The boxer and the bitch

Chapter 28 - I was tying to call Barack Obama

☀ AVA ☀  

I'm being stalked. Alright. And have no idea what they could possibly want from me. Okay. Would it make me a lunatic if I say this makes me sorta excited? Possibly.

I am concerned but that's not primitive. What my mind rather is preoccupied with is a lot higher on the delusional school girl scale. You guessed it right- Harry. It's very irrational and stupid to constantly have his words play back to me and hyperventilating every time.

"You don't ask to be cared for, Ava, but maybe that's what you really need."

His words constantly play on my mind and I don't know why but I have to constantly blink to keep oncoming tears at bay. But simultaneously, I also get chills when I recall the way he said 'your body'  to explain me the probable reasons behind the stalking, in frustration. It makes me feel weird, good or bad I have no idea, how he addressed my body like that. I kinda feel weak.

"I think that screw's tight enough already." My head rapidly turns towards the voice to find Lenny standing there. I come out of my own head to see that I've been trying to rotate the same screw for minutes which is already tight enough.

"Oh! Yeah, right right, sorry." I smile up at him, trying to look at him through my slightly glossy eyes.

"You have it bad, don't you?" He says out of nowhere, taking a seat beside me on the concrete floor.

"Huh?" I blink at him in confusion. I try to preoccupy myself with another screw that I ignored since I spent way too much time on the first one itself. I get a vibe this conversation is going to be very unlike what I'm used to.

"Nah, don't worry. It's not very noticeable. You look your fine old self like always. But me, well, is it the Range Rover guy? I wouldn't blame you on that." I confusedly glance at his casually slouching body that's sitting crossed legged beside me in utter nonchalance.

"Wha- how- why would you ask that?" I put the tools down altogether and turn to Lenny fully, knowing well that I won't really get the work done anyway.

"Nothing, you just look like me after the first day Rex ruffled my hair. That was my first ever direct interaction with him. Made me realize he actually sees me. You look like me after that day." The small smile that plays on his thin lips is not taunting but more understanding in a way. I feel seen too.

"Thank you." I look down and let my helpless smile show. "I guess it is bad." I lean against the wall behind my back and look up at the sky.

"Tell me how it felt, Lenny." I keep my gaze settled at the sky and wait for him to speak, patiently. It's the first time in a couple of years that I'm getting to have such a raw, real, vulnerable conversation with someone. Maybe even longer than that and god knows how bad I crave it.

He copies my stance, leaning on the truck behind him, as he looks deep in thought, pondering over what I asked of him. He then looks me in the eyes that were already on him, "I'm already cringing because it's going to be corny as hell but you know what? I felt, yeah, I felt frustrated. I was confused, excited, scared. Oh I was scared shitless. It was like, I was in a constant state of anxiety. I was affected so deeply by every little thing he did, kept myself up at nights because of them. It was like every thing he did had a hidden meaning behind it and it was so frustrating to find the exact interpretation of them out of so many probabilities but it gave that bubby feeling in my tummy too, you know?" His fond smile and shining eyes make me look at him in wonder. His curly hair peeking out of the beanie combined with that smile makes him look so boyish and young.