"Untitled" Chapter 5

Chapter 5
Getting situated for the night, Jasmine went into the master bathroom to start her lengthy skin cleaning routine, Nate cleaned up the kitchen, letting hot water fill the sink to dunk the pot, bowls, and wine glasses in. With his hands covered in hot bubbly water he got to work on the mess that had been dinner.
         Walking back through to the bedroom he joined Jasmine at the bathroom sink and grabbed his toothbrush. She had her favorite rejuvenating mask already applied and drying on her face as she washed her hands of the excess. Neither of them said anything, simply getting ready for bed in silence. Nate could tell from Jasmine's actions that she was in deep thought about something, and knew better than to interrupt.
         Walking back through to the bed he started unloading the mass of fluffy pillows and pulling back the comforter he had packed tight that morning. Slipping into his side of the bed he laid on his back and stared up at the ceiling, noticing how the paint wasn't smooth, but rather lumpy thanks to the cement it covered. Nate didn't know what to say. He wanted to bring up his parents, the extreme anxiety attack that was lurking on the horizon, who she'd been talking to recently and how her work was going, why her mood had changed so much the last few weeks, but he couldn't bring himself to start what would turn into a sparring match, ending in her storming out of the apartment or giving him the cold shoulder for a month.
         Jasmine turned off the bathroom light and joined him in bed, sitting on the edge of it with her back to him as she plugged her phone into the charger on the nightstand. Without turning towards him she slipped her legs under the covers and laid down on her right side, reaching to flip off the lamp next to the bed. Nate tried to relax as complete darkness enveloped them, he turned over on his right side and moved closer to Jasmine, pressing himself against her back and laying his arm across her stomach. He felt her go tense so he lifted his hand to brush her hair behind her ear, knowing that made her relax.
         "Hey babe, I really need to sleep. Can you give me some space?"
         Nate placed a kiss on her shoulder before moving back to his side of the bed.
         "Did I do something wrong?"
         "What? No, it's not you. I'm just really stressed out about work. John is driving me insane."
         "Can I help?"
         "Not unless you can get him fired or get me a new job."
         "John thinks the world of you, I'm sure it's just a rough patch."
         "...yea."
         "Hey babe?"
         "Mhmm?"
         "I love you."
         "You're sweet."
Nate felt Jasmine reach over to squeeze his hand before she turned back over to sleep. If work was bothering her, he could handle that, and he was a bit relieved that's all it was. Maybe his mind was going off for no reason and he just had to relax. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and tried to sleep.



         Fridays were by far his favorite day to work. Many of the students at the University didn't have classes that day, so the campus was unusually peaceful. Save for a few of the professors using the peace and quiet to get some work done in their offices, he pretty much had the place to himself.
         Gathering his mop, broom, and bucket from the storage closet he made his way through campus towards the building that housed the offices for the professors who worked on campus. Following the winding trail, he took his time admiring the trees. He loved the season of autumn, how the leaves turned orange and brown and eventually fell to the grass that always seemed to be newly wet with dew. Although the clouds rolled in more than they stayed away, he didn't mind the gloomy shadows that fell over the university. It seemed oddly fitting that the rain should come softy for most of the day, it made everything seem calm, at least until spurts of a downpour randomly surprised those who thought they could make it across campus without getting completely soaked. It always made him snort to himself when a student would leave one building completely dry and another would immediately enter, completely soaked.
         It made him remember those times when he was much younger and would stare out his bedroom or living room window at the rain, not allowed to go out in it when his mother was around. The nannies always let him, at least until they were fired for some reason he was never privy to. Once, and only once, he tested his luck and made his escape while his parents were in the study. They were home for the day, for once, but too engrossed in their discussion to realize he had slipped out. Running through the rain was the first time he'd felt anything close to freedom. The air was fresh with ozone, the water coming down on him felt like an embrace, and he let his arms outstretch as he twirled around in the muddy grass. He had only managed to stay out there for five minutes before his mother caught wind of him running around outside instead of doing his homework, and his chances to go out alone from then on out ceased to exist. Still, he would imagine the freedom of running through the rain and catching droplets in his mouth. How badly he wanted to join the other boys in the neighborhood who were kicking around a soccer ball in their wellies. It seemed like they had all the luck, but not anymore. If he wanted to run and play in the rain, he was free to do so, but he was almost twenty years older, the childlike freedom he'd once had had been snuffed out, and any mud he tracked would mean more work for him to clean up, so he mostly stuck to the paths.
         Entering the office building he caught the smell of instant coffee. To the right of the door was a small kitchen area for the professors to make coffee or tea for themselves, complete with a sink, a fridge for their food, and a microwave. Although the tea and coffee were free and supplied by the school, many of the professors brought their own, as the coffee was the worst kind of fossilized dust and the tea was so bland that there wasn't any point. He had snuck a cup or two over the years and knew from personal experience. Coffee in this office was basically the currency, if you had some medium roast you could practically get anything out of anyone. Most of the professors were giant gossips, especially when it came to their students, and there was a good chance he would overhear a conversation or two every time he came in to clean.
         Hearing lowered voices coming from that direction, he placed his equipment by the wall as he went over to the sink to fill up his bucket with water, making sure not to invade the personal space of the two women who were standing by the coffee maker.
         "...I mean I had my suspicions, but I didn't want to believe it. Things have been tough for a while now, so I don't know why I'm surprised."
         "Oh honey, I'm so sorry. I never would have pegged him for a cheater. I don't even know what to say. Are you going to confront him about it?"
         The woman's gaze went down to stare at her ring set. The diamonds sparkled whenever she moved her hand and her wedding band glinted against the yellow lights in the ceiling.
         "I don't know yet, I know he'll try to deny it if I do, find some way to blame me."
         "That's ridiculous, no one deserves this, least of all you."
         God, that was one of the worst things. He couldn't imagine how or why anyone would do that to someone they apparently loved. In his opinion, that was unforgivable. He wanted to help console the woman but knew it wasn't his place and he'd be intruding. Still, his heart ached for her. The woman was holding her mug with both hands as the other one had their arm tossed over her shoulder in comfort. Feeling very out of place Nate finished filling up his bucket and made his way back to where the mop was resting against the wall. Thinking about the people in his life he cared about, he took out his phone and sent Zack a quick text. He'd been shit at keeping in touch recently and never wanted his best friend to feel like he didn't care.
         Towards the end of the day thoughts of the conversation he'd overheard still bothered him. Cheating was something he saw no excuse for, and it left a bad taste in his mouth just thinking about it. He pointedly changed his thought process to something more enjoyable, how he was going to propose to Jasmine. The ring was burning a hole in his drawer and although he was waiting for the right moment, wanting to make it as special for her as possible, he didn't think he could wait much longer.