Chapter 196: The Friend Of The Lost
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Rachel led us down a narrow hallway that had a faint smell of fried onions mixed with lemon cleaner. She kept apologizing as she turned on a single overhead bulb that barely lit the place.
The apartment was cozy but overflowing with the kind of clutter that builds up when life just keeps adding things without ever taking any away—magazines piled high on every surface, faded floral curtains tightly drawn against the snowy night, and a glimpse of a tiny kitchen through a beaded curtain that jingled as we walked by.
The sink was full of dirty dishes, laundry was spilling out of an overflowing basket by the door, and every wall seemed to be covered with old, yellowed photos and trinkets that must have been gifts at some point.
"Sorry about the mess," Rachel said, scooping a pile of unfolded towels off the sagging couch and tossing them onto an already overloaded armchair.
"I know you’re used to a different kind of living, Adrien. A fancy big house, staff, all that. I’ve been working night shifts at the diner down on Route Nine, and by the time I drag myself home, I barely have energy to zap some leftovers in the microwave, let alone tackle this mountain of laundry."
Adrien just smiled at her, looking calm and reassuring as he took off his snow-dusted coat. "It’s really okay. Honestly, it feels... lived in. Cozy."
I stayed quiet, because ’cozy’ wasn’t exactly the word I would’ve picked, but I felt that familiarity deep down. I grew up in places like this, not quite as cluttered...my father always yelled at me to clean the house whenever there was a slight speck of dirt, but it was definitely small and worn around the edges.
The clanking radiator in the corner, the soft hum of an old fridge, and the buzzing overhead light, they were the sounds of my childhood lullabies. After months of marble floors and endless halls at Oakfield, stepping into this space felt like slipping into an old sweater I didn’t realize I missed.
Rachel darted around, clearing a spot on the couch. "Sit, sit! Make yourselves at home. Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Water? Some orange juice? You both look half-frozen."