Taking a Bite from the Big Apple (Complete)

18

“Oh, hi, Fangs,” Cheryl greeted as her neighbour opened the main door of the building, just as she was about to enter.

“Hey, Cherry” Fangs replied, letting the redhead step inside, “Ooh, what’s in the bag?”

“Oh,” Cheryl said, holding up the purple plastic bag in her hand, “Just some candles and stuff. Toni seemed to be in a bit of a bad mood yesterday and today, I wanted to cheer her up. Um, she didn’t happen to mention if anything was wrong? If I was maybe doing something wrong? We had a great time on her birthday, at least I though we did, then she seemed a bit…off when we woke up the next morning, yesterday, and today she’s even worse.”

Fangs nodded his head as his neighbour explained the situation and put a hand on her arm comfortingly.

“I don’t think you’ve done anything. She always gets really weird right after her birthday, I don’t know why. I’ve called her on it a few times, but she says I must be imagining it, that she’s just tired or something. If I know Toni though, she’ll tell you if you’re annoying her, she’s told me enough times,” he said with a smile, “I’m sure she’ll love the candles.”

“Yea…she has so much on with class and work and everything, maybe she is just tired?” Cheryl asked hopefully, not wanting to be the cause of her girlfriend’s sadness the past couple of days.

“Maybe,” Fangs said, “She always gets over it though. Oh and hey, got a flyer today, Halloween party, tell your girl we’re all going and that she can’t go as ‘student’ again, she needs a proper costume. That goes for you too.”

“Um, okay. Costume. Cool.”

Halloween. As in, two weeks away. As in two weeks to find a costume to go to a party to that doesn’t make me look like a complete dork. Okay, trusty laptop, eBay awaits. With expedited shipping.

“Tell Toni I’m around if she needs. Bye, red.”

Cheryl gave a small wave as Fangs left the building and turned down the street, before trudging up to the elevator and waiting for it to arrive, the fact that she was being weighed down by her books in one hand and her bag of candles, mood music and massage oils in the other making her not want to walk up the six flights of stairs to their apartment.

She’d gone to an aromatherapy shop after her classes that day and picked up the items, hoping that if she was able to get Toni to relax that she wouldn’t be so down in the dumps, or at least get her to open up about what was causing it. The fact that her normally bubbly girlfriend seemed so depressed, more than just ‘having a bad day’ kind of thing, worried her beyond belief, the brunette had barely spoken two words since the morning after her birthday and had been unusually clingy when they were falling asleep, not that Cheryl minded, the closer Toni was, the better in her books, but the erratic behaviour just worried her even more.

She sighed as she stepped into the elevator and pressed three, deciding she would do whatever her girlfriend needed, for whatever reason she needed them, in order to feel better.

Space. Maybe she needs space? Just some alone time? But she doesn’t seem distant, in fact it’s the opposite, like she’s trying to hold onto me, like she’s scared of losing me or something. But that’s ridiculous, I’m hers, she knows that, just like she’s mine, we tell each other every day…

She stepped off the elevator and put the bag on the ground so she could find her key. Pulling it from her pocket and picking up the plastic again, she turned the lock and stepped inside, dropping everything in her hands straight away as she saw Toni curled up in a ball and sobbing, her back against the couch, surrounded by tissues and a box that Cheryl couldn’t identify. She quickly kicked the door closed and rushed over, kneeling beside the brunette.