Daphne''s POV It''s the fifth day since Raphael stopped showing up at my ce of work. Not that I''m counting the days.


    This is exactly what I hoped and begged for and yet, I don''t feel a sense of aplishment at knowing that I finally got him to stay away.


    But this isn''t the time or ce to analyze and dissect myck of appreciation for finally getting what I''ve been after for weeks.


    A tug on my shirt has me looking down into the watering eyes of Brittany. "Miss Daphne, I can''t find my scrunchie. It''s pink and has unicorns on it."


    And just like that I''m back to the present and I help Brittany look for her pink unicorn scrunchie.


    As much as I hate to admit it, my eyes keep flying over to the window, searching for a pair of intriguing eyes. I still haven''t figured out what color his eyes are. At first, I thought they were pale brown but having them a few inches away from my face has me questioning that observation. They looked darker and- A finger snaps in my face and I blink. Lifting my gaze, I find a pair of blue eyes belonging to Miss Caroline, the middle-aged woman who works in the ssroom beside mine. She''s a sweetdy who''s currently looking at me worriedly. "Is everything alright, dear?"


    That''s when it dawns on me that I''m sitting in an empty ssroom and staring into space.


    "Yes, it is. Just got a bit lost in my head." Iugh and roll my eyes like I''m so silly.


    She smiles at me but still throws me some worried nces as she exits my ssroom.


    Once she''s out of sight, I sigh and close my eyes, already feeling a headacheing up.


    Sighing again -something that I seem to be doing a lot- I lift from my seat and pick up my bag. Exiting the ssroom, llock the door and force myself not to look towards the window. Because I know he won''t be there waiting for me. What is wrong with me? Why am I acting like a deserted lovesick idiot?


    I wanted this, I scream to myself, trying to remind myself of all the times that I begged Raphael to stay away from me.


    Annoyed at myself, I start walking towards the front gate. I just want to get home and wash this awful day off me. Maybe a soak and a good movie is exactly what I need.


    With that n in mind, I walk the short distance to my house and let myself into my humble adobe. As I open the door, the silence hits me like never before.


    I have always known that I live a


    lonely life devoid of any close rtionship apart from the one I share with my Mother but at this moment, wish I had a friend to call.


    Someone who I can rant to about the sad and sucky day that I had. I Someone who would tell me that I''m not crazy for feeling this way and who will try to sugarcoat their words to try to protect my feelings. Someone who will pretend and ignore the fact that I''ve lost my freaking mind.


    With another sigh, I drag myself to the sofa and fall facedown.


    Maybe I need to make some friends.


    Is that what this is about? Am I so lonely and deprived of human interaction, that I''m actually... missing Raphael and his annoying antics?


    That is just sad and pathetic. I definitely need to look for more human interaction but today, I''m going to have to make do with myself forpany.


    Standing up from the sofa, I head


    into my room and change out of my work clothes and into something morefy. Next, I head into the kitchen and start preparing dinner while trying not to think about, the previous night. Trying not to think about how different this same process was when Raphael was standing right beside me and assisting me out.


    After making dinner, I sit all by


    myself at the table and enjoy a quiet


    dinner. Once I''m done, I wash the dishes, rinse and put them away, and then head to my room for a quick shower. Fifteen minutester, I''m done and I step out. I reach for a towel on the rack and my eyes drift down to the hamper where the dirty towels are kept. On top is the towel I gave to Raphael.


    Turning my gaze away, I quickly dry off and step into my room.


    Wearing my pajamas, I contemte going to bed now or going out to the main room to maybe watch a movie. Deciding to call it an early night, I climb into my bed and turn off themplight by my side, effectively plunging myself into darkness. Sitting alone in that dark quiet room, my mind runs with several things I normally didn''t give notice to. When I spend ten minutes staring into nothing, I flip the nket over my body and exit the bedroom.


    I settle on watching a movie and head out of my room. Sitting on the sofa, I pick up the TV remote on the table in front of me and start surfing. When my gazends on Magic Mike XXL, I quickly scroll pass and settle on a romance movie; Remember me. Halfway through the movie, I find myself curling into the side of the sofa where Raphael sat while we watched a movie.


    Soon, I''m lying t on the sofa as I grip the throw pillow he used yesterday that still smells a lot like him. Gripping it tightly to my chest, my eyes flutter close and I have a sleep that gets interrupted by a set of eyes that always seem to change their color. I wake up the next morning to find the TV still on with my face stered on the pillow I was hugging. With a sigh, I lift from the sofa to get ready for another day.