When Aaron got back to his room, his entire body started to ache. Not an inch of his body didn't throb and wasn't bruised from working so late at the construction site.
He left his boots heavy with dried mud outside and looked out the window. The early morning sun reminded him of his much-needed sleep.
He opened the door and entered his small, cramped room that had been his for the past two years. Four walls with peeling wallpaper. A single bed, but slightly shorter than his height. And a single wooden desk that had all of his clothes folded and stacked on top of it.
No one in the world would have imagined that he would one day live a life like this. But Aaron was not one to think about what his past life was like. Rather, he faced the future with his chin up.
And right now, he looked forward to getting a few hours of sleep before going to one of his other part-time jobs.
Dropping his bag on the floor, Aaron pulled off his shirt and headed to the bathroom. The cold water jolted him awake for a brief moment. But he quickly relaxed after being cleaned of all the dust, sweat, and exhaustion from a long hard work.
He didn't bother wearing a shirt or pants, dragging himself to bed with his hair still wet, ready to collapse onto the bed and let sleep claim him.
Just then--
Knock, knock.
Aaron barely registered the sound. His mind was slowly dulling as he continued to close his eyes.
Knock, knock.
He snapped his eyes open. His brows were tightly furrowed with a faint hint of madness flashing inside his eyes.
Nobody knocked on his door early in the morning.
Tying the towel around his waist, Aaron walked toward the door. He moved unhurriedly and irritated. He unlocked it and pulled it open---
And stopped.
Standing in front of him was a smiling and bright-eyed Erin.
For a second, Aaron wondered if he had already fallen asleep and was dreaming. Perhaps seeing her influenced his dreams, and that's how she entered it.
He blinked once. Twice. She was still there. She didn't disappear.
Without a word, he closed the door.
He turned around, glanced at his room for a serious minute. It was still his plain room, with simple furniture, just to be sure. It was still his room.
Knock, knock.
The sound came again. This time, Aaron couldn't ignore it.
Aaron turned around and opened it once more. His eyes grew colder as he asked, "What are you doing here?"
Erin raised her head, unbothered by the chilly greeting. "Hi, I came to borrow some shampoo?"
"…Shampoo?" Aaron repeated without a tone, uncertain if they were speaking the same language.
She nodded. "Yes. Shampoo. I walked around too much yesterday, and if I don't wash up soon, I'll die."
Aaron rubbed between his eyebrows with his fingers.
"Go ask someone else."
He started to close the door… but before it could completely shut, a small foot wedged itself in the gap.
Aaron paused, his head dropping to glance downward. Erin's foot was stuck between the door and the frame.
She was clearly in pain from pressure, but she still worked up a smile like it was nothing.
"I really need it."
Aaron's jaw tightened. "Move."
Aaron pushed her foot free and tried to close the door again.
But she was faster, shoving her hand into the gap.
Aaron stopped instantly. The veins on his arms and neck thickened. If he had been even a second later, he would have crushed her fingers.
Not knowing how much risk she was taking, Erin caught his eyes, though her voice softened. "I don't know anyone in the village."
Aaron took a deep breath. He exhaled before glaring at her with narrowed eyes. "What do you want from me?"
Her reply came without a second thought. "Only shampoo."
Her direct answer unsettled him. She didn't seem to be lying. Or perhaps, she was a perfect liar. No, why was he even wasting his precious time dealing with her? And most importantly, some part of him knew she wouldn't leave without it
Besides, it was just shampoo. As for why she had suddenly appeared in the village, sooner or later, Aaron will find out.
With a low sigh, Aaron disappeared behind the door. He grabbed a half-used bottle from the corner of the bathroom and shoved it toward her.
"Take it. And don't bring it back."
"But when he had just finished saying this and looked up, Erin was no longer standing in front of him. He didn't even get to tell her never to return.
As Aaron stared blankly and looked at the empty space before him, he suddenly felt something was wrong.
His mind dulled by exhaustion pieced together what he had missed. The room across from his had been vacant for days now because the last tenant had run off without paying rent.
And yet, Erin…
How had she gotten in?