Chapter 2

Confusion and Anxiety. These are the two words that travel through his mind on and off. In capital letters because that is the resonance they have in him these past few days.

Why?

He doesn't know. He just knows that suddenly, one morning, he woke-up with a horrible headache and the terrible feeling that he had lost something, or someone. After a few days of feeling anxious, he tried talking to Nate and Serena. They couldn't give him answers; that he knew, but he hoped they could help him make sense of all this nonsense and when was the last time he could think straight?

His writing was the first to go. He wasn't really surprised, he kind of expected it. Between his own anxiety and everyone around him avoiding his questions, he couldn't get anything into paper.

In his debacle, he even tried contacting Vanessa. She was always the friend that made sense, which even so slightly reassured him. Suffice to say she was ecstatic to see him and Dan had to admit he was happy as well. Except, after a few minutes he wasn't too happy because even Vanessa wasn't able to make him feel calm again. He noticed she wanted to help, she really did; but something was stopping her.

Dan tried to get things back to normal, and it finally seemed to work because he didn't felt anxious anymore. He believed this fading of his anxiety was not only relaxing him but the people around him. Nate and Serena began to invite him to brunch again and even hang with him on weeknights. And when he tells them about an exhibition he wants to check out or a film he wants to see, they surprisingly always want to come with him.

His dad tells him that he should try dating or at least to put himself out there. Dan doesn't want to, he can't explain why but he just doesn't feel like he should. It may seem a bit strange but Dan feels that he is betraying someone. He doesn't understand why because he hasn't dated in a long time.

Instead, he takes refuge in Vanessa. Is all platonic, he states that and she understands. In fact, she tells him all about her life since they parted ways. She tells him that she is doing very well and that she is actually starting a new film project. When he asks her how she managed to find a decent script she tells him that she somehow got lucky and found one of the best screenwriters of their generation and they have been dating ever since. Dan wants to tell her it is dangerous to mix romance with work, but he doesn't. He doesn't want to upset Vanessa now that they have found common ground.

Dan finally gets to a comfortable place. Everything is normal and he even starts writing again. Nothing serious, just short stories. He experiments with essays and he starts to like it. He e-mails Alessandra one of them and she pursues him to write more. Maybe they could publish a compilation. He likes the idea.

This is exactly what Dan is doing one afternoon, just writing. He's in his zone with his black coffee at hand when he hears it. A knock on the door. And another. And another one more desperate than the last two. He doesn't want to answer it because he is very concentrated but the knocks have already disturbed him so he gets up and opens the door.

There she is. Well, he doesn't know who she is but the woman in front of him has a really strong presence. She starts yelling at him, asking him why he hasn't returned her calls.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Miss…?" Dan tells her.

"Humphrey, don't pretend you don't know my name! I get it, I get that you are mad and hurt but you can't ignore me, I have suffered enough this past weeks without you. Let's talk this out, solve this like the adults we are."

"I don't have any idea what you are talking about."

"Dan, please" he could hear the desperation in her voice.

"I'm so sorry, but really, I am not playing dumb here. I don't know who you are and I don't know what you are talking about and please can you get out of my place because you are really creeping me out." He tells her and Dan kind of regrets what he says when he sees the sadness in her eyes but he stands by it because she does scares him a bit.

"Dan, please." The woman is crying now and he doesn't know what to do. "How many times I have to tell you I'm sorry? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry I yelled at you, I'm so sorry I compared you with Chuck. I let my anger talk and I don't feel that way, I know you think I left you that night for him, but I didn't!"

"You really need to leave."

"Do not change the subject! I am apologizing but you ought to apologize as well. We both said things we regret. I know I regret them. Dan, let us talk, don't ignore this, don't ignore us."

All right. He had heard enough. This woman was not leaving his loft anytime soon and he knew it. "If you don't leave I'm calling the police." He tells her and that doesn't affect her in the slightest so he gets kind of desperate and says to her: "If you don't leave I'll ask for a restraining order!" That seems to make the deal because after saying this, she leaves.

The visit unsettles him, and for the first time in weeks, he doesn't sleep well.