One Way Or Another

Michael

Ever since Melanie showed up to the office a week ago, Sylvia had been a bit distant from me. At first I blamed it on the presence of Melanie and Elizabeth, but even at work, she barely looked at me the way she used to. Her attention was constantly focused on something else. And while she wasn't busy distracting herself from talking to me, she was lost in her thoughts.

I had done my best to ignore it for a week, but lately it had gotten beyond what I could tolerate. We had gone a whole six hours without saying a word to each other despite being in the same space, and it was driving me insane.

"Is there something you'd like to tell me? Is something bothering you?" I finally inquired, breaking the long silence that lingered between us. Sylvia turned towards me, her eyes devoid of any visible emotions as she spoke.