Paint Yourself a Picture, Something Perfectly Obscure
5
“Hey it’s okay” Jack said as he grabbed my arm but I couldn’t breathe, I started to shake and he looked worried and then put himself between me and the road and walking quicker to my house “Where are your keys?” he asked and I took them out my pocket and he grabbed them unlocking my door and pulling me inside with him.
He threw my keys down before looking at me and I tried to calm down “Dillon it’s okay, take deep breaths. Okay? Your home it’s fine,” he said still holding my arm and he pulled me with him looking in the rooms until he found the lounge and he sat me down before walking off and coming back with a glass of water.
“Here” he said handing me it and I drank it before setting the glass down my hands still shaking but feeling better since I was in the safety of my house. “Are you okay?” he asked and I nodded slowly “Sorry” I offered and he shook his head “It’s okay, what’s up?” he asked. “Nothing I’m fine” I lied and he raised his eyebrows.
“I know fine and that’s not it plus I also recognise a panic attack when I see one, what’s up?” he asked and I sighed, well this was awkward. I’d have to tell the truth and he’d think I was weird plus it wasn’t something I told people, most people knew about what’d happened to me but very few talked about it.
They all knew where I’d been recently and why they’d not seen me in a year but nobody asked about it, “Dillon” he said and I nodded “I’m…I don’t like…” I trailed off and he nodded. “You don’t like what? Me?” he asked and I smiled “No your nice I don’t like being outside much” I admitted and he looked at me like I’d said the strangest thing ever, which I guess it was unless you knew.
“Outside?” he asked and I nodded “Yeah, remember I said I’d seen a lot of Disney movies in the last year?” I asked and he nodded “That’s because I never left the house” I admitted and his eyes widened and he tried to cover his shock “But how come you knew where everything was, that bars had opened and shops had moved?” he asked and I smiled “My friends tell me and I’ve been going out for around 3 months now so I’ve got to know places again” I admitted.
“Is that why you don’t have a job?” he asked and I nodded “Can’t work much if you won’t leave your own house” I said smiling and he nodded “Why agree to go out with me then?” he asked, “I’ve been okay, I’m fine normally but it was just rush hour” I explained. “The people?” he asked and I shook my head. “Sorry” I said and he smiled “It’s okay you should’ve said and I’d have not made you come outside or we could’ve gone somewhere indoors or something” he said.
“No it’s okay, sorry I freaked out” I said and he nodded “Really it’s okay, are you okay now?” he asked and I nodded as my cat wandered in and jumped up onto my knee before deciding Jack looked more interesting and walking over me to get to him “Hey” Jack said petting her and I smiled. “How friendly is your cat” he said and I smiled “She’s used to me being around all the time so she gets lonely now I go out more, she’s a people cat not like them ones that don’t really like attention, her names tiger” I said and he smiled as she laid on his lap.
He looked at me and I was hoping he’d not ask why, “Is it outside in general?” he asked and I shook my head “No not anymore, I just hate traffic and cars and all that sort of thing” I admitted and he nodded “Sorry I made you go out in it” he said and I smiled “It’s fine” I said and he nodded.
His phone rang and he answered, “What’s up?” he asked and he started to laugh, “You’re the definition of dumbass, of course she’d get angry with you!” he said rolling his eyes. “You really thought she’d take that well? She’s a girl you don’t say things that blunt to them especially when she’s your girlfriend. Your supposed to be charming and soften the blow a bit not just say it out right” he said laughing.
“She hasn’t? Well I’d say that’s a valid punishment” he said “Dude no your wrong you don’t do that to a girl. No you’re wrong, hang on” he said looking at me. I noticed him press the hold button “If a guy said to you that you’d gotten fat, that you weren’t like you used to be and that if you looked like this when you first met he’d have never kissed you what would you do?” he asked.
“Hurt him badly” I said and he smiled “Kick him out the house?” he asked and I nodded “Possibly” I replied and he smiled as he took the phone off hold “Yeah you deserve it, I asked someone” he said looking proud that he was right. “Well what do you want me to do about it?” he asked and he laughed, “Okay give me a few minutes and I’ll swing by home and come pick you up,” he said hanging up.
“And kicking him out is exactly what she’s done! I guess he deserves it, I’d never say that and not expect a slap!” he said shaking his head “That guy is an idiot, are you okay now?” he asked and I nodded as Tiger jumped up as my phone rang. “I’ve got to go pick Alex up before he gets more publicly humiliated than he already has been, but thanks for today” he said standing up.
I went to walk with him to the door and he smiled “Get that and I’ll see myself out” he said and I nodded “Okay thanks” I said and he smiled as he walked off as I answered my phone. It turned out to be one of my friends I went with last night who was going out and wondered if I wanted anything, I never mentioned I’d been out and I’d freaked out because they’d only all come over an I wasn’t really in the mood for it.
I hung up walking back into the lounge and spent the rest of the evening watching TV and I felt tired so I went about my normal routine before going to check the door was locked and I found a note written on my memo board near the door ‘Hey sorry if I upset you earlier with all the questions, thanks for coming out with me today. I noticed you had a blackberry so if you want bbm me’ it said with a pin after.
I typed the pin in adding him and by the time I’d got upstairs he’d accepted ‘Hi, are you okay now?’ he asked ‘Yeah I’m fine’ I replied and he sent a smiley face. ‘I think I might kill Alex tonight, he keeps going on about how out of line his girlfriend was. I regret saving his ass now, by the time I’d got there he was sat on the sidewalk with cat and now he’s jumping all over the furniture. Cat’s a dog btw’ he explained.
