The football players ran across the field on the green grass, kicking and passing the ball to score a goal. Jayden stared at the television with an unimpressed look, the big frown on his face easily showing how annoyed he felt about his preferred team losing.
"What a stupid team," he muttered as he chewed aggressively on the popcorn that he had been munching on since he sat on the sofa watching the game.
His bitter mood was worsened by the ringing of the bell, informing him of the presence of an unwelcoming visitor. He was suspicious the guest could be the pestering doctor and that guess had him grumbling, considering his present sour state.
He took his eyes away, ignoring the continuous ringing of the bell, knowing how daring his doctor was. She would eventually get the doors opened herself if she couldn't bear his silence anymore. After all, the doors weren't locked.
As expected, the vibrating sounds of the doors opening reached his ears a few moments later. He remained his eyes on the screen, ignoring the soft footsteps walking into the place, followed by the usual polite manner in the way she spoke.
"I see, Mr. Stanley. You might not have heard the bell because of the TV." She stated from behind and he rolled his eyes at how naive her conclusion was.
He ignored her words, including her existence entirely, until her figure appeared in front of him, the television standing behind her back. Her blue eyes showed how happy she was to see him, with a small smile curling over her lips, but his expression was anything but welcoming.
"Good morning, Mr. Stan--"
"It's afternoon," he interrupted coldly. "Two minutes after twelve to be precise. You are the one who is late."He added, finding himself taking out his irritation at the game for her.
Maria's smile fell at the realization, her gaze taking a quick peak at her wristwatch. She returned a look at him, clearing her throat before placing a slight smile on her face, although it didn't look as genuine as before. "Sorry. I arrived before twelve so I thought--"
"Whatever. You are not transparent. I am watching a match, you know." He said with an air of dismissal, taking a hand into his bag of popcorn, with his eyes determined to not meet with hers anymore.
'Jerk.' Maria sneered quickly before taking some steps away from his view, standing outside his line of sight so as not to make him more upset than he already was. Talk about her patient's terrible mood swings.
She watched him attentively with narrowed eyes as he continued chewing his popcorn, before taking a glance at what he was paying close attention to. Considering he was the type of person that hardly talked about his hobbies and dislikes, it was fascinating to see him engrossed in the sport.
"So, you must really like football, Mr. Stanley." Maria voiced and expressed herself further with a pointing palm toward the screen. As a doctor who had a fair share of training in psychology, she had learned that most people, including the most difficult ones, can't resist discussing their favorite topics.
Her assumption proved false when Jayden picked up the remote and changed channels with a single finger flick, his lips curled into a tight frown as he stared at the new channel, clearly displeased with her nosiness.
But that was not enough for her to give up. "So, I guess it's pop music then? I never knew you were a fan of it too." She said as she stepped closer to his side, hoping to get his attention by asking about his favorite artists. "Who is your--"
Her next question was interrupted by his quick changing of channels again. His repeated action made her realize what exactly he was trying to do. Jayden was obviously avoiding any conversation, but he was in for a surprise if he thought she could be that easily tricked into staying silent.
Maria glanced at the television, finding the movie on the screen quite familiar. "I think I have seen this movie before..." She mumbled, recalling the details, but he didn't give her enough time to think about it when he switched the channel back to the match he was originally watching.
A slow smirk curled her lips. She wasn't sure why, but the situation seemed amusing. An idea formed in her head, bringing some sparkle to her eyes as the smile on her face widened. "Mr. Stanley." She called out, and when he didn't respond, she walked right into the TV's view once again, in an attempt to get his attention.
His glare deepened as his brown eyes shifted to her, "I already made it clear that I can't see through--"
"Just hear me out." Maria cut in quickly, her palms standing in a defense position. "You love sports, right?"
His stare remained apathetic, chewing on his snack slowly without answering her question.
"Why don't we go outside and watch a match? What do you think about horse racing? I was informed earlier today, by a friend, that some games will be held in a place close by. So, what do you think?" Maria suggested in a hopeful voice, looking straight at him and flashing him a smile, which he reciprocated with a striking opposite.
"Get lost." He grumbled lowly.
The doctor felt her heart drop from the sudden reaction but didn't back down. "What about shopping? You can go out and shop." Wasn't he tired of staying in his room all day?
"I do that every day."
"I am not talking about the ones done by your secretary. Let's go out and take the fresh air instead. I know a lot of exciting places to visit in this city." She insisted even though she knew she was fighting an uphill battle here. "Don't you feel stuffy sometimes staying here all the time?"
