The Older Man Part II

Chapter 13

Something Doesn't Feel Right

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VINCENT'S POINT OF VIEW

I let out a yawn as I exited the master bathroom. I had just woken up and freshened up. My teeth were clean, my breath was minty, my face was washed, my hair was combed, and my beard was groomed to perfection; in other words, I was ready for the day.

Today was Saturday, which meant both Cheyenne and I were off from work.

Our weekends were spent pretty simply. If we didn't have any plans or errands, we didn't do much of anything on our days off. Saturday and Sunday were lazy days we spent together on the couch or in bed.

I wanted to do something today, like go out for lunch or get some shopping done for the upcoming week, but I wasn't sure if Cheyenne would be up to it like she normally is.

Lately, she's been acting differently. Her behavior is off, especially when she's with me.

When we go to bed, instead of letting me wrap my arms around her, she scoots as far away from me as she possibly can without falling off the bed.

When I try to touch her, she usually welcomes it, but as of late, she's been doing anything to avoid it.

And when I try to go in for a simple kiss, she'll typically beat me to it, but for the past few days, she's dodged my affection any way she can.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt me. I started to wonder if I had done something to make her act this way.

Cheyenne and I didn't have a perfect relationship, but we had been pretty good for a while now, so her behavior was a shock to me. It was also a concern.

I tried to talk to her about it but she wouldn't allow it. She would change the subject or avoid my questions entirely.

It worried me so much that I reached out to Thalia for advice. Thalia told me that it would be best to let Cheyenne come to me when she's ready to talk about whatever it is that's bugging her and causing her to act this way, but I wasn't fond of that idea. I was afraid that if I did that she'd never talk to me about it, and it would create a rift between us. That was the last thing I wanted.

The best idea I could think of was to coax it out of her. Before, I would waste no time and just ask her outright if something was wrong. That may not have been the most effective approach.

Today, I'd try something different, more casual.

I entered the master bedroom and headed towards the closet. After stripping off my pajama bottoms and changing into a basic shirt and a simple pair of jeans, I walked down the hallway to where I could hear Cheyenne was.

When I walked into the living room and saw a familiar movie playing, I scanned the area for Cheyenne. I caught sight of her after a few seconds.

She was washing dishes in the kitchen while listening to what was playing on the living room tv.

I smiled softly when I saw what she was wearing. A simple pair of sweatpants covered her legs but the shirt of mine that she decided to wear had almost swallowed her whole. Her shoulders weren't nearly as broad which caused the shirt to fall about mid-thigh length.

She looked adorable, I thought to myself.

I stood back for a little bit and watched her as she washed a dish and placed it in the dish rack in a steady rhythm. She was in her own little world.