breathe | r lewandowski

2

The following morning I awoke in what felt like an even more agitated mood than the previous day, if that was even possible.

I sighed and pushed the covers off me, my warm little cave formed under the sheets from my breath soon disappeared and the igloo that I'd made my room soon hit me. Walking over to the thermostat, I turned up the heat and jumped into the shower rather unenthusiastically.

After dressing myself, I made the bed and opened the curtains, the dull skies making me feel slightly better inside since it was no longer so happy and light around me; I liked it.

Despite this, I still dreaded breakfast. I took the elevator down to the convention room in which the team breakfast was held. A selection of foods and drinks were available to us all, served by overly polite staff that were obnoxious and annoying.

I poured myself a glass of orange juice and sat down by the window with a bowl of cereal, not joining Mario and Manuel like I used to. Most people had learned to leave me alone, but some of the boys on the team didn't quite seem to get the message.

"Morgen, Robert."

Don't get me wrong, Thomas was an incredibly nice, friendly and welcoming man. He was a true gentleman and never spoke a bad word about anybody, but that's the thing. He never spoke about anybody but himself, and that drove me up the wall.

"Good morning." I mumbled quietly whilst munching on my cereal. I thought that purposely sitting at a table for two would put other people from sitting with me but it evidently didn't work.

"Lisa's thinking of getting a new horse you know, but I'm not sure. I mean it's practically like getting another child and," he paused to sip his coffee, "I certainly don't want a child. But another horse? I don't know."

He continued to talk but I wasn't listening. I contributed the occasional nod and of course kept eye contact, not wanting it to be too obvious that I could care less about him and his wife's horse obsession, even is his wife was gorgeous.

I sat alone in my thoughts but surrounded in the present. Words flew in one ear and flew out the other, not registering at all in my mind for long enough for my brain to string Thomas' sentences together. I wondered wby on earth we were still in this hotel and what we could possibly be doing for the next two days. We all lived an hour away but it was apparently necessary to take a trip to a neighbouring city for a few days to hold a conference that could've been done in an hour or so in between training.

"Shit did I tell you that Dylan was looking for you?"

My head snapped up this time, my mind finally becoming active enough to register one word.

"What?"

"She was down in the lobby, asked if you'd be down anytime soon. Think I saw her go out for a smoke not long ago."

I rose to my feet quickly and pushed my chair under the table, throwing a quick "goodbye" under my breath to Thomas. I didn't eat much and I was still hungry which meant I'd have to pay for some food later on, but I wasn't bothered by it.

For some reason, I felt nervous. I hadn't seen Dylan in a week or so, our relationship was extremely hit and miss, we were always on and off but part of me liked it better. I enjoyed settling for half sometimes.

I walked down the back exit of the hotel which led to a bridge over a canal that ran through the city. Leaning over the edge of the railings was Dylan. Her blonde hair was messily cascaded down her back, a few strands tangled across the side of her face. My eyes focused on the cigarette that was shaking between her fingers.

"Hello stranger."

She laughed, but I didn't think I'd said anything funny.

"I was beginning to think you weren't gonna show up, Thomas said he hadn't seen you all last night."