Jayden stopped chewing the popcorn for a moment before speaking. "And how is that any of your business, if I feel stuffed or not?"
"Mr. Stanley. Taking care of yourself doesn't only pertain to drugs and the like. Like I have said before, your social and mental status play huge roles too. You have to be happy, relaxed, and have this sense of um... serenity."
"Am I crying right now?" He questioned with a challenging gaze, making her gulp slowly at how serious he seemed.
"That is not what I am trying to say. I don't mean that kind of happiness."
"Just get lost. You have bothered me enough." He waved his hand dismissively, signaling to her to move away.
Maria took a deep breath. "You really want to watch Tv? We can go to a cinema or something."
It seemed her question toyed with his pride a little judging by the way he scoffed. His brows rose in a daring manner before he finally spoke. "Turn around."
She pulled her brows lower in confusion at his random set of words. She stared at his spinning finger as he persuaded her to follow his instructions, and so she did.
"Why would I go to a cinema when I have that?" His question boomed from behind the moment she turned. Her eyes were fixed on the massive television plastered against the wall. Its screen was impressively huge, covering nearly half of the entire wall, with its display quality being nothing short of extraordinary.
Maria took her time to digest the view, the large item reminding her of the large projectors used in cinemas, except that this one was a real TV. However, despite admitting to herself the grandeur of the piece, she was yet to be convinced that her patient had no interest outside his room.
She spun around to look at Jayden once again. His brown gaze met hers and he showed disappointment to see her unchanging reaction to the TV. "I get your point but the fun is not all about the Tv. Sometimes, it is the whole experience surrounding it. I mean, I personally enjoy the communal feeling in the theatre." She explained, gesturing her hands around the vicinity as though trying to illustrate her idea to him, but her words kept falling against a completely uninterested stare.
"Good for you." He stated flatly, returning his eyes to the TV screen, making her sigh heavily. "Move away."
Her eyes moved around the room briefly, "You look like a prisoner in here--"
"Then I believe everyone wishes to be jailed." Jayden interrupted with pride, throwing one leg over the other, and tapping one of his slippers in the air.
The doctor groaned silently at his unbending attitude. She knew there were a lot of truths to his words, in fact, they were nothing but facts. The home of the Stanleys could be mistaken as a surreal and tiny planet that fell from space and landed on Earth. Nevertheless, she was sure of one thing. The world was resplendent with other great things as well, and it wouldn't hurt if he visited one of those pretty places.
"Okay, then. Let's just see the beautiful places outside your beautiful home then." Her fingers curled up in air quotes, pronouncing her most repeated words with stressed tones.
Despite all that, it motivated him to nothing. "I have been to so many places and I know best that there is nothing special out there." He answered with indifference.
Maria shrugged. "Maybe you didn't go with the right person."
He snickered immediately, his dimples deepening at both sides of his mouth in a flash. "And you think you are that person?" He voiced, running over her frame with a gaze filled with mockery.
"Why don't you be the judge of that? Or are you scared you are just a boring old fart who doesn't know how to have fun?" She returned, knowing she was finally warming up the difficult guy. There was a particular thing she noticed about Jayden as his doctor. He hated being challenged into doing something out of underestimation. He always wanted to prove everyone wrong while restoring that perfect image of himself.
"Old fart?" He chuckled bitterly before rising from the sofa, the moment Maria had been waiting for. "I am barely two years older than you. Who are you calling an old fart?"
She shrugged nonchalantly, fighting the urge to smirk. "Well, some people tend to be mentally older than their real age. Especially the boring ones."
Her words made him break into insincere laughter again. His face was clearly bitter but his laughter kept going. He ran a hand through his blonde strands, taking his time to inhale deeply before speaking. "You are dead meat if I get bored. I will find out myself who the old fart is between us."
"Is that a yes? Great! I have tons of ideas." She smiled mischievously, knowing her scheme to make him agree to her wish had worked. "The bet is on, sire," she added, imitating a queenly tone, and his expected reaction was given.
"Shut it already." He grumbled, walking past her and making his way into a different section of the room. "Wait here." He ordered over his shoulder before disappearing into space.
Maria scoffed and fell into a seat against the sofa he had just left. She crossed both of her legs and picked up his unfinished popcorn with a big smile on her face. "Hey, the popcorn is mine now! Too much food is not good for your health. You can thank me later!" She exclaimed loudly, tossing a fistful of the snack into her mouth while giggling at the sound of his frustrated and incoherent response.
Perhaps, her real cause of happiness was her successful plan. She was looking forward to their 'bet' on finding out who the most boring person was, and the huge beam in her eyes proved it.
***