The dinner went quiet, which seemed good for me. Neither Dave looked in my direction the whole time, nor did he try to make conversation with me, to which I was grateful.
Linda, on the other hand, tried to make short conversations with Dave, to which he answered with just one or two short sentences.
At last, Linda helped him take his medicine and made him go back into his room to rest. Overall, the dinner went well, and I prayed to God that every day should go in the same manner.
As I entered my room, I got back to my work. Turning on my laptop, I started to continue working on my story. Putting on my earbuds, I played my writing playlist.
My fingers started to run fast on the keyboard.
Time passed by as I kept working on my story, getting closer to completing my first act. God knows how much time had gone by when someone patted my shoulder, almost making me jump from my seat.
Taking off my one pod, as I looked back, Linda stood there with a stern look on her face.
"Why did you not respond when I called you multiple times?" She asked, crossing her hands on her chest. I looked back at the door, which was now slightly open.
Pulling my other earbuds, I showed it to her, "I did not answer because I was listening to the music."
She palmed her face as she shook her head, "God protect us from these weird technologies." The corner of my lips curved into a small smile listening to her response.
Linda was always an inquisitive person. She loved to explore every set of fields except for technology.
She still prefers to read from books over the screen. This was also the reason Dave did not modify his apartment, keeping everything manual.
I could still remember when Dave ordered a new washing machine because the old one stopped working. It almost took one whole month to get familiar with all the new features.
One time, she mixed up the instructions and ended up starting the "extra hot, extra long, practically boil your clothes to death" cycle.
Poor Dave’s favorite sweater came out three sizes smaller. He looked like he’d borrowed it from a grumpy toddler.
Linda, of course, just shrugged and said, "At least now it’s easier to fold."
I could not help but chuckle at the old memories as I stated, "God, Linda. You are just impossible."
Her scowl deepened as she waved her hand dismissively, "Okay, but I was calling you to inform you that I was now going."
I raised my eyebrow as I glanced at the wall clock. God, it was almost seven in the evening.
I did not realize how much time I had spent. I blinked as I glanced at my phone, confirming if I was not imagining. I was still lost in my thoughts when her voice pulled me back to reality.
"Dinner is already ready, so eat it up now with Dave." As she said the last part, a smug look appeared on her face.
Her eyes sparkled with something weird. Somewhere, I knew what she was trying to imply.
I could feel my face heat up recalling that day dream, which I quickly shook off my head and replied, trying my best to be unaware of her word’s hidden meaning, "Fine, I will do that."
She did not seem satisfied with her response as her brows furrowed. She smacked my arm playfully as she again stated, "You two better eat it now, and I should not see any leftover behind or else..."
She wanted to say more, but before she could complete her sentence, her phone buzzed from her handbag.
Fortunately, her focus shifted as I sighed in relief. Juggling into her bag, she successfully retrieved her phone.
Almost shoving up the screen in my face, she said, "See, if it was not for this fool, I would have stayed longer."
Pulling myself further, my eyes fell on the screen. The name PIA flashed in big bold letters. I furrowed at the name when she saw my confusion and explained, "It’s my husband who is also a pain in my a*s."
I raised my eyebrows, knowing the reason. It was weird and cute at the same time when she picked up the call.
"What is it?" Without any proper greeting, she asked the question with clear frustration.
There was a pause, the faint sound of a man’s voice crackling through as if he felt terrified while having a conversation with her.
Listening to the other side, her eyes widened, turning almost the size of a pan, as she snapped, "You did what?" With that, her never-ending scolding started making me feel sorry for that poor man.
She was about to calm down when again the voice came from the other side to which she responded with a hiss, "Okay, okay, I am coming right now."
Before he could give a reply, she roughly hung up the call and almost threw her phone back into her handbag.
She massaged her head with her hand as she spoke, "You see what I have to deal with every day."
Not daring to comment on her response, I just nodded silently. She then turned back, already walking out of the room, "I am leaving now, don’t forget to eat."
"We would not dare," I whispered out, clearly not having the guts to actually say this as my reply to her face.
Cracking my knuckles, stretching my arms, as my eyes unknowingly fell on the wall clock. It was almost dinner time. Also, Dave has to take his medicine on time.
He did not try to approach me after lunch, so he might have forgotten about his words about having a conversation with me.
Also, I cannot hide from him always which I desperately wanted to do. So, here I was again standing in front of his room. Hopefully, I won’t day dream again and surely not about him and his white towel.