OUT OF THE PICTURE

Chapter Eight || Sarah

She didn't know why she found his smile a little bit creepy. Sarah thought while passing through Ryan in the lobby. Aside from the endless stare, they didn't have a single word when they came across to each other.

But what bothererd her the most was where the heck Mars was? She should just be here somewhere. She made her way outside the building.

Finally. She thought. She saw a girl standing while facing the opposite side near the aligned plantboxes on the sidewalk. Seeing only the back of her, she was certain it was Marlin.

Besides the fact that they lived in the same apartment together and she knew every bit of her curves and all, Marlin was wearing a white silk button up tucked in a skinny jeans with a tan belt, which she remembered borrowing all of it once. But what she didn't understand was that why was she here? Outside? In this cold night of September? Sarah decided to go to her.

"Mars, I found it! You have no idea where I left it, in the comfort room! I looked everywhere, I even dirtied my pants while looking under my desk, and it's just in the comfo--- " She stopped talking when she noticed she was too loud. No, scratch that. It was not her that was loud, it was Marlin that was being oddly quiet. Sarah heard nothing from her since she got here ten seconds ago. Then she caught her wiping her right cheek immediately.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked, worried.

"Uh nothing." Marlin settled herself and looked up to her. "Let's go?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she studied Marlin's face.

"Sarah--"

"Tell me. I'm not going anywhere til you tell me what's wrong." She said firmly. "What happened?"

This time, it was Marlin who didn't answer back. She noticed something behind her caught Marlin's attention. She turned around and saw Ryan just went out of the main door. Shifting her eyes back to her, she observed how Marlin intensely gazed at him.

"Let's go." Marlin said promptly and started walking away.

Clueless of what was going on, Sarah tossed her hand out of frustration then jogged to catch up with her. They walked in silent, that the only sounds she could hear were Marlin's raging footsteps and their continuous breaths. Until she couldn't take it anymore.

"So you're not going to tell me what happened huh." She uttered carefully, trying not to wake the beast in her.

"Nothing happened."

"Then why are you crying back there?"

"I wasn't crying!" Marlin exclaimed as she stopped walking. "You're overreacting!"

"Really now? I'm the one who's overreacting? I was just asking a simple question and you just flipped out and yelled at me!"

Marlin groaned before walking away, turning left at the corner.

"God!" was all she could say before catching up to her again.

**

They stopped by at Zenkichi, a Japanese restaurant near the office to buy food for dinner and they went straight to their apartment.

Sarah fished the keys in her bag while Marlin behind her held the take-out foods they bought. Once they got inside, she turned on the TV for some reason whereas Marlin placed the food in the kitchen, and they both went to their rooms to change.

Once the lights turned on, Sarah walked straight to her bed sluggishly. She let her shoes glide off her feet and massaged the calf of her right leg, soothing the pain caused by her high-heels. After a quick rest, she decided to change in a crop tank top and gym shorts. She was dying to jumped on her bed after that because she could feel exhaustion taking her, but she would still have dinner. So she left the tempting room.