‘He named his dog Cat?’ I asked ‘Yeah that’s the sort of guy Alex is, he calls his girlfriend fat and his dog cat’ he replied and I smiled, ‘He sounds interesting’ I replied ‘You could say that, how she puts up with him I don’t know. Anyway I best go to bed I’ve not slept properly in ages! Night’ he said.
He threw my keys down before looking at me and I tried to calm down “Dillon it’s okay, take deep breaths. Okay? Your home it’s fine,” he said still holding my arm and he pulled me with him looking in the rooms until he found the lounge and he sat me down before walking off and coming back with a glass of water.
“Here” he said handing me it and I drank it before setting the glass down my hands still shaking but feeling better since I was in the safety of my house. “Are you okay?” he asked and I nodded slowly “Sorry” I offered and he shook his head “It’s okay, what’s up?” he asked. “Nothing I’m fine” I lied and he raised his eyebrows.
“I know fine and that’s not it plus I also recognise a panic attack when I see one, what’s up?” he asked and I sighed, well this was awkward. I’d have to tell the truth and he’d think I was weird plus it wasn’t something I told people, most people knew about what’d happened to me but very few talked about it.
They all knew where I’d been recently and why they’d not seen me in a year but nobody asked about it, “Dillon” he said and I nodded “I’m…I don’t like…” I trailed off and he nodded. “You don’t like what? Me?” he asked and I smiled “No your nice I don’t like being outside much” I admitted and he looked at me like I’d said the strangest thing ever, which I guess it was unless you knew.
“Outside?” he asked and I nodded “Yeah, remember I said I’d seen a lot of Disney movies in the last year?” I asked and he nodded “That’s because I never left the house” I admitted and his eyes widened and he tried to cover his shock “But how come you knew where everything was, that bars had opened and shops had moved?” he asked and I smiled “My friends tell me and I’ve been going out for around 3 months now so I’ve got to know places again” I admitted.
“Is that why you don’t have a job?” he asked and I nodded “Can’t work much if you won’t leave your own house” I said smiling and he nodded “Why agree to go out with me then?” he asked, “I’ve been okay, I’m fine normally but it was just rush hour” I explained. “The people?” he asked and I shook my head. “Sorry” I said and he smiled “It’s okay you should’ve said and I’d have not made you come outside or we could’ve gone somewhere indoors or something” he said.
“No it’s okay, sorry I freaked out” I said and he nodded “Really it’s okay, are you okay now?” he asked and I nodded as my cat wandered in and jumped up onto my knee before deciding Jack looked more interesting and walking over me to get to him “Hey” Jack said petting her and I smiled. “How friendly is your cat” he said and I smiled “She’s used to me being around all the time so she gets lonely now I go out more, she’s a people cat not like them ones that don’t really like attention, her names tiger” I said and he smiled as she laid on his lap.
He looked at me and I was hoping he’d not ask why, “Is it outside in general?” he asked and I shook my head “No not anymore, I just hate traffic and cars and all that sort of thing” I admitted and he nodded “Sorry I made you go out in it” he said and I smiled “It’s fine” I said and he nodded.
His phone rang and he answered, “What’s up?” he asked and he started to laugh, “You’re the definition of dumbass, of course she’d get angry with you!” he said rolling his eyes. “You really thought she’d take that well? She’s a girl you don’t say things that blunt to them especially when she’s your girlfriend. Your supposed to be charming and soften the blow a bit not just say it out right” he said laughing.
“She hasn’t? Well I’d say that’s a valid punishment” he said “Dude no your wrong you don’t do that to a girl. No you’re wrong, hang on” he said looking at me. I noticed him press the hold button “If a guy said to you that you’d gotten fat, that you weren’t like you used to be and that if you looked like this when you first met he’d have never kissed you what would you do?” he asked.
“Hurt him badly” I said and he smiled “Kick him out the house?” he asked and I nodded “Possibly” I replied and he smiled as he took the phone off hold “Yeah you deserve it, I asked someone” he said looking proud that he was right. “Well what do you want me to do about it?” he asked and he laughed, “Okay give me a few minutes and I’ll swing by home and come pick you up,” he said hanging up.
“And kicking him out is exactly what she’s done! I guess he deserves it, I’d never say that and not expect a slap!” he said shaking his head “That guy is an idiot, are you okay now?” he asked and I nodded as Tiger jumped up as my phone rang. “I’ve got to go pick Alex up before he gets more publicly humiliated than he already has been, but thanks for today” he said standing up.
I went to walk with him to the door and he smiled “Get that and I’ll see myself out” he said and I nodded “Okay thanks” I said and he smiled as he walked off as I answered my phone. It turned out to be one of my friends I went with last night who was going out and wondered if I wanted anything, I never mentioned I’d been out and I’d freaked out because they’d only all come over an I wasn’t really in the mood for it.
I hung up walking back into the lounge and spent the rest of the evening watching TV and I felt tired so I went about my normal routine before going to check the door was locked and I found a note written on my memo board near the door ‘Hey sorry if I upset you earlier with all the questions, thanks for coming out with me today. I noticed you had a blackberry so if you want bbm me’ it said with a pin after.
I typed the pin in adding him and by the time I’d got upstairs he’d accepted ‘Hi, are you okay now?’ he asked ‘Yeah I’m fine’ I replied and he sent a smiley face. ‘I think I might kill Alex tonight, he keeps going on about how out of line his girlfriend was. I regret saving his ass now, by the time I’d got there he was sat on the sidewalk with cat and now he’s jumping all over the furniture. Cat’s a dog btw’ he explained.
‘He named his dog Cat?’ I asked ‘Yeah that’s the sort of guy Alex is, he calls his girlfriend fat and his dog cat’ he replied and I smiled, ‘He sounds interesting’ I replied ‘You could say that, how she puts up with him I don’t know. Anyway I best go to bed I’ve not slept properly in ages! Night’ he said.