A gentleman and a lady

Vacation, Days 3-6

After going to the lake with Jason and Emma, I returned home, many thoughts plaguing my mind. I continued to push them out, telling myself over and over again that I just couldn't play mind games with Evelyn. Evelyn was someone I enjoyed very much but also hated being around, and I didn't understand her at all.

The third day I stayed home, I relearned how to play cards. Although I had no opponent, it felt good remembering the rules of the game. I found an old hackey sack at the bottom of my hallway closet and tried to relearn that, only to find that I wasn't very good at it to begin with. I stared at my bedroom door for a moment before spending the rest of my night on the couch.

The fourth day was much the same. I went into the attic to look for more old things and found a chess set. I set up the board, trying to remember the names of all the pieces and what they could and couldn't do. The king can move in any direction, but only one space at a time. The queen is the most powerful piece, moving as many spaces as she wants in any direction. I ended up playing a game of chess against myself, but got fairly bored after a while.

The fifth day was hard. I didn't want to leave my house and I had already explored what my house had to offer. Finally, I stood in front of my bedroom door. I tepidly turned the knob, afraid of something that wasn't there. As the door opened I was greeted by the smell of solitude, of emptiness. I stripped the bedsheets and blankets, moving them to the washer. I vacuumed the floors and hung my clothes in the closet. But even after the room was in pristine condition, I still fell asleep on the couch that night.

That next morning I woke up to a phone call from Arnold.

"Hello?" I answered groggily.

"Hey, Mr. Cavill," Arnold said cheerfully.

"Hi, Mr. Cache. What's up?"

"I just wanted to check on you, it's been about a week that you haven't been here. I know you said not to bother you but I'm a little concerned about you," he admitted.

"I'm alright," I promised. "How's the office?"

"Oh the office is fine. Miss Grant has been a real big help, keeping our investors informed and at ease - she even took over my desk so I could go on a lunch date."

"That's great, Arnold."

"Yeah," he laughed. "I just want to know you're okay."

"I promise I'm fine."

"Okay. Well, I'll let you get back to what you were doing." The call ended. I was touched by Arnold reaching out to check on me, but also annoyed that Miss Grant didn't seem to notice my absence - or she just didn't care.

I rolled over on the couch, staring at the tv that had been on all night. I wasn't sure what was on, but I needed something to keep me distracted from work - and her.

I eventually got up. I checked my texts to see pictures from the lake trip that Jason and Emma had taken; a photo of Jason throwing Emma in the water, a photo of the three of us together, another of just myself and Jason. I smiled thinking about how much fun that day had been, but my smile quickly fell when I remembered what Jason had said. You're in love with her.

"God dammit," I said aloud to myself. "What do I have to do to stop thinking about her?" I threw my phone across the room, part of me hoping it would break, but it fell into the laundry hamper without incident. I started angrily pacing the room. It doesn't even matter whether or not I love her. I don't know her. And why should I care anyways? She's so back and forth. She's frustrating. After a few moments I sat down on the couch again, cradling my face in my hands. For the first time in years, I felt the sting of hot tears down my cheeks.

I'm in love with a woman I don't know.