The Heart of Politics

Anxiety

Hello!!!!!! Today is Navroz! So Navroz Mubarak. I hope you all had a lovely day, and as a new years gift I present to you this chapter. Thank you so so much for reading, and voting, and commenting. And I love you all!😘😘😘😘😘😘

"Lilianne is here to see you, Rob." Sanah's voice travelled through the door. 

Rob walked to the door and opened it. 

"Wow, I was hoping after seeing your face once, I wouldn't be as shocked. But you still look terrible." 

"Really, thank you Lilianne. It's not like you're hurting my self-esteem." 

"Take care of yourself then." 

"Well I can't argue that." 

"Why did you want to meet with me?" Lilianne sat down in one of the chairs, across from Rob's desk. 

"Jesse's bill—" 

"I think I know what you're going to say. You want me to support it." 

"Please." 

"Why should I?" 

"You're an activist." Rob played with the button on his dress shirt. 

"Fine we could go back and forth on Jesse Klaver's bill. My question is why are you the leader of D66 telling me to support another parties bill. Not only that, you're party doesn't seem to keen on passing his bill, but here you are trying to convince me otherwise."

"Because—" Rob searched for an answer. 

"Rob, I actually don't care. I'm not an idiot. I know how politics are played. And right now it seems that D66 is VVD's little bi—"

"Okay. I get it." 

"Ask me something else." Lilianne 

Rob sat in silence, none of the neurons in his brain were firing. They weren't working. They weren't giving him ideas, and connections.

Lilianne got up. "Let me know when you've figured it out." 

Rob leaned his head against his hands. This entire thing was getting harder and harder. A hand touched his shoulder. 

"Is the work Rutte has given you, much harder than you though?" Jesse pressed circles in to Rob's shoulder. 

Rob turned and leaned his head against Jesse's stomach. How long have I been sitting like this trying to think? Was it long enough for Jesse to finish work, grab his things and come to my office? Maybe it wasn't that long. Maybe everything wasn't so bad. 

"Let's go home." 

Rob nodded. Once they'd gotten home, Rob sat and watched as Jesse made them spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

Rob shook his head. 

"Okay, take your time." Jesse went on to forming the meatballs. 

Rob watched the way Jesse's fingers circled around the ground beef. He payed attention to the furrow between his brows, and the way he bit his lip. 

Throughout dinner Rob remained silent. 

"Rob, you've been really really quiet." 

Jesse was met with silence. He looked at the tick in Rob's jaw. He watched those bloodshot eyes ....He looks like he wants to say so much, but why isn't he?...Maybe he can't.

"Is it that you don't want to talk? Or that you can't talk?" Jesse asked. The creases on Rob's forehead disappeared. "Two fingers for 'I can't talk' and one finger for 'not wanting to talk'"