Regrets
"So, tell me, why do you want to go back to the asylum? Why do you feel this way?"
Mindy is sitting across from her therapist. She sighs, smiling a little.
"Why can't I feel like I can answer that?" Mindy asks him.
The therapist shrugs his shoulders, waiting for her to continue to speak.
Mindy takes in the cigarette that is between two of her fingers in her left hand. Puffing out smoke, she continues by saying, "It's a hard thing, really. When you are imagining yourself with someone you love, but they are not really there, other people will think I'm insane, right? Is it normal to scream at a bus, imagining someone is there, but they're not?"
"Mindy, is this true? Who is this person you are thinking about?"
"Yes, it's true," Mindy tells him. She then looks up at him. "It's an inkling I had a conversion with in an elevator one time. He seems so nice and understanding. I just wish I could talk to him, but I'm thinking he's going to hate me. After that, I started to become delusional about him, making him a part of my mind." She then sighs, now feeling embarrassed. "Is it normal to think of someone this way?" She looks down at her lap.
The therapist hums. "Is it like a friendship, or something more?"
"It's love," she said. "When I saw him walking down towards his apartment, I did something similar to what he did."
Mindy then points a finger gun to her head with her right hand. "This is what he did. And his voice, I just wish I could listen to it over and over again."
"Are you by any chance having a crush on him?"
"What do you mean by that?" she questions him.
"You are telling me you have a fascination with this guy, right?" The therapist grabs a notebook, opening it. He starts to write down some notes with a pen in his right hand.
Mindy nods. "Yes, even though I kind of met him. I have been fond of him. I just want him to free me from this cruel world I live in."
"Do you know how he lives his life?"
"He seems to have a good life, like having a job. I don't have that anymore," Mindy said. "The only thing is that I can only be delusional about how he is with me, so I really don't know how he is with other people."
The therapist puts his notebook down on his desk. "Mindy, I don't know what to say. I say that you must have a crush on this guy, but I believe you maybe have become obsessed over him."
"Obsessed over him?" Mindy looks at the therapist almost with a glare. "I don't think I am."
"Well, by what you are telling me, it seems to be that way."
Mindy nods. "Okay."
Taking in another smoke from the cigarette, Mindy gets up from her chair.
"Thanks for the talk, sir." She puffs out smoke from her lips.
"You are very welcome, Mindy."
Walking out of the elevator, Mindy looks down the hall.
She knows his apartment is a little far from hers. She really wants to get to know him.
She then gasps, pacing towards her apartment.
Sitting at her desk, she begins to write a letter. She smiles as she's writing, feeling proud of herself.
After a moment, she is finally done. She looks down at the letter.
The letter reads:
Hey.
I would love to get to know you a lot more than those times we spend together with short small talk. Would you mind coming over to my apartment sometime if you are free to?
My apartment room is 8J.
Thank you for reading this, it makes me happy.
From,
Mindy
Mindy smiles, head hung back. She then gets up and starts to fold the letter in half, covering the words.
She then walks out of her apartment.
As she walks down the hall, she sees him.
"Hey!" she calls out.
The inkling jumps, looking down the hall.
Mindy walks over to him. "I just wanted to give you something, sorry."
"Really? At this late in the evening?" He sounded annoyed. Bags were under his eyes.
"Sorry, here."
Mindy hands him the folded piece of paper. She looks at him, smiling wide.
"No thanks, I'm good. Thank you for the offer though, miss." He unlocks his apartment door.
"Are you forgetting something?" Mindy says playfully, shaking the paper in her hands.
This is getting awkward. Don't do that again.
"I said no, now can I go inside my apartment and sleep?" he groaned.
Mindy looks down at the tile floor. She mutters to herself.
The male inkling enters his apartment, rolling his eyes.
As the door closes, Mindy places the letter in front of his door, giggling softly.
"Guess he must be cranky, then," Mindy tells herself. "Hopefully this will cheer him up in the morning."
The next morning.
Mindy is sleeping in her bedroom.
A knock at the front door.
Mindy groans, slowly getting up. She slides off the bed, rubbing her eyes.
"Who is it?" she asks, walking towards the door. She opens it, seeing the inkling from down the hall, holding her letter.
"Hey, are you the one that left this at my door?" he asked.
"Yes, please, come on in," Mindy says, inviting him in.
He sighs, walking in.
Closing the door, Mindy locks it.
The inkling looks at her apartment. "Nice place you got here."
"Thank you." Mindy smiles, walking over to the couch. "Sorry that I'm wearing my PJ's but, I just got up."
"It's alright." The inkling walks over to the couch, sitting down.
Mindy sits down next to him.
"So, you wanted to get to know me?"
"Yes. I've been thinking about that ever since the first time I saw you. How are you?"
The inkling shrugs his shoulders, looking around the living room. "I've been having my ups and downs. You?"
"Me too. Sometime during my last weeks, I've been fired from my job."
"That's awful. Why were you fired?"
Lie, to save your life.
"They said I wasn't funny enough."
The inkling gives her a confused look. "Really? That's a dumb reason."
