Flustered

(Ch. 6) Adam's POV

 

            UGH!

            Adam could not seem to concentrate. He slammed his pencil down and threw his head back, slumping in his chair. Yesterday, Zoey had tried to hook him up with her friend Bethany, but he would have none of it. He had to admit that Bethany was a pretty girl, what with her long, wavy black hair, thin frame, pale skin, and red lips, but Adam did not want to get involved with a girl he felt no particular attraction for, much less barely knew.

            He sighed. Today was Zoey’s day off, so she was not here. He had yelled at Zoey before they had their lunch break yesterday, and once they got back, she had ignored him the rest of the day. Adam never felt this guilty about anything before... looking back on the incident, he realized that she was just trying to be nice to him. Being as callous as he is, he did not let anyone in, and usually ended up hurting people because of that. Normally, it did not bother him that much... but for some reason, this time, it did. Adam reluctantly scooted back and opened a drawer to search for his copy of the employee contact list. He resolved to go by Zoey’s after work and apologize.

* * * * *

 

            Looking back on the little swatch of paper he had written Zoey’s address on, Adam got off the bus in front of a tall apartment complex. Room 216. Adam greeted the doorman and walked in. Once inside, he took the elevator to the second floor, not feeling like walking the two flights of stairs up to her unit. One right and two lefts later, he found himself in front of Zoey’s door. He hesitantly knocked, half-hoping she wouldn’t answer. As he recited in his head what he was going to tell her, the door opened and in front of Adam stood Bethany.

            Bethany seemed surprised to see Adam.  “Oh... hi.”

            “Er... hey. Is... Zoey there?”

            “Uh... ” she looked behind her, as if checking for approval. “Yeah. Come on in.”

            As Adam stepped into the small apartment, Bethany added, “Oh she’s on the phone... just... wait there.” She pointed towards a worn-out tan couch. Adam sat down, looking around. In front of the couch was a small coffee table and a little television set. To the left was what he presumed was the path to the bedroom, and to the right was the kitchen. Right outside that area was a round table and a few chairs. Zoey sat in one of the chairs, talking on her cell phone, her back towards them. Adam stared at her, trying to figure out the implications of her posture. She seemed... perturbed about something, but he could not hear what she was saying, nor did he know who she was talking to. Suddenly, she turned and looked at him, her face one of disappointment. Adam quickly looked away, unable to bear her expression.

Bethany, who had been standing awkwardly to the side, walked over to Zoey and mouthed, “I’m going to leave.” Zoey frowned, told the person on the other line to hold on, and said, “Beth! You’re leaving? Now?”

“Yeah... I should head out. My flight’s in a couple of hours and it seems like you’ll be busy... ” she said, glancing at Adam.

Zoey frowned again, sighed, and gave her friend a big hug. “I’ll miss you, Beth. Sorry I can’t see you out... I’ll come and visit some time!”

Bethany smiled at her friend and nodded. She disappeared to the left side of the apartment and soon reemerged with her luggage. She walked to the door and placed her hand on the doorknob, turning around to wave goodbye to her friend. Zoey waved back and continued talking. Adam kept his eyes glued to his feet, but he noticed Bethany’s final glance at him in his peripherals. He looked up briefly, seeing her sad smile, and with that, she was out the door and gone. Without Bethany to act as a buffer for what Adam was sure would be a thoroughly awkward conversation with Zoey, he settled deeper into his coworker’s couch and tried his best to organize the thoughts swirling in his mind.

 

Author's Note

Let me know what you think! :)