For Granted
For Granted
Day 1
She had come to him every day this week.
Well, almost every day. They didn’t work on weekends.
Yet, all five times she came to his floor, and they went out for lunch together and they talked. Usually, he took his break a little later but every time she came he would follow her, not even looking at the time.
So, when the new week rolled in, he was sure that she would make an appearance. She had friends on this floor, and she came to see them as well. She never said that she stopped by to see him as well, but he didn’t tell her that he was waiting for her visits daily either.
He would play it cool and he would tease her. It could be considered borderline flirting what they did, but it was never really that obvious he thought. They had touched sometimes in a very playful manner and they were friends on social media but didn’t communicate outside work.
Yet, whenever he saw her, it was impossible to stay away from her. It was impossible not to smile at her, not tease her or not tell her what was on his mind. He confided in her a lot and she listened. Really listened. Most times she would offer him advice in a serious yet caring manner focusing on his well-being.
It was nice and he longed for that.
However, she didn’t come on Monday and he waited. He waited until at some point he realized there was no point in waiting. She was probably very busy and it wasn’t weird for a Monday.
Tomorrow, he thought.
He would see her tomorrow.
Day 4
It was the fourth day that she hadn’t come down to his floor.
Not that he counted but it seemed rather odd. He hadn’t seen her at all.
A coincidence, he thought, but he didn’t like this much.
It wasn’t like he didn’t have other friends. He was a social man and he was never left without company. However, he had chosen her, and he liked her presence more than anybody else’s.
She was attractive, yes.
But she was smart and funny and caring and she really listened. She would always ask him about the things that mattered to him and he was so easy to tease. She blushed and she had pretty eyes and cute smile.
Well, he liked her a lot.
A busy week, he decided.
Day 10
“Marcy hasn’t showed up for some time now, has she?” Evelyn frowned.
“Yes” he shrugged. “Perhaps they are very busy up there”
“That’s what she said when I called, but the other day I heard she was out for lunch with some girls from her team”
“Maybe it was coincidental or she felt like taking a break”
“Yes, it must be it. But you know, although we weren’t as close as you are with her, I miss her vibe from our floor”
He missed it too.
“We aren’t close”
“Come on, now” Evelyn smirked. “You were almost lovebirds”
“Nonsense. Like you said she has a good vibe”
“Don’t you miss her?”
“Miss her?”
“Yes”
“Well, like I said we weren’t really that close”
“You always went for lunch together”
“We went for lunch many times, but we both hang around with many people. It’s not like we signed a contract of exclusivity”
At least he had the ability to look and sound cooler and more indifferent than he actually felt.
But he still hoped that she would come and spend her time with him again.
Day 20
She wouldn’t come.
It has been almost a month now.
He knew that she wouldn’t.
He didn’t know what had gone wrong.
He had seen her a couple of times, and she didn’t seem weird or mad or anything. She had greeted him from afar a couple of times. Had she pretended she hadn’t seen him or if she had glared at him he would know that he had done something wrong.
Marcy was one of the most expressive people he knew.
Could it be that she had simply lost interest in him?
This thought unsettled him a little.
A lot, actually.
Day 0
He didn’t remember what day it was and he walked on Evelyn sniffling loudly.
“Why are you crying?” he asked.
“Didn’t you hear?” she retorted blowing her nose on a tissue. “It was Marcy’s last day here”
“What?” he murmured.
“She had given her notice a couple of weeks ago apparently and she called to say goodbye”
“She called” he said slowly. “She didn’t come”
“No, she said she wasn’t good at those things but she’s going to take us out for drinks on Friday”
He felt numb.
He hadn’t seen this coming, but as the day came to an end, he felt awful. She hadn’t even come to bid him farewell on her last day and he couldn’t understand what he had done wrong.
They were close, they were talking… surely it was only during working hours and then she stopped and now she chose to leave without a word. He played with his phone. He wanted to do something, but he wasn’t sure. Perhaps he should wait a little. Maybe she would send him a message there.
Yet, she didn’t.
He thought of sending her something, but he dismissed the thought. If she wanted to she would have at least called him to tell him that she was leaving like she did with all the others. Moreover, she hadn’t included him in her invitation for drinks.
It was clear that he wasn’t in her good books anymore.
One Day
He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw her again.
A long time had passed.
He hadn’t forgotten her, but he had chosen to push her thought at the back of his mind and at the bottom of his heart feeling some bitterness for the way she pushed him out of her life.
But now, she was there and she was smiling at him. As if she hadn’t left without a word. And he was angry at her suddenly, but not really angry because she looked as lovely as ever.
“Hey Owen” she said, greeting her first.
“Hello” he replied a little stiffly. “How are you?”
“I am fine. I didn’t expect to see you here”
“I live here”
“You do?” she exclaimed. “I live around the corner”
“Well, I just moved in the area”
“I see. It was nice meeting you”
“Yeah”
“You aren’t happy to see me” her smile dimmed a little.
“I didn’t say that”
“It’s obvious. I will not waste your time anymore”
She turned to leave and he not being able to hold back, he asked:
“Why did you stop coming?”
She paused in her step and threw him a glance over her shoulder.
“Because you thought you deserved my time more than I deserved yours” she replied.
“I waited for you for days”
“Yes, I believe you did. And I waited for you to make a move. To come to me and show me that I wasn’t a convenience. But even when I left you didn’t seem to want to get out of your comfort zone”
“I…”
“You thought I would reach out” she finished for him, her voice now low and sad. “But people are supposed to meet halfway, and you expected me to walk all the distance on my own. It wasn’t fair and that’s why I left”
It took a minute for the information to sink in. I
“It doesn’t matter anymore” she said kindly.
“If you had told me…”
“I hinted at it many times, and I thought you would catch it”
“Can we try to…”
“Owen” she cut him off gently. “A long time has passed. I am getting married in a couple of months”
