
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“What are you doing out here at this hour?”
she asked quietly, her voice soft with the cold.
He looked up quickly and smiled his usual smile.
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'Hello, Moon Girl. I forgot my house key and now I can’t get in.'
He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.
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‘You reckless child… what are you going to do? Freeze here?”
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Eileen ignored the nickname and scolded him gently.
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Arthur lowered his head in shame, and a calm silence fell between them.
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“Do you have somewhere else to go?”
she asked. He replied,
'No, but I'm waiting for a friend to bring me the key.'
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“Then come in and wait inside.”
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She pointed to her house.
Arthur blinked in surprise.
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But then he smiled and nodded gratefully — he was freezing, after all.
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—
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Shock.... Embarrassment....
That’s what they were both feeling.
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Eileen deeply regretted not cleaning the place — it was a complete mess.
Arthur, on the other hand, was surprised for a moment.
—but then he found her blushing face strangely adorable.
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Trying to lighten the mood, he said:
‘Don’t worry, Lily. My place looks like this during exam season too. I literally beg my friends to help me clean.”
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She gave him an embarrassed look, then nodded awkwardly.
Though it wasn’t exam season for her —
— she just didn’t care about cleaning.
No one ever visited her. She only used the room and bathroom in the morning to shower.
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“Let me help,” he said.
'It'll be easier if we both do it.'
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She couldn’t say no.
She hated cleaning and couldn't sleep anyway.
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So, silently, they began cleaning the floors, taking out the rubbish and dusting.
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Arthur noticed broken glass and dark stains on the carpet.
He assumed that Eileen might have been hurt.
He felt awful. No one here cared for her.
She even looked unwell.
He wanted to go over to her, but was afraid he might scare her.
He reminisced about their time together, which was now rarer than ever.
He’d been busier... and more anxious. Why?
Was he hiding secrets, too?
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No one knew.
Except Arthur.
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His thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash.
The broom had slipped from his hand..
He picked it up and returned to sweeping the hallway.
Until a door caught his attention:
A white door. Closed. Unlike the rest, which were mostly worn out and unlocked.
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The house had two floors.
Downstairs there was a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom and a tiny room.
Upstairs there were five rooms and one bathroom, as well as an attic.
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Arthur was upstairs.
The first door was Eileen’s, full of her things. She cleaned that room herself.
He took care of the others, which were mostly empty.
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Until he reached that room.
It felt... different.
Something about it called to him. It invited him in.
He didn’t know why or what made it special.
But his curiosity got the better of him.
Slowly and quietly, he reached for the handle.
But before he could turn it—
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“Arthur! What are you doing? Don't open that!'
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He turned around.
Eileen was standing behind him, looking angry, flustered and scared.
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Her voice trembled. Her hands shook.
She had shouted.
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'I—sorry... I just...'
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"I told you to clean the hallway and two rooms! Why are you here? What are you doing?”
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" I was just curious... about what's in that room..... Why is the door different? It's locked—"
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“Arthur! You don't need to stick your nose into everything just because you're curious!"
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Her voice cracked.
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'Closed doors are closed for a reason.
You don’t need to know that reason!”
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She sounded genuinely upset.
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'I’m really sorry. I won’t go near it again.”
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Eileen just sighed deeply and looked at him in confusion.
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She nodded softly.
They both went back to cleaning..
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But the atmosphere was heavy now....
It was so tense that it made them uncomfortable...
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Arthur had noticed Eileen’s social anxiety.
She avoided people. She never spoke to anyone.
She shut herself off from the world.
She locked her heart away, just like her house.
She built walls to keep others out.
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He knew there was a reason for it.
He knew she was hiding many secrets behind that cold exterior.
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And he also knew...
He couldn’t just tear down those walls.
He couldn’t just barge in.
With someone like Eileen, you have to knock gently.
You wait.
She’ll open them when she trusts you.
.
She's like a little child who loves roses... Whenever he tries to pick one, he gets pricked by a thorn... and turns away in fear of getting hurt...
He had made a big mistake.
She hadn’t warned him directly about the room....
But she had told him to clean only two rooms and the hallway.
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He didn’t know that getting too close was forbidden.
Now, he hated his own curiosity....He might have destroyed what they had built.....
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did Eileen now felt uncomfortable around him again.?
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But what was in that room?
Why was she so afraid of anyone going in?
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And why did Arthur keep disappearing, only to return and then vanish again?
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There are so many secrets surrounding them both.
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Would they be able to overcome them and finally understand each other?
.
.
.
End of Chapter
Thank you for reading ♡
A like & comment will help me write the next part faster!
♡ With love ♡
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