Elle walked around the room, taking a moment to appreciate all the small intricacies. When she stepped into the closet she realized how many clothes were hanging in it."How long are we staying here for?" She asked. Hadn"t their plans originally been to take a trip for a single day? Surely he didn"t prepare this many outfits for just twenty-four hours.
"For however long you want. We can stay for a week, a month. We can stay forever if you like."
"That sounds wonderful." She whispered as she wrapped her arms around Adam"s neck. "But how many did you plan on really?"
"Four." Adam replied with an apologetic smile. "I tried to arrange for a full week but MK has too many projects right now, I can"t afford to be gone for that long at a time."
"You don"t need to apologize. To begin with I was only prepared for a single day. Four whole days is a greater gift than I dared ask for."
~~
Meanwhile, back in the city, Abby was staring a hole into her phone. Things had been going so well with Jacob. She wasn"t sure exactly what happened for things to have become this strained between them. Was she just overthinking it?
After several minutes of going around in circles in her mind she finally worked up the courage to pick up her phone. Before she could chicken out she quickly typed a quick message.
"It"s been so long since we"ve seen each other. Do you want to get dinner together?" She wrote before throwing her phone onto her desk.
Abby anxiously awaited the reply.
"I don"t sound too clingy do I?" She wondered aloud. "Maybe he"ll think I"m blaming him? I shouldn"t have asked it that way."
"Boy troubles?" Her coworker asked with a laugh. "You"re so confident with your art. Be just as confident with this."
"That"s right. I"m a great catch, so why wouldn"t he want to see me? I should be confident." Her confidence managed to stand tall for only half a minute before crumbling. "Dating is too hard." She groaned.
Just then her phone lit up as Abby received a text message.
"Dinner sounds great. I"m almost finished at work; I"ll pick you up in a little bit?" Jacob asked.
Abby breathed a sigh of relief as she read it.
"See I told you." Her coworker said as she read the message over Abby"s shoulder. "Be confident."
"Right. Be confident." Abby repeated trying her best to muster up her courage. She touched her makeup and patiently waited for Jacob to come pick her up.
~~
Adam and Elle were about to enjoy dinner as well. They had opted for a home cooked meal. Elle prepared the side dishes while Adam cooked the main course. It was a safer arrangement that way.
They were almost finished when they heard a phone ring. Elle was setting the table while Adam was busy at the stove.
"Is that mine?" Adam asked. Both of his hands were currently occupied so Elle crossed the room to check for him but his phone"s screen was blank. Instead it was hers that was ringing.
"No it"s mine." Elle called out. She frowned as she looked at the caller ID. "Father" it read for a moment before the ringing stopped. Elle was debating whether she should bother calling back when she received a text message.
"I went to speak to you at your office today and found out you"re on vacation. You really should notify me of things like this before hand. Besides, isn"t it a little inappropriate to take a vacation the second your project finishes?" He asked.
A second message came a brief moment later. "We should talk properly. When your done with your vacation come back home."
"What"s wrong?" Adam asked when he looked over and saw her frowning down at her phone.
"Nothing." Elle said looking back up with a weak smile. She turned off her phone and put it away. "Nothing at all.
Abby was currently sitting down to dinner with Jacob. He seemed happy enough to go out with her tonight when he had texted her but now that they were together an awkward silence had fallen over the table.
"Be confident. Be confident. Be confident." Abby muttered in her own mind like a mantra until she finally she built up the courage to ask what was on her mind.
"What"s going on with you?" She boldly asked Jacob. "If you don"t want to see me you should just let me know."
Jacob, who had initially been surprised by her outburst, slowly a.s.sumed an apologetic face. "It"s not that."
"Then what is it?" Abby demanded.
"It"s just work."
"What happened?"
Jacob hesitated. He was reluctant to tell her. No one wanted to look bad in front of their significant other after all.
"Just tell me. Tell me or I"ll leave." Abby threatened, suddenly feeling a bold sense of courage.
"I just got into some trouble at work…" Jacob confessed. "…with Elle. She spoke to the director of my department and since then things have been awkward and tense for me at work. That"s all."
Abby felt relief wash through her like a wave. "So it really had nothing to do with me after all?"
"You should just talk to Elle. She"s a good person I"m sure she"ll be understanding."
Jacob clenched his jaw and forced a smile. "I"m sure you"re right."
Abby didn"t seem to notice the reluctance in him. "Of course I am; I know her so well. We"ve been friends for more than ten years now." She said proudly.
"She"s on vacation this week. Once she gets back I"ll sit down with her and give it a try."
"She"s on vacation?" Abby asked in surprise. She couldn"t recall the last time Elle had gone on a vacation.
Jacob saw the look of shock and confusion on his girlfriend"s face. "Or maybe you don"t know her that well after all." He said softly under his breath.