Running Into Figure Six

Days flew by, and I was starting to adapt to the environment of my workplace, and my apartment, although I could swear only my body was.

My mind was miles away, but I tried not to pull attention to myself at work- I really wouldn’t do anything to get summoned by Wills Taylor ten times in a day. I also didn’t need anyone to remind me that I had been stupid to come to New York all alone, and leave everything behind in California.

Gerald said so, but not literally, and I had already spent four days at work, and fifteen days in New York before I started to believe his words.

I thought I could handle it, be on my own, without the intrusion of anyone in my life, and especially without affectionate whispers of reassuring words at night, and be fine doing just that, but I must have been the dumbest comedienne of the century, because Lord knows the only place i want to be every time, is on Gerald’s fucking muscular thighs on his couch in a white, royal-ish snug bungalow in California.

It is day five and I’m already so sick of it. It’s telling on my body too, because my temperature is a bit too high for my liking, and I can’t just get anything down my throat, even my favorite cereals jump out of my mouth immediately after I swallow it.

I don’t know if it’s because I have to work on the sixth floor everyday or because of the annoying stalker guy who lived next door and waved at me every single evening and called me ‘sissy’- the one whose face I haven’t really seen.

And oh my God, this guy freaking coooooooooks so nice. I know, because aromas of his varieties fill my nostrils everytime I return from work and it only reminds me that I’m starving

I grabbed my phone which I haven’t used for hours since i woke up, and i dialled Gerald’s number. I know it is Saturday and he works on Saturdays too, and he must be preparing for work already, but I need to talk to him.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Jessie’s Saturdays are free, but I didn’t want to bother her. She’s still nostalgic about my absence and I just wanted, no, needed to sincerely apologize to everyone for abruptly leaving.

Plus I needed some warmth only from the other gender at that moment.

I thought he’d not be able to take my call but he took it on the second ring, and I inwardly blushed.

“Gerald”

“Hey love” His voice was very warm, and I could instantly tell that he was indoors, and not at work.

“No work today?”

“I’m working afternoon shift, so I’m sleeping in until then” I thought I heard another voice in the background that was not his, but then as if he heard my thoughts, he said it was the radio transistor.

“Are you okay though? You never call me at 6am in the morning ” He drawled, consciously walking away from his present environment. I could follow his every move just by shutting my eyes for a second.

I know he’s clad in his pinkish towel again, and his chest is bare. I will never argue with him about his choice of colour, because the last time I did, he had promised me that he wasn’t gay by rubbing his boner on my butt a little too roughly. His curly brown bangs must be covering his ashen eyes a little bit too.

I blushed at the feeling.

Not everyone can imagine what their boyfriend looks like at the moment just by shutting their eyes.

“I think I caught the bug, I can’t get anything down my throat too” I said softly, a little offended by the fact that he did not notice it in my voice.

” I bet my dick can beat that notion anyways” I heard him laugh and I just wanted to slap him over the phone. He always makes jokes like this, forgetting I’ve never had sex in my entire life.

“Gerald, I’m fucking serious. I’m sick”

“Sorry, you’re just nostalgic is all. Got any drugs?” I didn’t reply that question because I heard someone call his name just then. A soft, distant and sleepy feminine voice

“Do you have someone over?”

“No, actually… I crashed at Monica’s. My place was packed with my drunk friends, we really had a lot of booze last night, our bad” I can almost smell his lies. I know that he was never drunk last night but I can’t confront him because I have no evidence.

“I told you to not drink so much. Makes you look so irresponsible”

“Sorry, love. I’ll make it up to you when I see you. Besides, it was just a bottle of Hennessey. A small bottle” The urge to hang up on him and call Monica immediately was so strong I had to quickly deflect our conversation.

It would possibly be the weirdest thing in the century to ask a girl at 6am if her twenty-six-year old brother really did crash at her place the previous night. Okay, not the weirdest, but it’s really hard for me to do.

“Pinkie promise, no more impulsive drinking” he pushed, splashing water on his face. He must have plugged his earphones right now because i could see him putting his two hands on his face just by shutting my eyes.

“That’s okay.” I clipped, trying hard to think of another topic without abruptly cutting him off.

“How is work? I know I’ve asked before, but do you like your new place?” Goodness gracious, he did it first. He must have noticed my discomfort or so it seemed. I was hella grateful for it anyways, and as long as i did not hear that feminine voice one more time, I could talk to him all day.

“Yeah, that. There’s one thing I need to report to you, candy”

“I think it must be really interesting seeing that you just called me by my favorite pet name” he giggled again, and I swear i could kill to have his laugh kept away in a museum for future references.

“Duhh, candy is cheap though” I giggled. You can’t blame me- every sound from his mouth is infectious.

“But it is sweet. What is that one thing, my Rissa? Don’t stray off yet” Again with the Rissa thing.

“There’s this guy next door, he kind of looks queer. You won’t believe this guy welcomes me every time I get back from work like I’m his landlady, he always appears at odd times, mentions some things about me that i obviously didn’t tell him. He kind of scares me”

“Are you sure he doesn’t know you before now?”

“I doubt it. He lives here. This is the first time I’m meeting him, and all I want to do is move out already. He’s more like a jobless stalker if you ask me” I confessed. Maybe I really needed to tell someone about my neighbour.

“Maybe i need to come down there and straighten his head with a few punches” he said, sounding dead serious. His words sent chills to my bile and made me want to throw up my small intestines.

I looked down at my goosebumps as they successfully reminded me of the first and second and third times Gerald had hit me like that, and made me promise not to tell anyone.

“No no no, Gerald, it’s okay. He doesn’t trouble me” I deadpanned. “He just happens to know a few things, that’s all”

“What does he look like?”

“I don’t know because I never meet his eyes but I can swear he’s a lot taller than you are, plus he’s more annoying too” I said, trying hard to hide whatever it was I was feeling at that moment.

“Should I blush or cry?” He was back in his room now, lying on his bed, and someone else was going out and shutting the door behind them. He’s signalling to them to be quiet because he’s on a call. I could hear everything even though he’s not loud, and i was not there.

Only Jessie knew about this ability of mine, and only her knew it worked only with my boyfriend.

“Does he do anything weird?”

“Yeah, like waving at me and leaving random notes in my doorknob. That’s all”

“What do those notes say?” Gerald was unplugging his earphones now, and texting the girl in the bathroom. I didn’t know what he’s saying but he’s probably asking her to come back into the room because he’s about to hang up with me. I wish he would just stop interviewing me about this new guy. Maybe i should not have told him

Now he would have reasons to visit me at will or consider moving permanently to Manhattan with me if only his whores would let him.

” You weren’t out last weekend, are you okay? And ‘I bet you have not made any friends in the neighbourhood yet? I see you are new here’. Who hits on a total stranger like that? Nothing scary, but it’s still scary.” I responded

“Don’t worry about the guy. If he poses a threat, please call the emergency ”

“Sure”

“I’ll talk to you after work tonight, love. Don’t forget your medicine, I don’t want you to have shrunk when I see you” he said, matter-of-factly as if he’d leave me if I lost any weight.

“Okay Gerald. Bye then. Have a nice day at work ” I retorted, hanging up first. I had to text Jessie for movie recommendations to distract myself after, or I’d be calling Monica the next minute.

I made a mental note to also visit the pharmacy later in the afternoon.