Meet me halfway (JELSA)

Chapter 6

30th December 2022

The last time Elsa had seen Jack was at Anna's birthday dinner party. When she discovered he was invited, a sense of irritation settled over her, and she couldn't shake it off. Throughout the evening, they carefully avoided acknowledging each other's presence. They didn't exchange glances, didn't engage in their usual bickering, and refrained from making any snide remarks. It was as if they had an unspoken agreement to act as if the other didn't exist, despite being in the same room.

Back at the house they shared, Elsa's awareness of Jack's presence was limited to the faint sliver of light that crept out from under his office door. She spent most of her time in her study, conveniently located directly opposite his office, but she made a point to ignore him. Her study had become her sanctuary, a place where she could lose herself in work and thoughts, far removed from any interaction with Jack.

Elsa had always had a peculiar sleep schedule, often waking up at odd hours of the night. During these moments, she would invariably notice the light from James's office still on. She something caught herself wondering about him. Does he ever sleep? But she quickly shrugged off the thought, unwilling to let her mind linger on him any longer than necessary. The sight of that persistent light annoyed her, a constant reminder of his proximity.

His mere presence in the house seemed to set her on edge. It wasn't just annoyance—it was a simmering anger that she couldn't quite explain. To cope, she meticulously steered clear of his path. She avoided common areas when she knew he might be around, she behaved differently and chose different routes through the house. It felt like Jack was reciprocating her efforts, maintaining his own distance. This mutual avoidance was supposed to bring her relief, but instead, it only intensified her frustration. The fact that he was seemingly going out of his way to avoid her made her seethe silently, feeding her resentment.

She knew why she was avoiding him. Because he was horrible. He was a bully who beat people up. He always pushed for a reaction out of her. He was like a hot drink on a hot summer day. But what made her angry was that he was avoiding her when she didn't even do anything wrong. She was at the receiving end of his anger for absolutely no fucking reason.

She hated spending time at this house. It felt lifeless, empty, and cold, despite its impressive size. The spacious rooms echoed with silence, and the minimalistic decor only added to the sense of sterility. She longed to return to her cozy apartment, where warmth and familiarity enveloped her.

Elsa never ate in the house, never cooked anything. The kitchen remained pristine, unused by her. It was becoming ridiculous. She had lost a significant amount of weight, her once healthy frame now noticeably thinner. She relied solely on the hospital cafeteria for her meals, a fact that gnawed at her. The more she thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

Why was she so afraid of running into him? She hadn't done anything wrong. She was entitled to half of this house. The legal papers said so. She had just as much right to be here as he did. She could sit on the couch if she wanted to. She could cook a big meal if she desired, filling the house with the comforting aroma of home-cooked food. She shouldn't have to tiptoe around, living like a guest in her own house.

The absurdity of her behavior weighed on her. She had seen him once, walking around in the kitchen. It was a fleeting encounter, but it was enough to confirm that he used the space. Why should that stop her? The memory of his presence frustrated her, but it also sparked a sense of extreme anger. She needed to reclaim her space and her sense of normalcy, no matter how difficult it felt.

So, she woke up one day, early and decided to make coffee for herself. She got out of bed, put on an oversized shirt, and left her room. The house was enveloped with silence and darkness, and it strangely felt comfortable for once. She slowly sneaked down the stairs and into the kitchen, turning on the dim lights. She had surgery scheduled at 5 am, and she was still extremely sleepy because she was running on two hours of sleep from the past few days. She desperately needed coffee and a cold shower to wake her up, and she knew she wasn't going to have coffee at the hospital at this hour. She always prepared it when she was at her apartment.