Running Into Figure Six

Rooney’s POV

“I have not been out of my apartment in two days not because I don’t want to work, but because I think I should be more of a psychologist than a CEO right now. The lady next door, Vanessa, no, Cla.. something.. Clarissa, yeah, should be Clarissa. She looked like she needed some talk plus a long understanding hug. But she thinks I’m a stalker or a bad guy. I wonder how much men must have hurt her , for her to think everyone else has a bad motive, just because they were being kind.

Maybe I stalk her, yes, but she has to know that I’m not close to being a bad guy. I stalk her because i’m curious about her. She moved here about three weeks ago and she seems to not be able to settle down. She has no curtains, and no rug in her living room.

She doesn’t cook too. I see her with her bag of cereals all the time, and I’ve offered her food in the last couple of days. She did not refuse any, so I know she really needed it.

I rarely see her call anyone, and i thought maybe she had no one. Or maybe I’m just delusional, but she looked pretty vulnerable every time I saw her.

I see it in her eyes. Greenish little cute things. I can tell the nature of what’s running through her mind just by peering into those eyes.

She’s very pretty with long black, wavy hair, green eyes, plus average height and weight i must confess, because that was so hard not to notice when she stared at me the other day and told me she didn’t want to be my friend.

I heard the hurt in her voice. I’m a psychologist, so I know she has something bothering her . It’s not really a job of mine, but it was my minor discipline in College.

It even feels like she ran away from home. I’m sure she has no one in New York and she’s just masking her emotions. Clarissa. Clarissa is her name, yeah, I should remember that. ”

Rooney Wayne stopped typing on his laptop when he heard a big bang on his door. It was unusual. No one ever knocked, especially not at fifteen minutes past 7 in the morning. He had to save the file and shut down quickly before dashing towards his front door.

It was Monday and being a early sleeper, he was already preparing for the gym. Work would have to happen in the afternoon.

The person who greeted him at his front door was the last person he was expecting at that moment, and especially not in the state she was. She looked very clean except for the bedclothes wrapped around her body, and her lips seemed to be moving a tad too strangely.

…..

CLARISSA’S POVExclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

“Err good morning, stranger” i ruffled my smooth, wavy hair and stared at everything but his eyes. She seemed to be observing my biceps. His eyes said, and that was so very true.

He looked at me from head to toe as if expecting me to say what I wanted or fuck off. I scratched my head, struggling to put my request into words- he was sometimes too intimidating for my liking .

“Are you okay? Do you need something?” He suddenly said, his voice not sounding as intimidating as he seemed.

I met his eyes that moment and they were darting around my body, like he badly wanted to yank off my bedclothes, so that he’d see what kinda dress I had underneath.

All of a sudden, i shut my eyes because I didn’t know how to look him in the eye yet, and then yelled “Pads! I need pads. Sanitary pads … umm.. yeah. I… I don’t know where the pharmacy is. Please”

Rooney stood there, looking too bewildered to respond.

His inviting turquoise eyes looked a little too large in their sockets, and I immediately realized my folly. How could this woman be asking him for pads? He must think I was insane like I was not already embarrassed asking a stranger- a tall-ass, intimidating man in particular- for sanitary pads.

Especially after asking him to not talk to me ever again a couple of days before.

“Sorry… I .. meant pans… I’ll need pans for my frying later tonight if you will lend me some. You see… I love frying a lot of err… eggs, meat, everything. Really. Really. Yeah.” i stuttered, scurrying away immediately but not without listening to a deep croaky laughter escape his mouth, as he watched me leave, and he could not stop laughing even when i got in, and ran out almost immediately towards the street.

I must have sounded really crazy. I, Clarissa must be too much character for him to take in.

I wanted to turn back and tell him nothing was funny but my voice started to break just then.

He must surely see me as some immature adult. Or a lonely round-butt pig.

I decided to run towards the street to find pads. I was only going to spend five minutes, nothing more, I promised myself, but I couldn’t go. My cramps was literally killing me.

When he turned to go back in, but caught a glimpse of me rushing into my apartment again, I knew he would come calling for me. He was kind like that.

“I’m fine. I’m just a little late for work, and I’m trying to get ready, is all.” I whispered when he stood at the door, watching me pretend to have it all together.

“You have another dress on” Rooney said, matter-of-factly. “And you’ve been weird this morning, talking about pans and frying, and running around the building

I waited to know if he acknowledged my request the other time because I really wasn’t going to repeat it.

I might just call Will and ask him to spare me today if he will let me, and I’ll stay in, crying myself to calm

“Please hold on a few minutes, i’ll be right back. You must really need PADS” He uttered, emphasising the ‘pads’ as if he was trying to deliberately rile me up.

A satisfied smile played on my lips when he said that, because twenty minutes and a few crampy displays later, I was on the road to Greens Hotels and Suites, and in my annoying neighbour’s car.