She has my phone number. I stared at my phone and reread the text. Oh shit, which of my business cards did she take?! I frantically clawed at the inside pocket of my blazer, heart racing. I pulled out one of the business cards and let out a relieved sigh. This one just said my name and contact details. I had new ones made recently which stated my job and the law firm I worked at. Thankfully I hadn't swapped them out yet.
Why thankfully? It's not like you're going to see her again. Who cares what she knows. I dropped the business card on the passenger seat and sighed. What was wrong with me? Why did my mind keep going back to the girl, and why did I keep assuming I'd see her again?
I turned the key and started the car. I just needed to get home, take a shower.
As soon as I opened the door to my apartment, I heard loud meowing. A slight smile played around my mouth. "Hey Max, hey Sitron!" I bent down to scratch the cats behind the ears. "You won't believe the night I've had." I walked further into the apartment, heels clicking on the wooden floor. I took off my blazer and dropped it on the white couch, followed by myself. The cats immediately jumped up onto the couch and started climbing on me.
Max came up to my face and licked my chin. I giggled and gently pushed him off. Sitron quickly curled himself on my lap and started staring at me with his dark eyes. His fur had a beautiful light brown colour, almost the colour of straw. Max on the other hand was completely white. I looked back at Sitron. "Oh, so you want to hear the story?" He just blinked at me slowly, his nails digging into my skirt contently. "Okay then, I'll tell you guys. I went out after work, because Mr. Holter had been riding me down all day..."
By the time I finished my story both cats were sleeping on my lap, a large ball of white and brown fur. Max was using Sitron's hind quarters as a pillow and vice versa - it was a little kitty yin yang. I smiled as I looked down on them. I kind of wanted to get up and take a shower, but I didn't want to disturb the cats... so I just rested my head back on the couch. I had enjoyed telling my story, but now everything was quiet again. The white walls were quite empty and unyielding. I looked to my left, where a nice modern kitchen was staring back at me from a slightly raised platform. I rarely used the thing. I enjoyed cooking, but cooking for just yourself was such a waste of time.
The wooden floor was one of the things I enjoyed most about the apartment. It was dark and had a prominent grain. Some days I liked to just lie down on the floor, tracing the patterns with my fingers. It usually ended with Max and Sitron chasing my hands around.
I looked straight ahead at the television set. It consisted of a rather large flat screen TV, complete with sound system and blu-ray player. Like the kitchen, I rarely used it. I was more of a reader, but I made quite some money as a corporate lawyer and I did enjoy shopping. Just the sensation of owning something new, standing in a store and spending money... It made me feel happy. The glass coffee table in between me and the TV had been one such purchase. It was a beautiful table though. It sat on a dark red rug... which had been an impulse purchase as well. I really needed to get my shopping urges in check.
To my right was a large bookcase, which I used more often. It was filled with books of all shapes and sizes and I'd read all of them. I really needed to get out to buy some more, but the case was full... maybe I should buy a new bookcase as well. There was plenty of wall space left in the large rectangular room.
I looked down at my lap again. The cats hadn't moved, but I should really get up. I was still feeling very dirty and grainy, like I'd been sleeping in a bed full of sand. I didn't think Anna kept her room that filthy so it must be the hangover. Whatever it was, I really wanted a shower.
Carefully, I slid my arms underneath the two cats until they were lying on my lower arms instead of my lap. I gently lifted them up and placed them on the couch cushion to my left. Max looked up at me with an accusation in his eyes. "Sorry," I whispered.
I enjoyed the feeling of the soft towel on my skin. I had scrubbed myself down until my skin saw red and the salt in the scrub started stinging. I ended with a freezing shower, as I always did. It left me feeling fresh and awake, as opposed to hot water. I didn't really like baths either, for the same reason. Always made me feel a bit hot and uneasy. I did own a bath, because it came with the apartment, but I never used it. The shower stall, however... It had natural stone on three sides and a glass door on the fourth. It was a rain shower, and very well used. It was not uncommon for me to take two showers a day.
As I lived up on the 21st floor and my windows didn't look out onto any other flats, I just wrapped my hair in a towel and walked out of the bathroom. The cats were still sleeping on the couch. Had they waited up for me to come home last night? I shook my head. They're cats.
I moved into my bedroom, where a queen sized bed with white sheets stood in the middle of the room. The bedroom wasn't huge but allowed enough space for two closets. I opened them and wondered what I'd wear that day. I checked the clock on my night stand. It was one in the afternoon. It felt like I had been awake for at least thirty hours already, so much had happened...
I slipped on a pair of jeans and a dark green blouse. I enjoyed how the colour stood out against my hair. Ever since I had been young I enjoyed wearing dark clothes to set off my hair. I still did it.
I rubbed my hair off with the towel and dropped it on the floor. I'd clean it up later. I grabbed my laptop and moved back to the living room, where I sat back down on the couch. Max immediately got up and wanted to climb back up onto my lap, whilst Sitron remained comatose. Max complained loudly when I put the laptop on my lap however, taking up his intended space. "Come on Max, I need to get some work done." When I opened up my laptop and the email client started reprimanding me for not checking my messages for too long, I realised I couldn't be bothered to do any work right now. I sat there on the couch, wondering what I could get up to, when my mind wandered back to last night yet again.
"Forget it, Elsa. Just forget it." I opened up my browser and it showed me Google. Without thinking I entered 'Anna' in the search field and hit enter. It showed me a few Wikipedia pages. I quickly hit backspace to return to the homepage, but it just removed the last letter from my search query. Continuingly hitting backspace didn't help so I quickly closed the entire browser by hitting alt-F4.
Oh my god what if she googles my name. My eyes opened wide. Then I quickly shook my head. Who cares if she finds out you're way too old for her. You're never going to see her again, remember? Just to make sure I googled myself, and found several articles about my dad from a while back, and a mention on the law firm's website. I sighed and pushed down the screen.
I put down my laptop and got up to make myself a cup of tea. The quiet of the apartment pressed down on me and as I stared at the kettle, urging it to boil, I realised I didn't want to stay inside today. I wanted to go out to a bistro to get a cup of coffee, not sit on the couch with my two cats wasting the day away.
By the time the kettle shut itself off, the water audibly boiling, I was lying on the couch with my head on a pillow. The cats immediately took advantage of the situation and curled themselves onto my abdomen and hips. Max stretched himself, digging his claws into my hip and I told him off. It didn't do much though.
"Let's see..." I opened my phone's contact list. I scrolled past my co-workers, my boss didn't even come into consideration. Heavens knew where my brother was – but I told myself I didn't care, either. "I haven't seen Belle in a long time," I told myself. But she's moved in with that guy now, wasn't she pregnant as well? And Jasmine has gone to the middle-east for that volunteer project of hers... building a hospital? No she's a nurse, so she's nursing there. Or both. I frowned, whilst keeping on scrolling. When I hit the last name however, it struck me. You don't have anyone to hang out with, no-one to call. Well, shit.
My mind wandered to Kristoff and Sven and the relaxed atmosphere there. I dropped my phone next to me on the couch and stared at the ceiling. We could just watch a movie. It didn't have to be anything grand or weird. Just a movie and some popcorn.
But you'd most likely - no, definitely - see Anna. I rested my arm over my eyes and sighed. I couldn't go back there. I used my free arm to pet Sitron, who walked up and sniffed my face. I looked up at him and smiled sadly. "I'm fine, Sitron. I'm fine."
Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.
