It had been three years since Chris could call himself committed. He had met numerous girls during this time. Some were pretty, some were gritty. Some were hot, some were not. But nothing seemed to interest Chris or spark the flame that had long been gone. His daily routine involved just his office and his room. He had a roommate at one point in time, but Chris soon shifted to a single room to live by himself. While he saw his friends and colleagues roam around the city and beyond, Chris mostly stayed home staring at the blank ceiling.

It was until he met this girl about whom he had heard before, but never met. He had heard she was kind of weird and Chris’s first interaction with her made him feel the same way. But as time passed, little did Chris know that this girl would mean a lot more. Penny was quite younger than Chris and had joined Chris’s office a year ago. She was not a typical diva but was pretty with beautiful eyes and a mischievous smile. It would be a week before the two would have an actual conversation and their chemistry clicked almost immediately.

Penny had a lot of questions for Chris and there were no specific topics or reasons in them. The two would have lunch together, would sit at a desk next to each other and chatter a lot. Chris had been diagnosed with clinical depression some eighteen months ago, but he was natural at being sarcastic and humorous. Penny was a good foil to him, often chipping in with her quips. Before long, the two became really good friends.

They went out a couple of times on their own and to a party where they were mistaken as a couple. Slowly, as time passed and the pressure of work increased, the two started finding very little time to talk to each other. Penny had a couple of low phases where she, much to his dismay, would completely shut Chris off. She would be away some times with her friends while Chris would be stuck at work. The chatter that seemed to have no end for the first few months, had suddenly turned to a few nods and words. Both of them would be at work for long hours and then go their ways, spent and tired.

A few months flew by and Chris’s birthday was a week away. One day at lunch, he was surprised when a familiar hand tugged at the sleeve of his shirt. It was Penny’s beaming face, something he hadn’t seen in quite some time. She, now holding his arm, asked him to come over to her place on his birthday eve. Chris, a bit puzzled, was not sure how to respond. But after Penny’s request turned into a command, Chris agreed.

An hour before midnight, Chris showed up at Penny’s door with a bottle of wine. Her roommate was away for the weekend and she seemed to enjoy the extra space that she had. Penny had once stated that Chris was her best friend in town, and she was at that moment happy to accommodate him in her space. As the clock ticked over, Penny grabbed Chris in a tight hug and her cheeks touched Chris’s beard. She hadn’t arranged for a cake since there were just two of them but offered Chris some brownies and ice cream.

They went to the terrace after a while when Penny clung on to Chris again and wrapped him in a bear hug. Chris hugged her back and they stood there feeling cozy in each other’s arms. Chris had missed his friend a lot amidst the hectic days at work and Penny, well she was just very happy and comfortable. Chris raised Penny’s face and kissed her forehead and cheeks. Penny returned a peck and sank back into his arms. The two remained there for some time holding each other and talking there. Once they came down, Penny cuddled into Chris’s lap and dozed off for a while before he left for his room.

Penny’s birthday was the very next week. Chris had a lot on his mind for his friend but on the eve of her birthday, Penny did not show up to a party where they were supposed to meet. Penny’s roommate was back and so were some other friends, and she decided to spend her birthday with them. Chris called to wish her, but she was drunk and all she did was thank Chris and disconnect the call. Chris also dropped a few messages and a video on her WhatsApp but Penny did not check it till late that night. Chris smiled to himself and went to bed. The next morning, when he checked his phone, there was nothing more than a thank you from her.

Life went back to normal ways. The duo had less to no time to talk to each other and the pressure at work made them stay back late almost regularly. Chris also took some days off to be with his family and once back dove right back into the pile of pending tasks. It was nearly two months after their birthdays when it was disclosed that they will not be in the same team for their next assignments. They brushed aside the news and focused on the task at hand.

A couple more months went by when the two hardly met each other. Penny had already started working on her new assignment while Chris’s next assignment was still not determined. Sometime later, Chris got a call from the Chicago branch of their company and was asked to move there for his next assignment. It took a while before Chris was hit by a feeling of emptiness. The next morning, he called Penny and informed her about him moving out of the city. Penny, surprised by the sudden turn of events, tried to convince him of ways to remain in Portland but even she knew it will not work. They decided to meet once, on a date they had promised each other many months ago.

On the day of their date, Chris chose a restaurant to his liking and reserved a table for himself and his date. Penny looked ravishing in an off-shoulder black dress while Chris looked a somewhat better version of his shabby self. The two took their seats at the restaurant and chatted for a couple of hours over beers and some nice food. Once dinner was out of the way, they decided to take a walk.

Chris had waited a long time for a moment like this. He kissed Penny’s hand and confessed his love for her. He knew nothing would come out of his confession, yet he felt the urge to open up to her, the girl who had made his birthday feel like one for the first time in years. Penny, surprised by the uncharacteristic confession, nodded her approval. Chris went on for some more until Penny held his arm tightly and gave it a jerk. The two embraced in a short hug and continued walking. Chris offered to drop Penny at her house.

While in the cab, Penny dumped her face onto Chris’s chest and they shared some intimate minutes for probably the last time. Once the cab reached the drop point, Penny’s roommate came to pick her up. Chris saw them leave and then booked another cab home. For nearly three hours he tried to sleep, but the events of the day kept floating in his mind. He felt restless and popped in a sleeping pill to get some rest.

Suddenly, he felt a gentle shove on his shoulder. One of the staff members from American Airlines stood staring at Chris, smiling with raised brows. All the passengers had already occupied their seats and his name had been announced several times while he lay asleep right in front of the entrance gate. He got up, apologized and went for the check at the entrance gate. As the plane took off, he looked down to search for the terrace of a house. Amidst a cluster of houses, it was difficult to sort out the exact one, but Chris just looked at one particular rooftop and a smile spread over his face.