Partners

Chapter 21 : Out Of Space

Einar felt lonely, and he wondered if anybody in the world would ever know him.  

The sun shined in through the curtain and lit on the book that Chase was reading in her bed.  She didn't sleep last night since she had sleep over twenty-four hours previously after convicting a seventeen-year-old kid.  Hopefully, she wouldn't have a case on Sunday, today. 

She closed The Danish Girl and stretched out her limbs.  She had had a read-a-thon since midnight.  She had used to love reading while she was little.  However, as time went by, she had become busy and lazy.  Chase hadn't had any contact with anyone since that night.  She had turned her phone off.  She had put a 'do not disturb or die' sign on her apartment door.  

She had longed for a quiet day for herself.  She missed this kind of feeling.  Chase walked to the mirror and got startled by herself.  

She almost forgot that she now had short black hair.  After she washed up, she used some hair gel to style her hair into spikes.  She did love her new look.  This made her look fresh and clean.

Chase turned on the music.  She turned up the volume.  The speakers blasted out Shots by Imagine Dragon.  She didn't expect that, a rock song to greet the morning.  Now she really woke up. 

She fried an egg and two pieces of bacon.  She poured a bowl of milk and added some chocolate cereals into it.  Her dad had always told her not to drink any thing cold right after waking up.  She had only followed this rule when her father was watching.  

Martin Chase had cared about health very much.  He had thought that he could have lived till eighty.  He had never foreseen he got caught in a bullet rain.

*****

Chase exited her apartment and walked out the building.  She was about to have a morning run, but she didn't do it.  She noticed an SUV parked right by the road.  Squinting her eyes, she tried to look into the car. It was too dark inside. 

The windows were so untidy that Chase didn't dare to get too close.  She backed off a little to take a look at the car plate.  It was Fetcher's car.  But where was he? 

Chase supposed that he was in the car, so she banged on the car hard. 

"Christ!" Fetcher yelled as he opened the car door bumping Chase to the ground. 

"Ouch!" she groaned. 

Fetcher got out of the car and saw Chase on the ground, "Oh God!  Chase?  I'm sorry."  He offered her a hand and Chase took it.  "Are you okay?" he helped her up. 

"I would have been if you didn't hit me with the door." she straightened her clothes, "Thanks." frowning, "What are you doing here?" 

"I came here to check on you.  I called your phone but you didn't answer.  I knocked on your door, but you didn't answer, either.  So I thought I would do it again today." Fetcher checked her face to make sure there wasn't any dirt on it. 

"Good.  You really go have your eyes checked.  I put up a sign on my door, didn't you see it?" she led him back to her apartment. 

"Well, I normally overlook the sign that you show to normal people." he added, "We're beyond the basic friendship, right?" 

"Way below that line."

*****

Chase keyed open her apartment.  She got in and shut the door in Fetcher's face, leaving him clueless.  

A few seconds later, she opened the door, "Just kidding.  Come on in!" 

Fetcher chuckled.  He walked to lie on the couch.  Chase got a bottle of orange juice and threw it to him, "Don't make yourself too comfortable.  It's not your home."