The Love Complex (Completed)

-4-

"Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction" -Germany Kent

A month went by uneventfully for the new cohabiting pair. It had not been difficult for Dylan and Regina to get used to one another's presence. They were both reserved and in the words of Roger "boring individuals" who lived a predictable life.

Regina liked her new tenant a bit more than her old one. Unlike Roger, Dylan often slept earlier in the evening and if he was awake, he didn't disturb her with loud music. In fact, most of the time she wasn't even sure if he was in the house. Unlike Roger, Dylan also didn't make a mess when he entered the laundry room. In fact, the room was often left spotless. In other words, Dylan was the perfect tenant. Perhaps, maybe too perfect. So much so that she had begun to feel self-conscious of her own mess. This had often led her to become annoyed at how much of a clean-freak he was.

On the other hand, Dylan felt neutral with his decision to stay. His level of cleanliness, he had found, was possibly too high in comparison to that of his landlady.  Even so, his preoccupation was mainly directed on job hunting. He had gone to five interviews in the past month, but so far, he had not received a single call back. The stress was taking a toll on him. Despite wishing to relax, he could not do so because his idleness often made him uncomfortable. He opted for cleaning in order to clear his mind, and not think of anything else, but even this was beginning to lose its effect. Eventually, he knew, he would have to figure out another solution for his problem. 

Things were going well for the pair, despite their inward dislike for some of the qualities they each possessed. 

It was a Tuesday afternoon and Regina was sitting on the floor while her back rested on the couch. Her laptop laid on the round coffee table, her action-thriller script laid right beside it along with a bottle of water. She had been working on revising it before she turned it in the next day. As it was her ritual, she had turned on the TV and turned down the volume so that it was barely audible while she worked.

It was almost four when Dylan came from upstairs carrying a mid-sized medical book. He sat down on the side couch and immediately bent over to grab the remote and turn off the TV. Regina looked at him, but his gaze was on his large book.

There were so many things she would have said. However, this was the most likely scenario that she could think about as she glared at him: 

"Excuse me, I was watching that." She would say in the most passive-aggressive tone she could muster. Dylan would look at her with his annoying handsome face faking innocence.

"Sorry, I thought you were working."

She would then have to explain to him that she liked working with the TV on, and then he would most likely lecture her using some medical and scientifically proven research about why it was not okay to do it.

There would be no way of winning the debate and she'd only get angry. No, she would not bother. Annoyed and with her hands balled into angry fists, she went back to her script.

Their arguments were often silent, mostly said inwardly before they let things go. After all, it was not worth fighting. They were strangers, who had not been able to get properly acquainted despite living in the same house for a month. The boundaries they had set did not permit them from verbally disagreeing or criticizing one another. However, this didn't mean that they didn't complain about each other to others. For Regina this often happened when she was with Maddison.

"How is the script going?" Maddison asked while they had lunch.

Regina shrugged, "So so,"

Maddison looked at her with that motherly look of hers. She was younger, but Regina was sure that she had the soul of a fifty-year old woman. In fact, it was much more likely to hear a lecture coming from Maddison that it was to hear it from Mrs. Kendall, her step-mother. So, Regina got ready for the scold, but this time it didn't come.

"How about you date your tenant, he's handsome."

Maddison had met Dylan twice. Though, she had only crossed a few words with him. "I mean, he passed the Gi inspection. He's like a perfect candidate."

Regina shook her head, "We cannot. I can barely stand him. He's worse than Roger ever was."

Maddison looked at her incredulously, "You have to be kidding me, you said he was the complete opposite of Roger. Why would he be worse?"

Regina explained about his constant cleaning sessions. How he was too perfect and how annoying it felt to feel like a slob when he was near. He was obsessive, weird and just too clean for a man. "Definitely someone I could never be in a relationship with."

"And that is your problem," Maddison pointed out with a deep huff,  as she shook her head. 

"Honey, you always have a 'but', every man that comes into your life has some sort of issue."

She knew Maddison was right, but she was unwilling to admit it. So, she only frowned and stayed quiet.  Eventually, they moved on to a different subject. However, Regina couldn't stop thinking about her friend's suggestion.

Maddison's words often came to mind, usually when she wished they didn't.

Dylan sat down, completely focused on his medical book while Regina secretly glanced at him every now and then.

She couldn't say that she wasn't attracted to him. She would have to be lying to herself if she even said that she wasn't, but at the same time she was afraid. Fear always took over when she thought of a potential love interest.

Dylan was perfect. His lifestyle wasn't that different from her own, but at the same time, it was obvious that he didn't see her with interest in his eyes. There was something about Dylan that told her that he already had someone in his heart. In fact, sometimes she wondered if he could probably have a girlfriend back in Europe. No, Dylan could not be a potential love interest. However, that didn't stop her from wishing that he were.

Her eyes landed on him. She had not wanted to be obvious, but it was difficult. By the time, she was barely about to turn away, he looked at her. Their eyes met for a while, before Regina looked away, mentally cursing herself. 

Dylan didn't say anything. When she glanced at him once again, he was looking at his book . She sighed in relief and looked back at her computer. However, the instance had given her some inspiration and she wrote a note on her computer.

Eyes are deep like puddles that pull you in like a whirlwind. A suffocating vortex that does not let you go up and catch some air. Drowning in the most pathetic way. Hitched breath. No emotion or color in his eyes. Blank. 

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A/N:  

Question for this chapter: Do you believe that men like Dylan exist?

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Thank you for reading!! :)