Paint Me a Picture with Nothing

Chapter Four

"What's wrong with you?" Taylor asked out of the blue. The two of them were sitting in Alex's living room, as usual. It was the sixth time they've worked together, Taylor finally being hired as his editor at the third session. It was a usual thing; Taylor would meet him at his apartment at exactly 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon, the two of them working till 8:15 as they sat in silence.

"What's wrong with me?" Alex repeated. "What do you mean?"

Taylor pursed her lips as she looked at her boss. "I mean exactly what I'm asking. What's wrong with you? Something is off, and I want to know what it is."

Alex laughed humorously. "Nothing's wrong with me. If your question is pertaining to me not being normal then I'll have you know that I've yet to understand what the world's definition of normal is. So enlighten me, what is it?"

"I don't know, I guess I would have to say it's just being normal." Taylor replied simply.

"So what you're saying is being normal is the equivalent of being average?"

Taylor slowly nodded. "That's probably the best way I could describe it."

"Average, huh?" Alex asked as his eyes looked around his living room before spotting his Batman statue placed on his desk. "Do you see that statue?" He asked as he nodded towards the statue.

Taylor followed his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Does it seem like an average person would have that?"

Taylor looked over at the author. "Possibly."

"Possibly." Alex repeated. "What if that exact statue was in the house of someone average?"

"That person could be."

Alex hummed. "That's very true, but you're quick to assume that the things I have, like my canvas board for example, adds to my non-normalness, am I correct?"

"I-I mean, the canvas is odd, but I don't want to say that."

"Then what are you trying to say? Your definition of normal isn't an actual definition. What is normal? What is anything in this world? What's nice? What if I consider throwing books at people an act of niceness? I've told you this before, we're two different people. Completely different, actually. We have different views on just about everything. You may find having a nine to five job normal, while I consider my job normal. The answer to your question normality question is in the eye of the beholder. You may not consider me normal, which is fine, your opinion doesn't affect me in any way, shape, or form; however you have to understand that everyone won't live up to your definition of anything. You asked me what's wrong with me. I don't see anything wrong with me. Do you? Because quite frankly, I don't care. I'm not sick, I'm not stupid, and I'm not dealing with something as stupid as a broken heart. Nothing is wrong with me." Alex replied defensively.

Taylor looked at Alex, watching as his features showed signs of distress and a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Alright, I apologize for asking the question in the first place. It's just, the way you carry yourself and the simple actions you do captivate me. Not in a creepy way, but it's just interesting, and yes, a little different. That doesn't mean I think you're weird; however you go about life in ways I've never seen before. I'm truly fond of it, if I do say so myself. The way you act, it's like one of your novels. You always leave people wanting more. I'm just curious, that is all." She replied calmly.

"Curious? You're just curious? Tayl- I mean, Ms. Jardine, I'm not some sort of secret chest that you should try to open. I'm a well renowned author, not some author that sells his books at the discount center of a supermarket. I've traveled the world because of my writing, so if you find ever so interesting that you want to dissect me then you can find yourself another job. I'm not here to be your guinea pig, and you're not here to figure out my past or anything like that."

"But why not?"

"Questions don't always need answers, Ms. Jardine." Alex mumbled as he looked down at his laptop.

"You're right, but this one requires one."

Alex scoffed. "And so does this one, have you ever thought for a second that the things you say and do will affect the way your future endeavors happen to be?"

Taylor slowly nodded. "Well yes, I believe everyone has."

"Good." Alex replied simply before turning his attention to his work, ignoring the puzzled look on Taylor's face since he knows he's confused her once more, which isn't new.
---
After successfully finishing yet another session, Taylor eventually left Alex’s apartment, padding back to hers as Alex looked around the small living room. He felt a hint of loneliness, which was a first for the author. Never in his life did he feel like something was missing, ever. He was always that guy that stayed out of the way, never bothered anyone and kept to himself. The need for someone to be with him never appeared, but the fact that he felt this made him fear the worst. Alex didn’t want to be the one to depend on people to fill a void. To him, there is no void.
The sounds of traffic made the apartment seem less alone, but Alex could tell there was something different as his fingers quickly typed across the keyboard. As the cars honked their horns, the loneliness progressively began to irritate him. Alex slammed his hand down on his desk as he let out a piercingly loud yell of the word ‘fuck’. He angrily stood up from his chair and began pacing the apartment, his head aching from his thoughts as they continued to fill his mind. Nothing could help him, not even writing.
As the anger continued to boil in his veins, his head growing flush as he let out a string of curse words. He was sick of the silence. He was sick of everything. The feeling of nothing made him feel trapped. Trapped in his thoughts, that is. Alex continued to walk around his apartment before he violently opened his door after hearing the consistent knocks.
“What the fuck do you wa-” Alex started before getting a view of the person standing in front of his face. “Oh, it’s you…”
Taylor looked up at him for a second, noticing that he was close to tears. She heard the yelling, the constant steps he made as he paced his apartment. She could tell he was angry yet miserable. Without even thinking, she tightly hugged her boss, nuzzling her head in his chest as her arms wrapped securely around his waist, only causing Alex to stand in shock before slowly curling his arms around her tiny frame.