Envy

One.

One.

It's not raining in Courtwall today; rather it's quite sunny, with a bit of a breeze. Leaves fall gracefully from the branches of trees, like a ballet dancer, for it's the beginning of autumn.

"Ah, Marisol, fancy seeing you here" nurse Lilly calls out for me as I pass the kitchen. I turn towards her and give her a small wave.

"Seeing mum 's all before going to work"

"Right of course, yoga today?" she ties her curly hair into a messy bun. I nod in response.

"Still holding you on taking a class with me Lil"

She giggles and waves dismissively at me. Chuckling, I walk away, searching for room 12B. I try warming my hands with the disposable cup of coffee I'm holding, to no avail, it's freezing inside.

Without knocking, I enter into room 12B, to find my mother watching TV, blowing into a cup in her delicate hands.

"Marisol, sweetheart, come sit with me" she moves slightly, allowing me space on the bed. Not wanting to argue with her about actually having a job to attend, I sit on the bed and kiss her cheeks. She smells like roses. "How are you?" she caresses my cheek with her hand, still as soft as linen sheets.

"I'm good, yoga class today"

"Ah, great, great! Less stress"

"Yeah, just came to see how you're doing, here" I take out a newspaper from my bag, "Got you the morning paper"

"Aw" she beams and takes it from me, "You're the best"

"I know" I wink at her and kiss her cheek, "I have to get going, sorry!"

"Say hi to that boyfriend of yours will you?" she waves the newspaper at me, with his picture on the front page.

"Of course" if I get a hold of him.

I leave the elderly home, waving to Lilly on my way out, and go into the breezing air outside. It smells like Autumn, like old dead leaves. I take in a deep breath and smile to myself. I absolutely love this season. It isn't too hot, neither is it too cold, it's just there, hanging in the middle.

I smooth my pink dress, as I wait in the bus stop. Gladly, I have worn leggings today, for it really is breezy, and my dress keeps on sticking to my arse, or mildly flying upwards. I would have needed to wear leggings anyway today, for yoga class.

Clutching my bag closer to me, I walk inside the bus, which has arrived two minutes early today. Good, I'm not late. I seat myself beside the window, my favourite place, and stare outside waiting for the bus to stop at the next bus stop, where the mysterious brunette whose name I haven't caught yet, likes to sit beside me.

Five minutes later, he indeed does come, and once again, sits beside me. There are about ten empty seats in this bus, yet he always choses to sit beside me, and he has been doing that for the past one year. It doesn't annoy me, but I'm not comfortable with it either. I have never looked at his face carefully. I only know that he really likes wearing black converse, the same one every single day, and tights jeans, and likes to play with his long fingers, always keeping them on his lap.

I won't dare look at his face, what if he was mesmerizingly beautiful and I end up falling in love with him? Ha. I'm afraid of cheating on the cheater himself. I know I won't be leaving him, not for someone who has a weird looking ribbon tattoo on his wrist, with a heart in between.

I never need to awkwardly pass by him on my way out of the bus, for he always leaves before me, gladly. And he does, ten minutes later, and I've already guessed he works in a tattoo shop, because that's the only thing that makes sense he would be working at. There's a hairdresser parlour on the left of the tattoo shop, and a building of houses on the right, either he lives in that building, or he's gay and likes to braid girls' hair.