You & I

 

Poppy found herself full of worry and full of nightmares, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Not a word from Jory. But she knew he wouldn't stay this way. There was something in that gaze of his that had always made her feel just a bit uneasy.

She called his sister, Lynsey. After a few questions of asking her if she'd heard from him, Poppy finally confessed they were no longer together.

"He was always quiet," his sister said they'd thought it might be Aspberger's. "But I don't guess so." She didn't know.

Poppy winced. She'd never thought of that. She didn't think so. Of course, she felt worse than ever now. 

"Nobody wants to hear that about their boyfriend," Lynsey then said. "I don't think anything is wrong."

"But..what I don't understand..is why he left the family that raised him," Poppy found herself saying. "Do you know anything about that?"

"Not really," Lynsey said Jory wasn't a talkative person. "He talks more to you than he does me. Maybe it's because he doesn't want to bother me."

When Poppy got off her Android she plopped down on the livingroom couch in tears.

"What's wrong?" Alfie wanted to know. He'd been busy getting the apartment organized and making the second bedroom into a guestroom. Although, neither knew anyone that would ever visit.

"I just feel so bad for Jory," she blurted as she grabbed a tissue. "I don't know what to do."

"Well, nothing has happened yet," Alfie put his arm around her to comfort her. 

"I didn't even have a messed up childhood and I'm still an awful person," Poppy said as she cried on his shoulder.

"It'll be fine," he told her he didn't plan on getting into any fight with Jory.

"It's not like I want you two to fight over me," She looked up at him. "I would never want that."

Alfie only sighed and he kissed her forehead. He then said he was the dummy. He should have told her long before now about his feelings for her.

"It's just I kept thinking you'd find somebody, a whole lot better than me," Alfie nursed his bottom lip. "You really are good. In fact, you're great. Everybody likes you. So stop saying you're not."

A knock came to their door. Alfie got up to get it. It was Jory. Poppy hurried to step in front Alfie. 

"What do you want?" She snapped with her fist tight.

"I thought I left a shirt here," he said very civil. "The plaid one that's red."

He pointed to the shirt Alfie was wearing. "I don't guess I need it now." Jory shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

"I thought it was mine," Alfie said with a nod.

Jory only smirked. "You've evidently thought this about a few other things, too."

He walked away then. 

Poppy hated his silence as she slammed the door. A shiver ran through her. Maybe she had created a monster.