Love Circle

Chapter 3

TRENT

I stayed in the kitchen, cutting peppers and onions in preparation for dinner. I had asked Janice to join me in cooking dinner, but she had declined, claiming she was tired. I knew she just wanted me to leave so she could continue whatever she was doing on her system. It was weird, though, because Janice never declined to cook with me any time I asked. We always prepare our meals together.

She had been acting a bit strange from our discussion in the restaurant. I couldn’t figure out why she worked strangely because I did not remember doing anything wrong.

Except if I had said something that upset her, but I didn't know it did. I thought back to our discussion, trying to remember what I had been told that bothered her.

At the restaurant, her bright, happy mood had changed to a somewhat gloomy one.

She had become quieter as the date progressed. But I had thought it was simply because she wanted to focus on the delicious dinner.

When we got to the car, she was still reticent. And when I started driving us home, that was when I noticed that something was genuinely wrong. She was not her usual chatty self.

And even when I reached my right hand for her thigh and started to caress it, just as she liked it, she had coughed slightly and stylishly taken my hand off. Then she started talking about something entirely different that might not be suitable for a romantic atmosphere. So, all carnal thoughts left my head, and I stopped trying to 'touch' her. I had even wanted to ask her if something was wrong or if I had done something wrong. But I stopped myself because if I did, there would be something wrong, and she would have more reason to be mad at me. I was not ready for a quarrel this evening.

Now that we were home, Janice had utterly ignored me, immediately gone into the bedroom, and started doing something on her laptop. I had waited almost two hours for her to get downstairs, but since she didn't, I went up to meet her.

She was so focused on her scrolling that she did not hear me come from behind. I saw that she was on i********: and was scrolling through someone's account. The person looked familiar, but then she turned her head.

“Baby," I had called her.

She had looked back and replied. I had gone ahead and kissed her. Then I told her about my parents and how I wanted her to meet them. She had at least seemed excited and interested in what I had just said. She told me she would be happy to go with me.

I noticed the images on the laptop again. They still looked familiar. I wanted to look more to see what it was, but she hurriedly shut the computer, smiling at me sheepishly. I knew she didn’t want me to know what she was doing, so I didn't proceed further, even though I was inquisitive.

Then I asked her to join me in the kitchen, but she declined. And now here I was, slicing tomatoes alone and wondering what I could have done wrong.