NIRELLE - Chapter 36: Chapter 36

I had expected that we would go out for the movies, but then I knew it was a shaky bet. It would take a lot of work to make Lucien even agree to step out of the gates with me.
"I don't even know why I am shocked that there is a state-of-the-art movie theatre in the basement of your home," I say as we walk down the stairs.
I am trying to be brave. I have been locked so many times in the basement that claiming down there was giving me jitters, but I did not want to show it. I didn't want him to see how scared I was. It feels like I have been here only a few days, and everything I have ever known was exposed to this husband of mine.
He walks to the kitchen, and I follow his lead, and I can see the change of things in the atmosphere almost immediately. "We will have our lunch now," he announced, and as if he had triggered a button, I could see everyone scrambling to get things done. How much fear has this man instilled in these people to make them react this way? "Also, make some movie snacks; we will be going down to see some movies after this," he announced again before walking out of the room to the table area.
I had forgotten about my predicament with the assessment and started feeling sorry for the staff, but as soon as he threw it back in the air, I could not help but feel my heart tighten. We sit down for lunch, and there are a lot of meals.
"Don't you usually pick one meal and have them make it for you?" I ask because I can't see the need to make the chef cook all of this, and then we don't end up eating every single one of them.
"I do not," he responds in a flat tone. I roll my eyes at how cold he has become once again. All it took him was a walk from my room to the kitchen.
"Then maybe you should begin," I say, eyeing the table filled with meals I have never seen before. "I think it can reduce how much food we waste."
He stares at me as if he is trying to make sense of what I have just said. I clear my throat and move closer. "Maybe you'll say it is stupid of me to try and tell you what to do, but I think it's something you should consider doing."
"I will think about it." I don't know why those words gave me hope. I know I was not here for any changes, but it feels good to know there were some being made.
"So what movies do you want to watch?" I asked, trying to see if he had used the movie theatre before. I was yet to see it, but considering how magnificent the war was yesterday, I do not expect anything less.
"I would like to eat in silence, please." His voice was strained, and he did not bother to look at me.
"Got that," I reply with a nod as I hunch over my food and continue to fill my mouth with the pasta sitting in front. I grumbled down the meal at once because I had only had soup for breakfast, and somehow my small appetite was suddenly getting bigger than I remember it.
"A woman is not supposed to eat like a pig." Yvette's words rang in my ears, and even though I was still a bit hungry, I dropped the spoon to the table and leaned away.
"Are you done?"
"I am full." I know it is hypocritical of me to leave food on my plate after schooling him about food waste, but I can shake off the voice in my head. "Take your time; I'll wait," I say before he thinks I am trying to rush him. I had nothing else to do anyway, so the time the movie marathon began did not matter at all.
"Let's go then." He drops his spoon onto the table as well and gets up. I look at him as I try to understand this man; maybe he had some kind of mental illness that made him act back and forth within a few seconds. It was amazing.
"I mean, there is no hurry," I say, but he is pulling me up by the wrist; as soon as I find my footing, his hand is off mine. He walks toward the basement, and I follow him.
The door there looks like every other one in the house; maybe this one wouldn't be as scary as I know it to be, and maybe I won't even notice that it is there. I take a deep breath as the door opens and darkness meets us.
I let him step in first and watch as his hand tries to find the light switch. After a few tries, the room lights up. I take a deep breath and follow him down the stairs.
He does not seem to know how much I was struggling, and that was good enough for me. I stare at the room in awe and fear. The room was beautifully done; it was like the ones I had seen in the movies I managed to sneak a watch of.
"I say again, you have a beautiful house." He does not respond as he begins to set everything up. "Did you ever use this? Or was it installed just because?"
"Theo uses it occasionally; if he were allowed to bring girls home, I would have used it a lot more," he replied as if he were telling me a random fact. I nod as I watch him pull and plug wires. He seemed to know what he was doing, but I was not sure if he did. He seemed like he would be good with a pen and not a screwdriver.
"Are you sure you can do this? I am sure there would be a staff around who would be willing to help us out," I say, and his response to me is a tense back. I am managing to keep my cool and tuck my fear away in my heart.
I hear something drop in the distance, and the next thing I can see is myself clinging to Lucien so hard. I look up at him and see how tired he is now. I gulp hard and free myself from him.
"I am sorry; I thought I heard something."
"The door closing," he replied as if I had not just used him as a human shield.
"I am sorry; I have some kind of basement fear, but you don't have to worry; I am ready to watch the movie." A staff member comes in with a huge tray of an array of snacks; the opening and closing of the door now make sense.