All This Time [COMPLETED]

22 - Burnout

NOVEMBER 2018

"Earth to Miss Claire Amelie Alfonso!" Kristen snapped her fingers in front of Claire's face.

Claire's head fell from her hand that's propping it up. Kristen shook her head and chuckled.

"Daydreaming much?" she asked Claire.

"Uh, no" Claire cleared her throat. She looked back on her computer.

"That has been blank for hours now" Kristen pointed out. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah" Claire answered.

"You don't think I notice but I do" Kristen told her. "You aren't really painting this past month besides work stuff."

"What do you mean?" Claire asked trying to sketch in her blank canvas.

"Every week you have a personal painting done that is totally not related to work" Kristen said to her. "The last time you showed me something was two weeks before your birthday."

"I just don't have time" Claire answered.

Kristen scoffed.

"What?" she asked.

"This is so not you, Claire" Kristen told her.

Mr. Baumgartner passed by and saw them chatting. He cleared his throat. "Everything alright, ladies?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir" Claire answered.

Kristen hurriedly went back to her cubicle. Claire closed the software she was using and sighed.

For the next few days, she became more and more zombie-like. Kristen would always ask if she's okay and she says she is. Every night, she comes home to a lonely apartment. Keifer was in Atlanta for a work trip and she doesn't want to go out either. Sometimes, Kristen stops by with Chinese takeout and that will cheer her up a bit. She spent her nights binge-watching some series on Netflix that just served as background noise to the numbness she was feeling as she curl up in her bed.

After a week, she noticed she lost so much weight. She made a mental note to eat extra that day. Keifer is coming home and he'll just worry if he notices it. She busied herself with work at the gallery.

That night, Keifer found her crying in the bathtub.

"Geez, Claire, how long have you been in here?" Keifer asked, noticing the wrinkles in her hand. He took a towel from the rack and helped her up.

"I don't know" Claire answered as she wiped her tears. "What time is it?" she asked.

"It's 10PM" he answered. "You weren't answering your phone so I got worried. I thought you were supposed to fetch me at the airport."

"Sorry" Claire apologized.

"It's fine" Keifer said nonchalantly. "What is happening to you?" he asked.

"I don't know" she admitted.

Keifer helped her get dressed. He dried her hair with another towel and brushed it.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, Keif" Claire opened up. "I spend most of the day spacing out and at night I have trouble sleeping."

"Has anything happened at the gallery?" he asked, very concerned. "I could talk to Uncle George" he offered.

"No, everything is fine at work" she said. "I just feel so tired all the time."

"Do you wanna go to the doctor?" he asked taking both her hands in his.