Robert Kline
The room had a kitchenette, I bought some eggs and other ingredients from a vending machine and started cooking. Nessa snored as I made an omelet. As the smell wafted through out the hotel room Nessa woke up. She limped towards the table and I put some food in front of her. Then I sat on the other side with my food. There was silence.
"Kline."
Nessa looked at me.
"I guess I should have been more clear but I."
"I know....I know exactly what you were trying to do and what you think you feel."
Nessa blinked.
"What."
"And I don't appreciate what you were trying to do at all."
"Look Kline."
She put her hand on mine and I glared at her, she took her hand off of me.
"Nessa, we have known each other for three years. I have heard you complain about your failed relationships quite a few times now, and each and every single one of your love life disasters start out the same way. You throw yourself at some guy, put everything you have into him then burn yourself out and the relationship crashes and burns."
Nessa blinked.
"What?"
"I actually do listen to your complaining. As far as I can see this is at minimum the fifth time you have pulled this stunt. You pulled it with Jack, with George, With Bill and with Britney."
I took a bite of my meal.
"Look they."
"Don't tell me they were all assholes, Jack is one of the nicest people we know and you straight up broke Britney's heart."
She looked away.
"I didn't want to."
"Say no? hurt her feelings? There was a very big orientation issue there Nessa, you should have been honest with her from the start."
She stabbed her plate.
"I really do like you though."
"I'm not exactly in a mood for a relationship and my baggage has baggage."
Nessa smiled at me.
"We both have baggage."
I sighed.
"I'm trying to let you off easy, Nessa. I don't want to have a relationship with you period."
She took a breath.
"You don't want to destroy our friendship, I, you're intimidated by me. You're."
"Or I just don't want to have a relationship right now period."
Nessa stared at her plate.
"It's Maria isn't it? Look she doesn't care about you Kline. She doesn't want you like I do, doesn't love you like."
"I'm sure you have convinced yourself that what you feel is love, I'm less than convinced."
She looked up from her plate, her eyes filled with a kind of desperation.
"I can get Maria's number for you! once you have closure maybe, maybe you can give me a chance right?"
I got up.
"Nessa, this is not a romantic comedy, I don't need or want some manic pixy girl to teach me how to enjoy my life. I like my life the way it is."
"But I can make it better, the two of us against the world, against the system."
"I'm going to get dressed and then I'm going to leave."
I got up and she grabbed my hand.
"Please....Kline....I will get you the number and then then maybe you can give us a chance."
I shook my head.
"Fine....go ahead, get the number."
I didn't believe she would pull it off and maybe, while she was trying, she would get the hint. I got dressed, got my stuff and left the hotel. I wandered the streets of Tokyo for a while and called my editor.
"So how long until the next report?"
"They're still getting stuff together so maybe another week? They're stopping in Tokyo so they will pick you up. Speaking of that, how did things go last night?"
I felt anger.
"You knew."
"Every one knows how Nessa feels about you, she doesn't do subtle."
"I said no, obviously."
"She's the single closest thing you have to a friend Kline."
"And yet I still despise her."
"Of course you do, she's the person you pretend to be."
With that my editor hung up and I was left alone in the streets of Tokyo.
The room had a kitchenette, I bought some eggs and other ingredients from a vending machine and started cooking. Nessa snored as I made an omelet. As the smell wafted through out the hotel room Nessa woke up. She limped towards the table and I put some food in front of her. Then I sat on the other side with my food. There was silence.
"Kline."
Nessa looked at me.
"I guess I should have been more clear but I."
"I know....I know exactly what you were trying to do and what you think you feel."
Nessa blinked.
"What."
"And I don't appreciate what you were trying to do at all."
"Look Kline."
She put her hand on mine and I glared at her, she took her hand off of me.
"Nessa, we have known each other for three years. I have heard you complain about your failed relationships quite a few times now, and each and every single one of your love life disasters start out the same way. You throw yourself at some guy, put everything you have into him then burn yourself out and the relationship crashes and burns."
Nessa blinked.
"What?"
"I actually do listen to your complaining. As far as I can see this is at minimum the fifth time you have pulled this stunt. You pulled it with Jack, with George, With Bill and with Britney."
I took a bite of my meal.
"Look they."
"Don't tell me they were all assholes, Jack is one of the nicest people we know and you straight up broke Britney's heart."
She looked away.
"I didn't want to."
"Say no? hurt her feelings? There was a very big orientation issue there Nessa, you should have been honest with her from the start."
She stabbed her plate.
"I really do like you though."
"I'm not exactly in a mood for a relationship and my baggage has baggage."
Nessa smiled at me.
"We both have baggage."
I sighed.
"I'm trying to let you off easy, Nessa. I don't want to have a relationship with you period."
She took a breath.
"You don't want to destroy our friendship, I, you're intimidated by me. You're."
"Or I just don't want to have a relationship right now period."
Nessa stared at her plate.
"It's Maria isn't it? Look she doesn't care about you Kline. She doesn't want you like I do, doesn't love you like."
"I'm sure you have convinced yourself that what you feel is love, I'm less than convinced."
She looked up from her plate, her eyes filled with a kind of desperation.
"I can get Maria's number for you! once you have closure maybe, maybe you can give me a chance right?"
I got up.
"Nessa, this is not a romantic comedy, I don't need or want some manic pixy girl to teach me how to enjoy my life. I like my life the way it is."
"But I can make it better, the two of us against the world, against the system."
"I'm going to get dressed and then I'm going to leave."
I got up and she grabbed my hand.
"Please....Kline....I will get you the number and then then maybe you can give us a chance."
I shook my head.
"Fine....go ahead, get the number."
I didn't believe she would pull it off and maybe, while she was trying, she would get the hint. I got dressed, got my stuff and left the hotel. I wandered the streets of Tokyo for a while and called my editor.
"So how long until the next report?"
"They're still getting stuff together so maybe another week? They're stopping in Tokyo so they will pick you up. Speaking of that, how did things go last night?"
I felt anger.
"You knew."
"Every one knows how Nessa feels about you, she doesn't do subtle."
"I said no, obviously."
"She's the single closest thing you have to a friend Kline."
"And yet I still despise her."
"Of course you do, she's the person you pretend to be."
With that my editor hung up and I was left alone in the streets of Tokyo.