Levi was eager to get home after his job as a fitness instructor at the local gym. The day before, he and his girlfriend, Petra Ral, had one of their biggest arguments yet.
It was the late evening, and Petra had just finished making dinner for the two of them. "Levi, honey? Come eat!" she had called to him in the other room. The smell of spaghetti and meatballs filled the room, his absolute favorite. She had planned that, get him in a good mood, then bring up what she had found out today. Maybe that way it wouldn't turn out so bad.
Levi closed his laptop and got up from his desk, happy to take a break from his work. Every day, he created a list of exercises that him and his clients would work on. Sometimes it was exhausting, and he'd rather do anything than think about fitness for another second. Sure, it was one of his most favorite hobbies, but spending too much time on one thing made Levi get bored of it. He had to pace himself, especially with this, since it was his only way of making money. But sometimes, he spent too much of his free time on his work.
He stalked his way into the kitchen from the bedroom, and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend while she was turned away from him, burying his head into the crook of her neck. "Spaghetti? Smells great, babe," he murmured, kissing her cheek.
Petra grinned and guided his hands away from her waist. She grabbed both of their plates of spaghetti and made her way over to their dining room table, which wasn't very far. They lived in a one bedroom, one bath apartment. It was pretty small, but it was enough for only the two of them. And on the plus side, it was fairly cheap. Their neighbors weren't bothersome, so the couple thought it was a nice place to stay while they look for a house.
She set both plates on the table and pulled out her chair, beckoning Levi to come eat as she sat down. He nodded and sat in the seat in front of her, pulling his plate closer to him. Dinner began with small talk, mostly asking about each other's day, work, things like that. However, it was further into the meal when Petra brought up her observation.
"Levi, you're always working, honey. Every second of the day you're either on your computer, or at the gym. You need to take a break," she gave him a concerned look and moved her hand across the table, reaching for his.
"You know I have to do that in order for us to make money, how else are we gonna pay for a house? Money doesn't grow on trees, Petra," he warned, moving his hand away from hers. She frowned, clearly upset.
"I have a job, Levi. A good one, at that. You don't have to work so much, you know? I bring in some income too. I just wish we could spend more time together."
"Yes, Petra, I know. But have you ever thought for a second that maybe I like my job? Trust me, I try hard to pace myself when it comes to work, but fitness is a hobby of mine. It's the only thing that's been a constant my whole life, so could you please stop thinking about yourself and start thinking of my feelings too?" he asked, his tone getting more and more annoyed. She groaned and her hand retreated from his side of the table, and instead went up to cover her face instead.
"Levi, I'm not thinking about me! I'm thinking about us! You need to take a break and commit more to this relationship, your work isn't your whole life," Petra said through clenched teeth. Levi quickly stood up from his seat and sighed in annoyance.
"Stop telling me what to do Petra, that's all you ever do anymore! Nag, nag, nag. Criticize, criticize, criticize. I'm so sick of it, jesus christ," he argued, his voice getting louder by the second.
Petra countered, "I'm not criticizing you! I'm just voicing my opinion, for God's sake." She stood up from the table angrily and carried her empty plate to the kitchen. "You can sleep on the couch tonight," she muttered, "I'm sure you don't want to sleep next to someone who constantly criticizes you." With that, she sashayed away into their bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Levi closed the door of the gym behind him, locking it up for the night. Making his way to the car, he practiced his apology under his breath. Listen, Petra. I'm really sorry about what I said last night, I didn't mean any of it. Or, at least, not all of it… No, Levi. You'll just start another fight if you say that. He sighed and decided to just wing it, as he opened up his car door and started it up, making his way back to the apartment.