Chapter 9

Mel

Stupid shit… I glanced at the box of weed standing on the shelf. It was too early to have a second spliff today. I turned back to the phone lying next to me. Should I text Nina? She was probably busy, she had her own life.

I got up and walked out to the kitchen. Coffee. Coffee and a run, that would help me get my thoughts back on track. I took a sip of the cold coffee standing on the table and tried to ignore the phone as I walked into the bedroom. Had she really wanted to go on that lunch with me, or had she simply said yes to be polite? Not that I would ask her, and anyway, she didn’t talk much. She was… different. Compared to all the bastards around, she…wasn’t like them.

Stupid shit, I shouldn’t think about it. She probably didn’t want to see me again anyway. I grabbed my running gear and got dressed. A jog would get me sorted.

I locked the door behind me and hurried down the stairs. At least her flat lay far away from mine, so I wouldn’t risk running into her. I set out, and soon the steady rhythm of my steps took me to the place that was the very reason I ran. One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four. My breathing slowed down to a solid flow, and soon, only that and my steps could be heard.

I took the street past the park and cut across the road to get to the abandoned industrial area. One of the few places I could run in peace without encountering any idiots.

I got back an hour later, took a shower and then sank down on the sofa, flipping through the channels. What now…? I glanced at the phone. No, I shouldn’t text her. I stared out into the room. I should finish my latest painting, but I couldn’t be bothered. The bastards would just have to wait. Then what? I took my bag and phone. The bar. It was probably too early for anyone to be around, but maybe I was lucky. I locked the door behind me. At least it wasn’t far.

I was lucky, and Miriam was sitting at a table. I walked over to her.

“Hey…”

“Mel!”

She smiled as she saw me. At least she didn’t seem bothered by our last night together.

“It was a while. How you doing?”

“You know, things are going”

She leaned over the table.

“Congrats on your next exhibition. I’m out of town then, but I’m sure it will be a good one”

I nodded in response.

“Thanks”

I ordered a beer. I hadn’t drunk one yesterday, so I guess that meant I could have two today.

“So, what you’re up to?”

She continued to tell me the latest gossip and gave me an update on who had broken up and who had got together. Not that I cared, but time passed at least. I didn’t have much to do anyway. By the time I’d ordered my third beer, she got up.

“I gotta go. I’ll see you later”

“Sure”

She left, and I stared out the window. I wondered what Nina was doing now. Working, probably. I glanced down at my bag. No, I shouldn’t text her. She had probably even forgotten about me by now. I took a sip of my beer and stared out the window. I wondered what had happened to her to be so severely burned. Not that I would ask. I downed the last of the beer, got up. I wondered for a moment if the music bar would be open, but no, it was too early.

The flat was dark when I came home. I turned on the TV and slumped down on the sofa. I could always rewatch Mike Tyson's greatest knockouts. I glanced at the phone. Would she think it was weird if I texted her? I stared at the screen and then picked up the phone.

‘Hey, what are you up to? Hope you’ve had a good day’

I pressed send. Damn, I shouldn’t have done it. She will think I’m just intruding on her life. Why didn’t I simply forget about it? I stared at the TV when the phone pinged.

‘I'm good. How are you?’

My hand started to tremble. Dammit, what was I doing? Stupid shit.

‘Not much, just watching TV’

I pressed send and threw the phone on the sofa. I shouldn’t have done it. What if she didn’t think she could say no and simply replied out of politeness?