Without a ban

Arthur

I just got back from the store, and I bought myself some oatmeal. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such healthy food for my stomach. I turned on the kettle and waited five minutes for it to boil. Suddenly my doorbell rang. Could it be Alexa came for her keys? Although with her worries and her plans, she has absolutely no time for that, – I thought, and went to the door to open it.

“Hey, Arthur,” Michael greeted me as he entered my apartment. I wondered what had made him come to me.

“Hi, Michael. Aren’t you at work?”

“Is it Sunday? No, it’s my day off. I’ve arranged my work schedule in a way that suits me.”

“Good for you, have a seat,” I turned to him and offered him a seat on the couch.

“That’s very kind of you, Arthur. Listen, I’m waiting for you to tell me about last night.”

“I don’t quite follow you.”

“Arthur, don’t pretend to be a good boy, because you were very bad last night, I know Blanche too well.”

“And you’re talking about her.”

“Were there any other girls with you at the club last night?”

“There were, or rather there was. Alex and I crossed paths there.”

“Wow, and that’s where she found you.”

“You don’t say. How about a drink? ” asked trying to move the conversation to Alex, since he didn’t need to know the rest.

“No, I want details and details.”

“Everything was great, Blanche was a fire in bed.”

“And Alexa?” He kept prying into me.

“What about Alex?”

“Arthur, admit it, you slept with her.”

“I don’t understand this interest? Why do you care so much about it? Did I sleep with her or not? Or did my sister or your dear mother-in-law, I mean my mother, ask you to find out? Yes, I slept with her. You can go and tell about it,” I got really mad at him.

“No, I’ve never been a snitch. Then I congratulate you.”

“Thanks, Michael, but no thanks.”

“She’s so much hotter than Blanche, so why are you so unhappy about her?”

“Because she’s a real bitch.”

“That’s true, but that makes you want her even more, am I right?” I didn’t realize he’d signed up to be a psychologist?

“No, Michael, and let’s not talk about her anymore. We’re not friends anymore.”

“And they say you can’t ruin a friendship with sex, but it’s the other way around.”

“Michael, I really like Blanche, but I’m concerned that she’s using drugs.”

“She’s not sitting on a needle, she’s just snorting powder, there’s nothing wrong with that. If you want to start a relationship with her, she can quit doing it. I think she likes you.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I’ll tell you why,” he said and then he went to her Instagram and showed me a picture of her on her feed. There were pictures of us kissing and drinking and dancing and having fun together. And even when I was asleep in the morning, she took a picture of me and captioned it, “This is destiny.

“Wow,” was the only thing I said.

“She fell in love with you, Arthur.”

“I don’t think so, it’s just a photo and social media.”

“But the fact that she liked you is a fact. In the morning, she didn’t wake up in many beds. Make a point.”

“Michael, maybe that’s enough.”

“Okay, if you say so. I have to fly out again in a couple of days to L. A, please come see Emma. She hasn’t been feeling well lately, and she’s even starting to suspect me of cheating. Just because I have frequent business trips and work with mostly beautiful girls, it doesn’t mean I’ve had time to get every one of them into bed and fuck them.

“I’ll come to her. It’s just that she stays home all the time, it’s hard for her.”

“I understand that, but her constant tantrums lately have been driving me crazy.”

“Michael, you and my sister are made for each other.”

“You think I don’t know that, that I don’t realize that? I wish my parents were alive. They would’ve loved her too.”

“Michael, you’re just going through a rough patch.”

“You’re right, Arthur. I think I’ll go buy her the prettiest bouquet and go home. I ran away from her to you, but even now I realize I can’t go anywhere away from her for long. She’s a part of me, and I’m a part of her.”

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“Well, it’s time for me to go. Thank you for listening to me instead of telling me to leave,” he thanked me and got up from the couch.

“You’re welcome,” I told him, and we walked to the door.

“I’m going,” he said.

“Okay,” I agreed and opened the door for him.

“Thanks again for the heartfelt conversation, Arthur,” he said and shook my hand.

“Everything will be all right,” I encouraged him, and he left.

Is it strange that in such a wonderful family, problems could arise, too? Okay, I should really go check on her. I grabbed a towel from the shelf and started to walk to the shower, when the phone rang.

“Yes,” I answered when I saw the name of my boss on the display. My former boss, because when I was in his office, he was away.

“Yes, Mr. Stevenson, I am listening to you carefully.”

“Are you out of your mind? Arthur, you had an important trip coming up for six months. They were willing to pay you over $200, 000 for it.”

“I’m not going to Finland. It’s cold.”

“Are you serious right now? Arthur, when you worked in Iceland for over a year, you weren’t too upset about it. It’s much colder there.”

“I already told you.”

“Are you going to collect your papers?” The only thing he asked.

“No, keep them as a memento,” he answered and disconnected the phone.