Chapter 7

He slowly pulled off his headset, letting his hair flow out. He puts it on the table next to his bed and stretches. Quickly glancing out the window, he noticed the sun was still high up in the sky. There was likely still a lot of time left in the day. He paused staring at his closet, before getting up and putting on the clothes.

"Jogging is good for you, right? I should go do that." He opened the door to his apartment and started walking to the park.

The crowd was going about their days, people going somewhere for lunch or people meeting up with friends. The sidewalk was somewhat busy at this hour, but it wasn't crowded yet either. The sun was bright and there weren't many clouds to block it. The wind was light and cool. Everything was calm and peaceful, it felt like the world has slowed down somewhat. Every once in and while he'll start thinking about how he should be working instead or how he is going to be behind on work if he continues. Whenever that happens, he would take a deep breath and focus on everything around him. There were cars driving by and people milling about, making plenty of noise.

The park entrance soon came into view as he got closer. In the park, there were a lot fewer people, someone was walking on a path, there was a family having a picnic, and a man reading the newspaper on a bench. He walked around, looking at all the trees and flowers. The further into the park he went, the quieter it got. His mind jumped to a few topics, but one that it had stuck on the most was Toby. He couldn't help but wonder if Toby was okay, after all, Toby never has gotten mad like that before. He decided it would be better just to ask what happened or at least check up on him, so he sent a text message.

No response.

He waited a few minutes, but nothing. The sun was starting to set, so Kevin started walking home. It was somewhat of a long day, and since he was active much, he was pretty tired. As he got near the park entrance, he suddenly notices how different he felt. Putting a hand on his chest, he felt this heart. For the first time, he realizes that the feeling in his chest was lighter than usual. It was still there, but it wasn't as overwhelming. The daily stress and anxiety seemed less than usual. That realization made him feel confident that slowly he would get better.

The streets were somewhat empty with some people standing around. There were stores that were closing up and cars driving home. The night sky was clear, but from where he was, he couldn't see any stars. A smile slowly crept onto his face before he had realized it. There was a certain feeling you get when you finally understand something. That day it felt like he truly felt like he somewhat understood himself and his emotions. Even if he didn't know fully, he felt like he was starting to. He sprinted home and walked up the stairs to his home. He stood right in front of his door and opened it. He went to lay down on his bed, relaxing for a bit. As he got up to take a shower and get ready to sleep, he suddenly got a message from Toby.