This Time...Maybe - Anderson Family Series Book 2

Chapter 16: Sleepless and Irritable

She is internally screaming and is unable to sleep - again. This will be the third night that she cannot sleep after their date and the so-called kiss. She sat up on her bed and regulated her breathing. She is overthinking - again, and the reason is Ethan, of course - as always. She had another deep sigh before she decided to get up and went to the kitchen to drink some water. Memories of the previous days came to her and she has been avoiding him since the kiss.

Many times he came at the cafe but she refuses to talk to him, like really talk to him the same way before he did what he did. He even came and knock on her door but she again refused to answer or open the door for him. It's not that she do not like him anymore, she just doesn't know how to act in front of him after that day and so many questions popped up in her mind. Are they a couple now just because of a simple touching of their lips? Why did he did what he did? Was there any reason to it? And if there was, is it a good one or a bad one?

She knows that there is something going on between them, she is not dumb or insensitive. But she doesn't want to assume that there is more that what she thinks there is without him telling her anything. So him, kissing her, though it is only a simple touch and for merely seconds, made her confused.

He also did something afterwards that made her irritated to no end, though she didn't verbalized her irritation. He said sorry, as to why she doesn't know. It also muddled her mind, making it throw another set of questions. Why did he said sorry? Was it because of what he did? His action? Or he was sorry because he didn't meant to and doesn't want her to assume so much out of it?

She again screamed on her mind. She feels she is losing her wits because of overthinking. She already tried so many things in order to fell asleep easily. Like drinking warm milk, reading a book and even counting sheeps, cows and all kinds of animals she knows but to no avail, she cannot sleep, still.

She took another series of deep breaths to help her calm. She just hopes it will help her sleep, because it is already past midnight. Though, she will come to work the next day later than usual, the nights without sleep is already taking its toll on her. Her body feels weak and a darker shade is now residing around her eyes. She just hopes this is not permanent. She decided to lie down on her bed again and stare at the ceiling. Several minutes passed when a sudden realization and decision came over her. If and when Ethan approached her again, she will not avoid him nor refuse to talk to him. She needed to let this out. They needed to talk in order for him to answer the questions that keeps on bugging her. She just hopes that he will answer it and that his answers will not break her heart into million bits of pieces.

***

Ethan cannot focus on his work merely because of a woman - Ellie. She has been avoiding him eversince he kissed her that day. He felt a tinge of guilt, but not because he regretted what he did but because of Ellie's change of treatment towards him. He went many times at the cafe but Ellie refuses to talk to him or glance his way. After several hours of thinking, he came up with a decision of sort, he will let her be for awhile. Make things settle and her temper to cool-off, because if he will push her to her limits, he might loose her completely.

***

A week already passed after the incident, and four days since she decided to finally talk to him, but no Ethan came to bug her, not even his shadow. So another set of questions came up. Did he finally gave up? Is this the end? Will he return like last time or not? If he already left, can she recover after this?

The last question bothered her so much that she pulled her hair out of frustration. This is what she has been avoiding from the beginning, not to let another person be close to her, someone who can affect her so much that all reasoning fails, all questions will be unanswered and her emotions are in turmoil.