"Meow!" Bubbles let out a startled meow when he saw his human barging inside her apartment.
Rayne dumped the bags she was holding and stared at her cat. "Sorry, sweetie." She said as she gave him an absentminded pet on the head. "It was raining outside, so I had to rush here."
If Bubbles had eyebrows, he would have raised one skeptically. Instead, he headbutted the hand she petted him with then began to weave himself along her legs, rubbing his head.
Rayne smiled at the cat's antics. She crossed her arms across her chest and felt something soft and thick. She grabbed the fabric, and her eyes widened. She remembered that she was using Harold's towel earlier to dry herself. The scene in the elevator played in her mind, and she buried her face in the towel and let out a scream.
What was wrong with me? She thought. Why did she feel so self-conscious when she was close to Harold? This was not the first time she was physically close to him. She made it a point to put a hand on his shoulder, smack his arm, lightly punch his forearm, and tug his arm like a child. So what was different about this recent close contact with him?
He nearly kissed you, you idiot. Her inner voice said sarcastically.
Rayne sighed. While she never lacked dating experience, she always lacked attraction to the opposite gender. She does acknowledge the person's looks and personality, but other than that, she was mainly indifferent to men who had asked her out during college and then her early days as a call center agent.
Dating her was a chore, especially if she hardly knew the person and was forced to go out with someone because of peer pressure.
Her friends complained that she was too picky with men; one even asked if she was made of stone. Rayne had no idea. As far as she had remembered, she rarely nursed any affection for a person she met unless she became close to him, which was even rarer.
When they do become closer, and she starts nursing feelings for that man, he never felt the same way as she did. It would hurt, but she could move on from one heartbreak to another. Now that she had begun to work from home, her dating life had become nonexistent, and she became comfortable in her solitude with Bubbles as her companion.
Meeting Harold was just one of those random occurrences in her life, and having him as a friend was a bonus for her. However, she panicked and ran when he started getting too close for comfort.
She stared at the towel still around her neck and sighed. She would need to wash this towel and return it to Harold, meaning she would need to face him whether she wanted to or not. Sighing again, she tossed the towel on the couch and went to the bathroom to take a hot shower.
Much later, Rayne, now dressed in much dryer clothes, sorted out the food she had bought in the kitchen, most of which she placed in the refrigerator. She heard a knock while putting away the eco bags she used earlier. She set the bags aside and went to the door, peeking at the peephole. She gasped and jumped a little at Harold holding a head of…lettuce?
Puzzled, she opened the door and stared at her neighbor and the lettuce. Before she could open her mouth to ask about the lettuce in his hand, Harold beat her to it.
"You dropped this," Harold said.
"What?" She stared at him blankly.
"You dropped this." He repeated. "You were in a hurry that it fell off your bag."
"Oh. Okay. Thanks for giving it back."
Harold handed her the lettuce and she took it. "No problem."
Rayne was about to close the door when she opened the door wider. "I washed your towel; if you want to wait for it to dry…!"
"It's fine; I'll get it when it's done." He cuts her off.
"Sure."
Harold gave her a slight smile and left. As she watched him go, she felt bereft for some reason.
Harold leaned against his chair and sighed. What was he thinking? Thanks to his actions, it now felt awkward to be around her. He nearly gave in when she invited him to wait for his towel to dry. He declined because he was not sure if he would still be able to act normally around her. His mind and feelings were in turmoil. Irrationally, he blamed Jasper as his words echoed in his head.
"I know you too well, Harold; what you say doesn't necessarily mean that's what you're going to do."
Harold had to be honest with himself. He was beginning to have feelings for his quirky neighbor. He liked her blunt nature, dry sense of humor, love towards Bubbles, concern for him whenever he gripes about his work, her cooking, and most of all, the fact that she treats him like an average person. He never knew how much he was starved to be regarded as a regular man, not as a sex symbol.
I love her. He thought. As cliché as it was, he fell for her from the moment when she gave him her trademark tiny grins. The times he had baked blueberry cheesecake and prepared French vanilla coffee, it was evident that he liked her. The times they talked or ran into each other were always the highlight of his day.
Now that Harold acknowledged his feeling for Rayne, he was at a loss on what to do. The incident in the elevator was his fault as he became too reckless. He was anxious about how she would act towards him and wondered if he should avoid her for a few days.
Yes, keeping a distance from Rayne would be a good idea for now as he was too overwhelmed with his feelings. Once he calms down, he makes the first move.
The first few days were easy as he ended up becoming too busy with his classes. It was the first semester of the new school year, and he was now alternating between conducting online courses and occasionally dropping by the university to provide guidance and advice to students. The third-year students were now beginning their thesis writing, where two groups picked him as their research adviser, and one of the graduate students he was teaching had chosen him as one of his panel members on his dissertation.
In addition, the fact that he rarely saw Rayne due to her job made it easier for him to avoid her. However, days had passed, and not seeing her had begun to take its toll on him. He became abrupt with his students and at times to his colleagues. The students were hurt and wary, while the other instructors were confused and worried for him.
"Will your group be able to accomplish this?" Harold was saying as he smacked the thesis draft with the back of his hand. "It is a good topic, but you need years to get the results, and your group does not have that time. Set a more realistic goal with your paper."
Five pairs of eyes stared at him in shock. It was not the gesture he made that startled them but the tone of his voice. Harold sounded exasperated, and they only met with him for about fifteen minutes.
"W-we'll work on it." One of the students stuttered.
"Alright. Let's meet again next week." Harold said.
The students left and Harold swore they looked like they were running away from him. "What's up with them?" He muttered.
"What is up with you lately, Dr. Sales?" A female voice said.
He turned and saw Agatha leaning against a table in the faculty room. She was eyeing him sternly, and he was very aware that she was not in a good mood once she had her arms crossed along her chest.
He was grateful to have her as a friend as she was reliable and always there for him whenever he needed advice. As a colleague, however, the older woman had always made him feel intimidated, and it was not because of her tenure as an instructor. She was businesslike and professional in her work and expected that others would do the same. For her, personal issues go out of the door from the moment they step inside the university.
This was why she was being eyed as the next department head of the Biology Department.
Agatha approached him and sat on a chair across his desk. "You've become unapproachable these days. Is something bothering you?"
"You've become cranky too." Another voice chimed in.
Jasper had just entered the faculty room and was approaching the pair. "We're all stressed from the recent changes here in the university, but you're beginning to take it out on the students and us."
Harold hesitated for a second. Agatha smiled reassuringly while Jasper lightly slapped him on the shoulder.
By the time he was finished talking, Agatha and Jasper were staring at him in surprise.