Eat Fresh

Morning before - Diego

Diego never had spare time anymore, from school to work to dealing with Olivia, the only time he had to relax was when he was asleep. So, he wasn't pleased when Olivia continuously called him that morning, disrupting his dreams and waking him up. Olivia kept the call sweet, short, and straight to the point. She just wanted Diego to go to the fundraiser early to get dressed. Olivia wanted to continue a conversation, but cut it off when something went wrong with the caterers. The hanging up sound had never sounded so good to Diego. It wasn't early in the morning, but wasn't late in the day either. Diego lay in his bed wishing he didn't have to get up, but eventually he crawled out of bed and got ready for the day. 

Diego had never been one for going on walks, but today something drew him outside. He was fit, for someone who never had to work out, but the cold hurt his, slightly asthmatic, lungs. So, he slowed down his pace, watching the different birds fly around him singing to each other. Whenever Diego drove he never paid attention to his neighbors houses, but now he watched as the different families played outside, or were told to go back in to eat. The neighborhood was mostly families, since there was a school a block away. But there were a few people like Diego, single or newly married. Diego never paid much attention to this before, but watching one family, who he presumed was an older brother and his sister, fight over the bigger half of a doughnut made Diego nostalgic for something he never had. Diego had siblings, but they were all much older than him. By the time Diego learned how to hold a conversation, his older brother wanted nothing to do with him and his oldest sister was too busy working to play. Diego had never minded this, he understood. He did decide it was time to walk back home though.

The walk back home went by faster than Diego expected. Maybe cause he walked faster or with a purpose. But Diego got home, and what a feeling it was. Diego never considered his place to be warm, having to use mountains of blankets to feel heat, but when he walked in the door his face felt like it was shoved into somewhere tropical. His nose began to run, and his body tingled, but he finally felt like he could breathe again. His phone buzzed in his pocket, Olivia again. This time she texted, telling Diego to come in exactly two hours and no less. Diego checked his phone clock, it was later than he thought.

 Diego took his time gathering his things, the drive there would only take a half hour. Picking up different shirts, putting down the ones that had stains. Even though Olivia had Diego's suit there, he couldn't show up wearing sweats. Tossing through week old laundry until he found the sweater, the one he wore when he first met Elias. It wasn't the fanciest, but it was one of Diego's finest pieces of clothing. Diego turned it around over and over on the hanger, looking at it as if it would tell him to wear it. But instead Diego thought of Elias, how Elias had been there, in his room, not even a few days ago. 

Diego thought of when they had first met, he really was being forced to rob the Subway. When he had first moved there he met a group of nice guys, who told him in order to be initiated he had to do a bunch of random stuff. When Diego later told them that he no longer wanted to be involved, they told him they had been joking. That Diego wasn't supposed to rob the store, that they weren't serious. Diego walked away with no guilt. 

Diego put on the sweater, some matching dress pants, and called it good. He didn't want too many articles of clothing on him since he would have to undress anyways. Olivia had been blasting his phone up with reminder texts counting down by the half hour that Diego needed to get on his way. Putting his things in his car, and preparing the GPS, Diego texted Olivia he was on his way. He couldn't move out from the driveway though. He didn't like Olivia acting like they were still in high school, forcing him to be with her or else. There was a reason blackmail was so effective though, Diego was too scared to anger Olivia. Eventually, Diego got over himself. 

"It's a masquerade ball!" He told himself over and over, "who gets to go to those these days? It'll be fun!" Diego started his car, and backed out his driveway murmuring these words under his breath. Diego dreaded seeing Olivia though, no amount of validation, or comfort would ease his nerves.