The Strange Man

Dahlia's Dirt

  Charlie woke up the next morning having had a great night's sleep. The man danced goofily around his apartment. He couldn't stop smiling about Dahlia and the coffee date that they would soon be on.
  Next door, Dahlia sat on her bed. She was awake and sleep deprived. Last night, she couldn't stop worrying. What if this wonderful relationship she was forming with Charlie was going to crumble soon? She debated whether or not she would even leave her apartment; if she didn't, she would be able to control the crumble. At the same time, she didn't want to hurt Charlie.
Dahlia grabbed a pillow and hugged it as she rocked back and forth. 'Breath,' she thought, 'just breath.' Once calm, she was finally able to sleep until 7:00 AM. She planned to get up at about 7:00, so everything was working out... mostly. She soon remembered her worries about the possible outcomes of going to get coffee with Charlie... with continuing to be near him.
  Charlie arrived at the coffee shop and waited for a bit. He had gotten there early. He soon saw The Waitress. "What do you want, Charlie?", she said. "Are you just here to be a creep again?" He had forgotten about her again. 'She's gorgeous,' he thought before remembering Dahlia. He compared the two women in his head for a moment, then the Waitress interrupted his thoughts, saying, "Hello? You can stay here as long as you leave me alone. Do you want a coffee or something?" He snapped back into reality. "Umm... no," he said, "I'm actually... waiting for someone," he smiled at that thought, then at a realization. Maybe he could make The Waitress jealous.
  "You don't have to make up a story, Charlie." "I'm not this time!", he flung his arms up and yelled. "Okay, Charlie," The Waitress responded as she rolled her eyes and turned to go back into the coffee shop.
  Five minutes, ten minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, two hours passed and Dahlia still wasn't there. He sat there waiting for two hours. Even he wasn't sure why.
  "Where is she?", Charlie whispered to himself. "Your date's still not here?" Charlie turned to see The Waitress standing behind him. "Don't you have to go to your job as some lowlife janitor?", she asked. "Crap!", he yelled. He needed to get to work.
  When Charlie arrived at work, he walked in and saw the gang arguing about something (probably something weird and/or insignificant, it was usually both). He walked over and sat on a stool. It took a couple minutes, but they noticed him eventually.
  "You're late," Dee said. Mac then added, "You're never late, man. What's up?" Frank jumped off his stool and walked over to Charlie. He patted him on the back and said, "Charlie had coffee with that Dalla broad today." The gang mumbled in confusion. Charlie became frustrated with his roommate. "First of all," he explained, "it's Dahlia! Second of all, I'm late because she didn't show up." He looked down and frowned. "I guess she didn't like me."
  "I knew it!", said Dennis happily. "You all owe me 20 bucks!" Mac hit his arm. "Dude!", he yelled. "Be sensitive! This was Charlie's only chance at love, and you're being..." he trailed off. "Sorry, Charlie," he said softly. Mac saw how sad Charlie was. Everyone was silent and parted to go do their own things (which didn't necessarily mean their jobs).
  It was silent for most of the day until Frank ran out of his office and yelled, "Guys!" Everyone stopped and looked at him with frustration. "What do you want, Frank?", Dennis asked angrily. Frank responded excitedly, "I found some dirt on Dalla!" Charlie glared at Frank. "Dahlia!", Dee shouted. "Shut up, bird!", Dennis shouted. "What do you mean by dirt, Frank? Just get to your point already!" Frank did a little dance and said, "She has a history in the looney bin! I still have some connections from when I was there!" The gang had a mix of shock and confusion plastered on their faces. "What?", Mac asked. "So, she's crazy?", Dee questioned. Frank responded, "A complete loon!"
  Charlie shook his head. "No," he said, "she's not crazy!" He tosses his arms up and laughed maniacally. "She's just an amazing person who actually liked me and you guys just can't seem to believe that's possible! You think I'm some sort of loser!" The gang silently mumbled in agreement. "You're not wrong," Mac said. Charlie flopped his arms back down to his sides. "Well," he said, "I see how it is... you guys have never respected me or... or even liked me! You can't stand that a girl likes me!" "No..." Dennis said, "it's just that we can't believe a girl likes you." Charlie froze before walking towards the door. "Where are you going?", Frank asked. "I'm gonna find her!", Charlie yelled back.