The next morning, Gini awoke to the sound of wind howling around the manor, its eerie whistling growing louder with every passing minute. She pulled back the heavy drapes and was greeted with a scene straight out of a disaster movie: the sky was a swirling mass of dark, angry clouds, and rain lashed against the windows with a ferocity she'd never seen before. As she dressed, she tried to shake off the growing sense of unease, hoping that the storm would pass quickly.
Jonah was already in the kitchen when Gini arrived, staring at his phone with a grim expression. He barely acknowledged her presence, which was fine with Gini. Their truce from the night before felt fragile at best, and she had no desire to engage in another confrontation. However, the uneasy silence was broken by Jonah's low curse.
"What's wrong?" Gini asked, her curiosity piqued despite herself.
Jonah looked up, his face pale. "There's a hurricane warning. The storm is expected to last for at least a week, maybe even longer. All the roads are flooded, and they've declared a state of emergency. We're stuck here."
Gini's eyes widened. "A week? What do you mean, we're stuck here?"
Jonah sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I mean, there's no way out. The roads are impassable, and the storm is getting worse. The weather service says it could last for a month, the longest one on record."
The weight of the situation settled heavily on Gini's shoulders. A month trapped in this old manor with Jonah, who had already proven to be a difficult and unpleasant companion, was not something she had anticipated. The idea of being stuck in such an isolated place, with no one but Jonah for company, filled her with dread.
As if reading her thoughts, Jonah shrugged. "It's not ideal, but there's nothing we can do. We'll just have to make the best of it."
Gini gritted her teeth. "Right, because that sounds so easy. Just 'make the best of it' while we're stuck in a house that feels like it belongs in a horror movie, with no contact with the outside world."
Jonah smirked, clearly amused by her discomfort. "Look, it's not like I'm thrilled about this either. But we have enough supplies, and the manor has a generator, so we'll have power. It's not the end of the world."
'It is. It is the end of the fucking world!!!'
Gini resisted the urge to snap back. The truth was, she was scared. The storm outside was growing more violent by the minute, and the idea of being trapped with Jonah, who seemed to enjoy getting under her skin, was almost as terrifying as the storm itself. She decided to retreat to the library, seeking solace in the rows of books that lined the walls. Reading had always been her escape, and she hoped it would be enough to keep her mind off the situation.
The first week passed in a tense silence, with Gini and Jonah mostly keeping to themselves. Gini spent her days in the library, reading everything from classic literature to obscure historical texts. The manor's library was extensive, and she found a strange comfort in the musty old books. Jonah, on the other hand, seemed to delight in doing nothing but lounging around, occasionally making snide comments whenever their paths crossed.
Gini couldn't help but notice how well and with ease he was raised. He would be laying like a bum on the library couch and he would look like a Greek god just because of his posture and sculptured face. He was accustomed to luxury and trained to be elegant in every position he decided to stretch his body in. Gini was almost jealous.
"You can't be more obvious than this," Jonah snipped as he looked at her with smug upside down face from sitting upside down on the couch.
Gini ignored his taunting as she continued to read her book.
Jonah mumbled and went back to 'bum' activities.
One morning, Gini found Jonah in the kitchen, fumbling with a coffee machine. He seemed utterly clueless, pressing buttons at random and scowling when nothing happened. Gini couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Need help?" she asked, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
Jonah glared at her. "No, I think I can manage a coffee machine."
Gini crossed her arms, leaning against the counter. "Doesn't look like it."
Jonah muttered something under his breath, clearly annoyed. After another minute of fruitless effort, he gave up and turned to Gini with a huff. "Fine. If you're so smart, why don't you do it?"
Gini raised an eyebrow but stepped forward, quickly setting up the machine and brewing a pot of coffee. Jonah watched with a mixture of frustration and grudging respect.
"See? Not so hard," Gini said, pouring herself a cup and leaving the rest for Jonah.
Jonah scowled. "Well, not all of us are domestic gods and goddesses."
"Clearly."
This became a pattern: Jonah struggling with basic household tasks and Gini stepping in to fix his mistakes, often with a sarcastic comment or two. It was annoying, to say the least, but Gini couldn't help but find a twisted sense of satisfaction in it. Jonah, for all his arrogance and bravado, was utterly helpless when it came to day-to-day living. He couldn't cook, couldn't do laundry, and seemed to have a knack for making a mess of everything he touched.
As the days stretched into weeks, the tension between Gini and Jonah only grew. With nothing to do and no one else to talk to, they found themselves constantly at odds. Jonah seemed to take a perverse pleasure in annoying Gini, while she did her best to ignore him, though not always successfully.
One afternoon, Gini was in the library, engrossed in a book, when Jonah barged in, looking bored and restless. He plopped down on a nearby couch and sighed loudly, clearly trying to get her attention. Gini ignored him, keeping her eyes on her book.
"What's so interesting?" Jonah finally asked, leaning back and staring at the ceiling.
Gini didn't look up. "A book. You should try reading one sometime."
Jonah snorted. "Books are boring. I'd rather do something more exciting."
Gini finally glanced up, narrowing her eyes. "Like what? Annoying me?"
Jonah grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Maybe. It's the most entertainment I've had in weeks."
Gini huffed, closing her book with a snap. "Well, I'm glad I can be your source of amusement. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to read in peace."
Jonah didn't move, just continued to grin at her. "You know, you're kind of cute when you're angry. Your cheeks jiggle. It's like the pet squirrel I had when I was ten."
Gini felt her cheeks flush with anger and embarrassment. "You're insufferable," she snapped, standing up and leaving the room, Jonah's laughter echoing behind her.
This was how it went: Gini trying to find some semblance of normalcy, and Jonah doing everything in his power to disrupt it. He would hide things, rearrange items, and generally make a nuisance of himself. It was like living with a mischievous child, and Gini's patience was wearing thin.
Despite their constant bickering, there were moments when they had to work together. The manor, though equipped with a generator, required maintenance, and there were tasks that needed both of them to complete. One day, the generator began acting up, and they had to figure out how to fix it or risk losing power.
"Do you even know what you're doing?" Gini asked skeptically as Jonah fiddled with the generator's controls.
Jonah shot her an annoyed look. "Not really, but I don't see you helping."
Gini sighed, stepping forward to examine the machine. "Let me see. Maybe if we adjust the fuel line..."
They worked in tense silence, occasionally snapping at each other but ultimately managing to get the generator running smoothly again. It was a rare moment of cooperation, but it was quickly overshadowed by another argument about the best way to do laundry. Jonah had managed to mix colors and whites, resulting in a batch of pink-tinted shirts, and Gini couldn't resist rubbing it in.
"Next time, maybe you should let me handle the laundry," she said, smirking.
Jonah glared at her, crossing his arms. "I was just trying to help. You could be a little more appreciative."
Gini rolled her eyes. "Appreciative of you ruining my clothes? Yeah, right."
The days continued like this, with moments of uneasy truce followed by flare-ups of hostility. They were like two storms clashing, neither willing to back down or admit fault. The manor's vastness, once a source of awe, now felt oppressive, the silence filled with the undercurrent of their unresolved tension.