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“No, you do your thing. We could hang out on Sunday.”
“Okay, sounds good. We could get lunch or something,” she said.
That sounded fine, but I really did wonder what I was going to do with the rest of my weekend. I was trying to focus less on work and more on doing other things.
“After my breakup, I needed a hobby. That’s when I started knitting. Maybe you just need a new hobby?” she said when I voiced my desire to find something to fill my time.
There was an idea.
“I’ll think about it,” I said.
“As long as the hobby isn’t like, getting really drunk or collecting cat hair,” Natalie said.
“Neither of those things sound appealing,” I said, making a face.
“That’s a relief,” Natalie said.
Sure, reading was a hobby, and I knew Esme had a blog where she reviewed the books she read, but that sounded really stressful. I wanted a hobby that didn’t require so much thinking. I guess napping wasn’t on the table.
“Let me know if you need any help thinking. Or if you need Em to help. She was really good when I was trying to figure out mine,” she said, and we finished dinner with cups of tea and chatting while we sat at the table and the time ticked by.
It was good to just sit and chat with Natalie. I was used to not having that much time with her, so the time I did get was extra special.
“Goodnight, roommate,” she said as we parted ways to head to our rooms.
“Goodnight roommate,” I said, hugging her.
I got into bed and kept reading my book from earlier in the day, but I couldn’t focus on it. I kept thinking about the moment that Alivia had interrupted me.
* * *
I sort of functioned on autopilot for the rest of the week at work. I just couldn’t seem to focus on anything for more than a few minutes. It was getting really annoying. Even consuming multiple donuts didn’t help. I swear, the sugar usually helped me focus, but things weren’t going my way.
Since I was normally so efficient and on-task, everyone noticed my distraction.
“You feeling okay?” said Aunt Martha, as she felt my forehead with the back of her hand.
“I’m fine, just a little run down,” I told her.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Linley asked multiple times.
“Yeah,” I told her. “Just tired.”
I couldn’t count how many times I’d had to reassure people that I was fine.
On Friday afternoon, I couldn’t take it anymore, and left work a little bit early. I went back to my apartment but escaped immediately to the woods for a walk.
Everything was peaceful under the trees, and a lot cooler. The weather had spiked hotter, and everyone had busted out their summer clothes and sandals.
My plan was to take a walk to re-center myself, then grab some food from the lobster roll truck (deep fried lobster mac and cheese balls were calling my name), and maybe settle at home with a scented candle and a sexy movie.
Maybe some of my irritation was hormonal? I had to admit, I’d been extra horny as of late, waking up in the morning and needing to take care of myself before even brushing my teeth. Not to mention the times I’d woken up in the middle of the night and had to give myself relief so I could sleep again.
It was hot and I was horny. It had happened before, and it would happen again.
Since I’d be alone tonight, I could schedule in some special time. Really make it romantic. Seduce myself.
With those thoughts, I kept walking and heard pounding feet behind me. Great, a runner. I moved over to the side of the trail so they could pass me, but they slowed down and I wondered if I was about to be attacked. I had a tiny bottle of bear spray on my keychain. It would probably be useful in a pinch.
