Daphne met up with Gary at the corner of the park near her apartment. I wonder if he even realizes how close to my apartment is to this park. He walked up to meet her.

“Thanks for taking the time to see me,” Daphne said as he reached her.

Gary responded with a smile and a nod. “We’ve been seeing a lot of each other these days,” he said. As they began to walk down the path, Gary whipped out his cellphone and began texting again.

“We have,” Daphne agreed.

She looked over at him, completely buried in his phone once more. Surely it won’t be like dinner the other night, right? Surely, he will have realized how rude he was being…

Their pace was slow, slower than Daphne ever walked normally. I wonder if I were to stroll casually away, if he would even notice…or care…

She let out a heavy breath and pursed her lips. Patience, Daphne. Give him at least five minutes before you start getting angry.

She looked up at the trees that were overhanging the walkway. The leaves were beginning to change a bit, the green leaves spotted with bits of yellow dots. I wonder when the colors were brilliant. Or when the leaves were mostly gone. She chewed on her lips. I have no clue.

Her heart started slowly sinking in her chest. I didn’t just neglect the people around me. I neglected to pay attention to anything.

She sighed softly to herself. I truly buried my head into my work. It was buried so deep that I noticed nothing and failed to relax or appreciate anything. When was the last time I just spent my time enjoying life? She wracked her mind, trying to come up with the last time she had let herself be free. Nothing came to mind.

Daphne looked behind her to see how far they had walked. It was a decent distance, considering how slowly they were meandering. She looked over at Gary, who was still on his phone. His hand nearest to her caught her eyes. How long has it been since we last held hands? She expected her heart to start palpitating, but nothing happened.

She shook her head slowly at herself. I remember feeling excited and desperate to get him to hold my hand. Where did those emotions go?

She thought back to the memories of their relationship prior to the accident. She had been lucky to get to spend one day a week with him. He had been physically affectionate when they’d first got together, but looking back now, she could see that the physical closeness of their relationship had quickly disappeared. I don’t even know the last time that Gary tried to kiss me.

She glanced over at him, and he was still moving his thumbs at a thousand miles per minute on his phone. How did we last for six months in the past? Was it truly because we didn’t spend so much time together?

Daphne’s heart ached. I wish we could go back to how things were when we first got together, before he lost his job.

She stretched her neck, hearing it creak as she did. If I leave him alone for a couple of days, will we be able to go back to how things were in the past? She paused in her thinking. It’s worth a shot, I guess.

Her gut told her another story. It twisted around, suggesting that the end of their relationship was neigh, no matter how much she wished it was not.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She looked over at Gary, who was still focused solely on his phone. “Gary…” she whispered. He didn’t look at her. “Gary…” she said louder.

He turned to look at her, a dirty look on his face. “What?” he asked, his voice clearly annoyed.

“If you’re just going to be on your phone the whole time, why do you bother saying you’re free?” she spat back.

“The fuck?” he asked, then looked at his watch for the time. “Shit, sorry, Daph,” he said, scowling and putting his phone away. “I got carried away and didn’t notice how much time had passed.”

Daphne had to turn away from him because she was unable to remove the sneer from her face.

She felt his hand capture hers, intertwining his fingers through hers. She looked over at him, her eyes widening. When was the last time he reached for my hand on his own? She wondered. Do I really have to nag and beg for him to pay attention to me?

Her stomach twisted around in her gut, and she felt a bit nauseous from it flip flopping so much. This feels…wrong…

“Daphne…” Gary said, capturing her attention. His facial expression seemed simultaneously forlorn and annoyed.

“Yes?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Why are you trying so hard all of the sudden?” he asked. “I felt like what we had was just right for us.”

Daphne grimaced at his comment. I guess he was lying when we broke up. Or this Gary is different enough from my own that he doesn’t want the same things.

She couldn’t ignore the growing feeling inside of her that had slowly been expanding over the days she’d been living in what seemed like the past. Even if she truly wasn’t in the past, the people around her seemed motivated by the same things that the ones she had known had been.

“Well,” she started, biting her lip. “I realized that I spend a lot of time just working and that it’s a bad habit. I figured that I was probably also neglecting you as well…” She trailed off and looked over at him. Their eyes met, and for once, his expression was unreadable.

“I appreciate you thinking of me,” he said. “But I didn’t feel neglected by you at all.”

“That’s good to know,” Daphne replied with a nod, feeling her chest grow heavier as the conversation continued. “Sorry for assuming that.”

“You’re fine,” he said, waving off her apology. “Everyone makes mistakes like that from time to time.”

“Thanks,” Daphne replied, the knot in her stomach loosening. “I appreciate you being so understanding.”

“Of course,” Gary replied with a small smile. “But is there any chance we can go back to how things were before you started thinking you were neglecting me?”

Some of the tension came loose in Daphne’s chest, but not all of it. “Sure,” she replied with a small smile of her own.

“Can we also go back to you helping me out with expenses?” Gary asked, giving Daphne a pleading look. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to make ends meet for my mom and I ever since last night…” he shook his head. “And to be entirely honest, I can’t find a way to make it happen.”

The pressure quickly came back into Daphne’s chest, nearly making her gasp for breath. Was all I was to this man, a wallet? Did he look at me and just see a piggy bank?”

“I’m sorry,” Daphne replied, frowning. “That’s not something I can go back on. I am also struggling to make ends meet for myself. I didn’t revoke that money to punish you.”

The weight of her own words felt like a punch to the gut, but she was finally beginning to see Maggie’s point. She should have never given Gary money in the first place.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Daphne?” Gary shouted, yanking his hand out of hers. He pulled so hard that Daphne’s wrist bent a little too far.

“Ow, what the fuck?” she yelled back, rubbing her wrist.

“You have absolutely no shame, do you?” he said. “There is no way you could be struggling, coming from the wealthy ass family you belong to!”

“What?” Daphne asked, her voice shrill. She had never even told him what kind of family she was from, and while her mother wasn’t poor, Daphne wasn’t exactly a heiress either.

“I’m out,” Gary replied, raising his hands both up, spinning on his heel and striding away from her.

Daphne watched his retreating back, as he pulled out his cellphone and immediately began texting again. “What the fuck?” she mumbled to herself, still rubbing her wrist.

His back walking away from her and reaction to her words made it clear in Daphne’s mind that the next time they saw one another, they were going to break up.

He fucking targeted me because my mother is a famous gardener, Daphne thought. What the hell? That is not something I thought I’d ever have to worry about.

She turned around and started walking briskly back to her apartment. She thought about Tanpopo and how he would probably beg for food as soon as she got in.

At least I have Popo to look forward to in my life. She gritted her teeth. Since everything else seems to be falling apart.