Room

Chapter 42 - Room

A sharp knock on the door cut through Torin's sleep. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes as he tried to remember where he was. The room was still dim, with only the pale morning light coming through the curtains. When the knock came again, he pushed himself out of bed and walked toward the entrance, still half asleep. He opened the door and found Lenna standing outside with a covered plate in her hands.

“You're finally awake.”

Torin stepped aside to let her in. “What time is it?”

“Late enough that you should have been up already.”

He glanced toward the window but did not bother checking the time. Lenna walked straight to the small table and placed the plate on it before taking off the cover. Steam rose from the serving of chicken pasta, carrying the smell of garlic and herbs through the room. Torin's stomach reacted immediately, reminding him that he had barely eaten the previous evening.

“Thanks for agreeing to help with this,” he said as he took the seat across from her. “I'll pay you extra for it.”

Lenna gave a small nod. “You already said that.”

Torin picked up his fork and took a bite. The food was still warm, and he ate a little faster than he intended. While he was eating, his eyes dropped to Lenna's hands. She had spent much of the previous night helping with the work, and he had noticed how much she had been carrying.

“How are your hands? You did a lot of heavy lifting last night.”

“They're fine.”

Lenna's attention shifted toward the entrance. Her eyes settled on the muddy shovel leaning against the wall beside the door.

“Why is that still here?”

Torin followed her gaze. “I forgot about it.”

“You forgot about a shovel sitting beside the door?”

“I was tired.”

She pointed toward it. “Remove it as soon as you can. You're going to end up tripping over it.”

Torin glanced at the shovel and nodded before returning to his food. For a moment, neither of them said anything. The quiet lasted only until Torin remembered something that had been bothering him since the previous day.

“Did Kelly return from her trip?”

Lenna shook her head. “No. She was expected to come back today, but she hasn't shown up.”

Torin slowed down.

“What about Tina?”

Lenna hesitated for a moment before answering. “She asked about you.”

Torin looked up from his plate.

“When?”

“She came by after midnight.”

His expression changed. “Where? Your apartment?”

“Yes. She didn't stay long. She asked if you and then left.”

“Did she say why she was looking for me?”

“No.”

Lenna stood and reached for the empty plate. Torin looked down and realized that he had already finished everything without noticing.

“I'll be in my apartment if you need anything,” she said as she picked up the plate.

Torin nodded. “Thanks.”

She left, closing the door behind her.

Torin remained seated for another minute, staring at the door. Tina coming to see him after midnight was strange enough, but after everything he had learned during the past week, he had no reason to dismiss it as nothing. Kelly had not returned when expected, Tina was asking about him in the middle of the night, and the Mayor's involvement with the money was still sitting at the back of his mind.

He eventually stood and picked up the muddy shovel. It was heavier than it looked, and the dirt around its blade had already begun to dry. He carried it outside and left it against the wall before returning to the room.

After that, he went straight to the shower.

Hot water ran over his shoulders as he stood beneath it, washing away the last traces of sleep. His body slowly relaxed, but his mind refused to do the same. He kept thinking about Tina's visit and Kelly's absence, wondering whether the two were connected or whether he was simply looking for patterns where there were none.

When he finished, he dried himself, dressed quickly, grabbed his keys, and stepped outside.

Lenna was already waiting beside the car. She wore her usual secretary dress and carried a thin folder under one arm. She looked as composed as ever, despite having spent much of the previous night working.

“You're early,” Torin said.

“I've been waiting for you.”

Torin unlocked the car, and they climbed inside. The drive toward the ancestral house was mostly silent. The early morning streets were still quiet, with only a few cars moving through the roads. Most of the shops remained closed, and the city had not yet reached the noise and traffic that would fill it later in the day.

When they arrived, Torin stepped out and looked at the house.

The renovation had moved quickly since his last visit. Fresh paint covered the walls, the new windows were already in place, and the garden had been cleaned and trimmed. The paths leading toward the entrance were clear, and the house looked far closer to its old appearance than it had in years.

Almost everything was finished.

Only one room remained.

His sister's room.

The head supervisor noticed them and walked over immediately. Torin met him near the entrance and glanced toward the house before speaking.

“Finish that room within two days.”

The supervisor looked slightly surprised. “Two days, sir?”

“I'll be shifting here next week.”

The man nodded after a brief pause. “Understood. We'll begin immediately.”

Torin walked into the house and headed toward the unfinished room. He had already seen it the previous day, but this would be his last chance to enter it before the workers began tearing out what remained.

He opened the door and stepped inside.

Nothing had changed. The broken flooring still exposed the ground beneath it, blackened marks remained on the walls, and the damaged furniture was still pushed into the corner. The room looked frozen in the past while the rest of the house had slowly begun moving forward.

Torin's eyes went to the windowsill.

The photograph was still there.

He walked over and picked up the frame carefully. Dust covered the glass again, so he wiped it away with his thumb. His sister's face appeared clearly again, her smile unchanged despite everything that had happened to the room around it.

Torin stood there for a while before lowering the frame.

He had left the photograph there for years.

He was not going to leave it behind now.

He turned and carried it out of the room.

Outside, the first workers were already arriving with tools and materials. A few of them entered the room behind him, carrying wooden boards and equipment. Within minutes, the quiet hallway was filled with the sounds of hammers striking wood, scrapers dragging across the walls, and furniture being moved out of the way.

Torin stopped near the entrance and looked back once.

The room no longer belonged to the past.

The workers had already begun tearing it apart so it could finally become part of the restored house.

Torin tightened his grip around the photograph and walked outside with Lenna toward the car.

Read up to Chapter 55 and weekly updates of 10 chapters along with different stories as well on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/KDaddy935?vanity=user