Stupid Girl, Stupid Thing

 Neil sat, chin in hand, as he looked around his empty office.

 He'd given Camille the day off today due to their argument over her gift, and her absence had left a giant void in the large space.

 Her silhouette at the sunlight filled window was something he'd spend his day glancing up at constantly, though he hadn't realized how often he'd done it until she was gone.

 Irritation grew within him, the lack of her presence beginning to feel like daggers in his back.

 Neil closed his eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he rolled his shoulders back, trying to shake the uncomfortable feeling.

 The gorgeous golden lion paced back and forth in his cage, a 'pad, pad' sound echoing in the air.

 "Shut it, you damned thing!" Neil screamed as his eyes flew open, the 'pad pad' noise yanking at is nerves.

 Growling, the lion began to scratch at the iron bars of its confines with its long nails.

 "I said quiet, you!" Neil picked up one of the many ballpoint pens in his pen holder and threw it at the cage, letting out a 'CLANG' sound as it ricocheted off the bars.

 Neil rubbed his temples and closed his eyes for a second time, repeating the steps of breathing as he did before.

 He thought back to his phone call with Camille last night.

 "Camille, darling, why don't you take the day off tomorrow. I'd rather you stay at home if you're going to keep making me feel bad about the wonderful and expensive gift, I've brought you."

 There was nothing but silence on the other line.

 Neil, looked around anxiously as he cleared his throat, "Camille?"

 A quiet sigh just barely made it through the receiver before Camille spoke up, "Can't you just donate him to a zoo in my name or something? Is that really so hard? I don't understand why you're so adamant about keeping him. He's not meant to be in a cage, it's just cruel."

 Neil rolled his eyes, "Why do you dislike my gift so much? I can't just give him away, are you out of your mind?"

 Camille took a deep breath, anger overcoming her.

 "Why do you never listen to me? How can you consider this a gift?"

 "I could have very well killed him, but you keep saying how much you hate killing animals, so I brought you one back alive! Nothing pleases you, ever!"

 Camille clutched her phone tightly in her hand, "Stop trying to turn it around on me! I've told you what I want, and you don't listen! If you donate him to a zoo, I'll gladly accept the gift. So, that leads me to believe, this is not a gift for me, but a gift for yourself that you are trying to pawn off on me!"

 "What a ludicrous thing to say! Are you out of your mind?!" Neil was beginning to feel offended now.

 "Is it really, though? I think you're just trying to make it seem like you're putting in effort, when in fact, you aren't, at all! I'm telling you very clearly, I would like for you to donate him to a zoo, but what is your response? 'No, I won't do that!' then you try to blame me and say nothing pleases me, blah blah blah."

 Neil shook his head and screamed into the phone, "You're asking something that is not possible! Do NOT come into work tomorrow! I will make sure you are not let in. Now, GOODBYE!"

 He ran his hand through his hair as his leg began to bounce anxiously.

 "Stupid girl, stupid thing!" Neil stood up and screamed as he pushed all of the papers off his desk, onto the floor.

 Pens clattered as they hit the tile, and a ball of dust flew up into the air.

 Neil coughed and swatted the particles away from his mouth and nose as he walked over to the giant window that Camille usually stood at.

 The lion growled low as Neil came near.

 "Shush! Keep quiet already! I'm not here for you!"

 As if to say, 'whatever', the lion plopped down on the floor, curling its tail around itself, and rested its head on its giant paws.

 The small width of the cage, causing his nose to almost touch the cold, iron bars.

 'I cannot let this lion go, not after all the work that went into searching for it, not after all it took to capture it, certainly not when Camille still does not love me. Why doesn't she love me yet anyways? What a grand gesture for someone to bring you a real-life lion. Her favorite animal, no less.'

 Neil scoffed at the thought.

 He brought his thumb up to his mouth, and gently chewed on the tip of his nail.

 For a moment, he didn't think about it, before realizing what he was doing and quickly dropping his hand back down to his side. It was a habit he'd gotten over in his youth.

 'How on earth can I win her over, if not with something like this?'

 Neil instinctively brought his thumb back up to his mouth, this time stopping right before the nail touched his lips.

 He shook his head and crossed his arms instead, swiveling around on his heel and staring at his office.

 The numerous stuffed animals and game that lined the wall stared at him as though they were mocking his situation.

 Dust particles swam through the air and twinkled in the sunlight.

 'I can't let her clean and get her hands all over everything…'

 He glanced at the stuffed zebra by the lion's cage, and the buck that was mounted on the wall above it, 'I can't let her find out…'

 Running his hand through his hair, he turned back toward the window, "There must be some other way."

 As if to respond, the lion stood up, his golden coloring sparkled as the sun hit him. His golden eyes twinkled brilliantly as he lifted his giant paws and began to claw at the iron bars yet again.

 Neil swung his head toward the beast and snarled, "Knock it off before you end up like one of your little friends here! Stuffed and on display, quietly!"

 The lion only scratched harder, desperate to get out of the cage.

 His cage was much too small, the length was about twice that of himself, and the width was barely enough for him to turn around. There were two small dog bowls at the end of the cage for food and water, with a divider placed between the lion and the bowls to ensure safe feeding, although it was currently down.

 It was suffocating in there, and he wanted out. He was ready to roam the city, free and independent.

 "I said quiet!" Neil yelled, his face turning red as he rushed over to a cabinet by the door.

 The lion roared loudly, causing Neil to cover his ears before opening the cabinet.

 Neil pulled a whip out before slamming the wooden doors shut and marching over to the wild animal on the opposite end of his office.

 "I told you to shut up! I'm trying to think!"

He began whipping him over and over again, causing the lion to roar out in pain.

Every time the whip made contact with the lion's flesh, he would roar, and with each roar, Neil would grow more and more angered, creating a vicious cycle of abuse.

Finally, Neil's phone went off, causing him to stop.

He left the cage to answer the phone, leaving the lion on the floor, covered in bloody wounds.

"Hello?" Neil huffed, out of breath from his anger-releasing exercise.

He stayed silent for a moment as he listened to the voice on the other line.

"I will have it to you soon, I promise. Just give me a little more time."

With that, he hung up and tossed the whip aside, quickly picking up the documents he'd previously thrown on the floor.

Sitting at his desk, he frantically began to go through them, searching desperately for the ones he needed.

 Neil and the lion sat in silence as he filled out paperwork, and typing up documents and filling in reports.

 'Finally, that stupid thing has shut up. Now I can focus. It seems it responds best to a little bit of force. Maybe that's what I need to do with Camille. Start being a little forceful.'

 After a few hours, he had finally completed his work. He stood and headed to the window, one last time before leaving to go home.

 The sun had already begun to set, and the sky was colored a beautiful orange-yellow. Camille always seemed happiest at this time of day, and he wondered if it was because of the colors that painted the sky.

 He glanced out the window, and noticed a sandwich shop across from their building.

 'Perhaps, I can start there.'