COOLING OFF 2

    Few minutes later, she was seated across from Nora by the pool, a towel draped on her shoulders, her hair wet and dripping. She was looking down at her fingers. Now, she had wished she had not come here. 

     Nora kept looking at her and waited for her to say something, but she didn't say anything.  "Are you exercising your right of remaining quiet or what? Why are you just staring at your fingers. Didn't you come here to say something. Spill!" 

      Faith raised her face her hazel eyes glimmered in the light of the place. She was feeling better now. That heavy burden in her heart had eased off. 

      "I was just upset," she said, looking back on her fingers. 

      "What got you upset?" 

        "Ethan came back with his girlfriend— that's not what's getting me upset though," she added quickly, so that Nora won't assume something else.  "They keep distracting me and when I complained, they ignored me and increased their noise. If I had no roommate, I won't be worried like this." 

      Nora stood up and went over to her and stroked her hair.   "You will catch cold if you stay out here any longer, let's go inside."  She helped Faith up from the seat and held her waist, leading her into the vast house. 

    Nora fixed her a hot cup of coffee, she drank it and Nora dressed a bed for her and laid her down, covering her with a blanket. She sat by the bed, stroking her hair. 

      "I don't know what led to all of these but you shouldn't let some strangers get under your skin. Ethan's girlfriend shouldn't even be the reason why you should run away from home. Come on, girl, you are more defiant than that." 

      She was more defiant than running away from her house because of another woman, a house she had paid for, but not when that woman was involved with someone she didn't understand what was going on inside her for him. She won't say she was hurt. She kept telling herself that she had cried because she needed to get that chapter drafted that night and it had only frustrated her that she was distracted.

        They stayed there for a while, Faith lying on the bed her head on Nora's thighs, Nora stroking her hair. Then, Nora went to dress a room for her but she was determined to go home. 

       "I can't stay, please," she said, even when Danny had goaded her to stay. 

        "Why? It's late and you can't go," Danny said. 

      Faith shook her head. There was nothing that was going to make her sleep at theirs that night.   "Danny, I have disturbed you guys a lot and I'm sorry about that. Look, I have an early job tomorrow, I need to go home. I'm sorry, maybe some other time. Its okay if you don't drop me too." 

       "Don't try to say rubbish right now!" Nora snapped. 

      When the couple saw that they couldn't persuade her to stay, they decided to drop her off. By the time she got home, the whole feeling had dissipated. This was ac tually better than drinking.