By the time the telephone rang and Avery was allowed to take off the blindfold that covered his eyes, he'd felt on the verge of a panic attack. Being blindfolded and in a strange place was close to terrifying to a person who needed to have as much control over himself and his surroundings as possible. He'd nearly ripped off the piece of cloth several times since he'd been alone in this unknown room, and if the phone hadn't rang exactly when it did, he might've. As it was, he lunged for the phone with one hand and clawed off the blindfold with the other, breathing heavily as he listened.
Once Avery hung up, he gradually calmed down and looked around. The room was large and actually nicer than anywhere he'd ever lived, even his aunt's apartment. His suitcases were here, placed neatly in one corner, and he wandered around scrutinizing everything, frowning a little. It looked clean, but was it? The bed and the bathroom would be most problematic, so first he pulled back the bedspread and removed the pillows from the bed, lifting the mattress to check beneath it for bedbugs or other hidden filth. There was nothing that he could find, and he had better than twenty-twenty vision when it came to cleanliness. After remaking the bed he moved into the bathroom, unable to decide after inspecting it if it met his standards.
Well, there was one thing he could do about that. In his largest suitcase he'd packed cleaners and a box of thin plastic gloves, and once he'd unearthed those, he spent the next hour putting the bathroom to rights, so he'd know it was clean. He put away all of his things, arranging them meticulously and then stowing the suitcases in his closet, which was certainly large enough to hold them along with his clothes and shoes. After taking a shower, drying his hair and dressing in jeans and a long-sleeved pullover shirt, he felt slightly better. His room was clean and so was he, and as nervous as he felt about encountering other people, he figured it was time to venture outside his room.
Avery picked up his key and locked his door on the way out, then made his way down the two flights of stairs to the main level, ducking his head down anytime he passed another person. He would look around more extensively later, but he knew he'd have to eat on a daily basis, so he started searching for the kitchen. Once he'd located it he stepped inside and glanced around, wondering where to start. He thought this might be bigger than the kitchen at the restaurant where he'd worked.