Mindy giggles. "I know, right?" She then starts to stare at him, holding back the urge to say something out of the blue, to hold his hand, anything.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"My name is Mark, yours?"
"I'm Mindy." She holds out her hand.
The two shake hands with each other.
Mindy blushed lightly, feeling heat on her cheeks.
Mark pulled back his hand. Mindy let go of his hand quickly before she could do something insane.
Don't do anything that will make him less fond of you.
"I'm sorry," Mindy stutters, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm not good at talking with others. Being isolated does things to you."
"Well, do you have any friends, Mindy?" Mark asked.
"Yes, but they are really only my co-work buddies, that's all." Mindy tries to smile, it feels forced on her lips. "They don't hang out with me that much after work."
Mark nods, listening. He then looks down at her middle, seeing her rib cage slightly showing through her tank top.
"Hey, I just wanted to ask. You don't have to answer, if you don't have to."
Mindy looks at him, confused.
Mark breathes in and out softly. "Are you alright? Your rib cage is showing."
Mindy's eyes widened. She turns away from him, embarrassed. "I know it is," she stutters, wrapping her arms around her middle, trying to hide it.
Mark looks at her, concerned. "I'm kind of worried. Do you need something to eat? I can bring you some food, if you need it."
Mindy looks back at with a sad smile on her lips. "That would be great, thank you."
Mark gets up as he smiles. He unlocks the door, walking down the hall to his apartment.
After a moment, he returns to her apartment, holding a small bag. Mindy gets up, closing and then locking the door yet again.
"Here is some food to help you get through with your empty stomach," Mark tells her, placing the bag on one of the kitchen counters.
Mindy walks over to the bag, looking through it.
"There is some meat, some sweets, almost anything you need," Mark explains. "Hopefully you won't rush through the food. But, you can tell me if you run out, I will be happy to get food from the market."
Mindy pulls out a small chocolate bar. She smiles, looking at him.
"Now, can we go back to chatting?" he asks, walking back over to the couch.
Mindy sighs softly to herself, walking back to the couch with the bar in her left hand.
Sitting down, she unwraps the bar, opening it.
"Thank you," Mindy says before she takes a bite out of the bar.
"You are very welcome."
Taking a bite, Mindy hums with a smile. She hasn't tasted something except cigarettes in a while.
"I'm glad you are enjoying it," Mark said. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"
Mindy gulps. "I don't know how to start this but, I'm trying to become a comedian."
Mark chuckles lightly. "Really? That sounds great. Do you have any jokes to tell?"
Mindy nods, getting up from her seat. She takes the notebook from the desk and sits back down on the couch. Mark looks down at the notebook.
"Do you want me to hold it? Since you are eating."
Mindy quickly gives him the notebook.
Mark opens it, looking through the pages. He smirks, chuckling softly at some of the jokes she wrote down.
Mindy feels herself becoming embarrassed yet again.
It's a great thing I'm talking to him. I'm becoming more in love with him.
"These are pretty good, Mindy." He hands her back the notebook.
"Thank you," she tells him softly, crossing her legs. She places the notebook beside her.
As she takes another bite, Mark starts to lean back on the couch. "I gotta say, this is a more comfy place to be. It's not as crowded and it's organized."
"You think so?"
Mark looks over at her. "Yeah, it is."
"You can come by my apartment whenever you want, Mark. I'm not going to stop you," Mindy says.
I want to tell him how much I love him!
"Thanks for the invitation," Mark smirks. He sits back up. "I'm shocked nobody comes by your apartment. You are a really nice gal."
Just say it!
Mindy becomes speechless.
"What is it? Cat got your tongue?" Mark laughs.
"No," Mindy stutters. "I just have," she pauses.
Mark looks at the clock on one of the walls in the living room. "I need to go, but I really want to stay."
"So stay," Mindy tells him.
Mark smirks yet again. "And lose my job? Damn, you are naughty."
Mindy laughs, blushing red. She grips her neck, trying to hold it down. She coughs, the laugh slowly ending.
"You can leave, Mark. I'm not trying to do anything to make you stay."
Mark stands up with a sigh. Mindy stands up, following him to the door.
"Well, it was nice talking to you, Mindy. Hopefully we do something like this again," Mark told her, unlocking the door.
"Wait, can I just say something?"
Mark looks at her, softly humming.
"I hope you never regret me."
Mark's eyes widened. "Why would I ever regret meeting you?"
Mindy is now silent.
"Don't regret anything that happened between us, Mindy. I'm alright, you are alright. Don't get so down on yourself to make others smile and laugh."
Mindy nods. "Yeah, you are right."
"Do you need something? From me, a friend?"
What does he mean by that?
Mark suddenly hugs her. Mindy tries not to stumble, wrapping her arms around him.
The two stand like this for a moment.
Mindy has never felt so close to a person like this. Her heart is beating fast against the inkling's chest.
The two then let go of each other.
"Well, see you later, maybe." Mark unlocks the door, leaving her apartment.
Mindy stands there, frozen. "Yeah, later."
