Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles, the Cliffside Villa ~

Thursday

5:58 AM

"Wake up, sleepyhead…" Ron said in a low voice while gently nudging Zula.

"Mmm…" She mumbled something and turned to the other side.

Ron was not willing to give up. "How long are you going to sleep? We will be late for training."

Zula grumbled while wondering, why is he waking her up? They are on a mission in Missouri… no… they returned back to Los Angeles last night. When they are home, they go for training at six o'clock in the morning but… Why is Ron in her room?

Zula opened her eyes and realized she is not in her room.

"What the…?" She mumbled drowsily.

She turned toward Ron and saw that he is dressed up for exercising and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What time it is? Where are we?"

Ron smiled. "It's time to exercise. And we are in our apartment."

Zula's eyes opened wide. "You are kidding."

"Nope. Get up. It's time for our morning exercise."

Zula blinked and scooted off the bed. She went into the closet where she found her suitcase from their Missouri trip. Good thing they returned earlier, and she has clean clothes in there. She does not remember how she ended up in the apartment, so it probably happened while she was sleeping. 

The closet is empty, so she assumed that other than the suitcase on the floor, her other clothes are still in her room.

Zula glanced around and saw that Ron kept a few of his things on the right side of the closet. It seems that her side will be the left one. How exciting!

"Are you done?"

Ron's voice drifted from the bedroom.

"Just a minute!" Zula said while rushing to dress up. Ah, she is still in the clothes from yesterday!

…

"Howdy neighbors!" Julius greeted Ron and Zula as soon as they exited their apartment.

Zula glanced around and confirmed that they are in the hallway of the building where the apartments are. She was surprised by Julius' choice of words. "What kind of greeting is that?"

Allen rolled his eyes. "He watched a cowboy movie in July and then he said that when we have neighbors, he will greet them cowboy style."

Zula laughed. "OK. Well… howdy…"

"Welcome to the apartment complex." Julius said officially. "We are excited to have you as our neighbors, and to show our sincerity, we waited for you so that we can exercise together."

Zula smiled. "We are excited to be here. I hope you are not waiting for long."

"Not long." Allen responded. "Ron told us that you usually start at six so we didn't come earlier."

Zula noticed that Allen and Julius are very alert. It seems they are up for some time. "When do you start normally?"

"Earlier than this…" Julius responded with a grin. "Let's go."

Zula held Ron's hand and they followed after Allen in Julius in a good mood. 

Zula likes that Allen and Julius welcomed them and that they are not making a big deal of her and Ron moving in together. She hopes that other kids will not tease them about it. Zula remembers how kids were making 'ooh' and 'ahh' sounds when they heard that she is dating Ron, and some of the kids followed them sneakily while trying to catch them kissing.

The four of them did the stretching together and then started with the run. Julius and Allen went first, their pace is faster than Ron's and Zula's.

During their run, Zula was processing the fact that she has an apartment with Ron. The two of them. Amazing!

Ron told her that they have the whole day to move their personal things and that on Friday they can go shopping for any accessories or whatever she feels like adding. Also, they need to figure out what they will do with the second bedroom.

Zula was ecstatic.

However, she does not know the first thing about accessorizing living space, and it seems that Ron wants her to take the lead on this one.

Her room has basic furniture which was there when she got into the room, and she has a few photos and notes stuck to the mirror, and other than a few knick-knacks there is nothing more.

Zula decided that once their move to the apartment is over, she will do some research online. She will find something that inspires her. She can also visit Oni and Nala. They can do girl-talk and at the same time, she can see what they did with their space. And Allen and Julius might have some tips. Ah! So many things to do.

Zula was distracted during the training. Her mind was on anything related to the apartment and also on the fact that she and Ron will share living space from now on.

Her heart was racing when she remembered what they did on the previous morning. They touched and rubbed, and it was electrifying. And now that they are living together, it will probably happen many more times. She looks forward to that.

After the training, they returned to the apartment, and then Zula remembered one thing… shower. Are they going to shower together? Probably not. They didn't even see each other naked and getting in the shower will be too much and too fast and it's definitely not happening. Not today, at least.

"Do you want to shower first? I don't mind waiting." Zula said as soon as they closed the door of the apartment.

"Uhm… sure." Ron agreed. "I will not take more than a few minutes."

They have two bathrooms, but because it was on short notice, only one bathroom and bedroom were set up for them to use.

Ron does not want to push Zula to use the bathroom at the same time, even he is not sure if he is OK with that. He knows that both of them are fine with kissing and sleeping in the same bed, and they will take it slowly from there. The shower is a big step.

Zula sat on the sofa in the bedroom and listened to the water from the shower. She was fine with waiting, but now that her body is cooling off, she is uncomfortable.

Zula went to the second bathroom and was disappointed that other than the toilet paper, there is nothing else. No toiletries or towels. She exhaled in frustration. It seems that she will need to wait.

Zula got an idea. Before going for their exercise, she used the restroom and saw that there are new toothbrushes, and everything is set up in the bathroom Ron is currently using. Her idea is to sneak in (without peeking), get a toothbrush and a towel, and go to the second bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. That will make her more comfortable and it will help her pass time.

In the bathroom…

Ron is in the shower, rubbing the shower gel on his body swiftly. He wants to be done as soon as possible so that Zula does not wait for too long.

Rushing with the shower routine is not a new thing for Ron. His stepmother had a habit of ambushing him while he was in the shower. After all, the locks on the door inside the house are for privacy, not for security, and they can easily be operated with something small like a thin hair clip.

The shower is an unpleasant experience for Ron and he always hurries through it because every second he stays exposed makes his anxiety build up.

With the corner of his eye, Ron saw that the bathroom door is opening slowly, and he panicked. For a moment, he was a twelve years old boy, in the Heine family residence.

"Get out!" He roared. "I don't want to see you! Now or never! If you dare to make one more step inside, I will make you regret it!"

Zula swiftly stepped back and closed the door. Why is he yelling at her? She only wanted a toothbrush and she had no intention of peeping. But even if she did want to peep, is that the reason to yell at her like that?

Her heart ached unbearably, and she dashed out of the apartment.

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