2022-09-14 2:55:23 ¶ ●

## Not a best day but lonely one for sure

Written for @lonelyeyesweek

Day 1 - Outsider’s p.o.v.

Michael’s girlfriend not only rejected his marriage proposal but she also broke up with him. He wants to sulk and be alone. Or overall to do anything but to engage in conversation with a weird sea man who decides to discuss his own failed marriage proposals with him.

Read on AO3

…

To say that Michael is not having the best day today would be an understatement. Things like that one runs out of coffee, forgets an umbrella on a stormy day and loses his wallet are unfortunate, yes, especially when they pile up on each other like this. But they are still not tragedies. Unlike his girlfriend, well, ex-girlfriend now, rejecting his marriage proposal on their one-year anniversary dinner.

He has no idea what he has done wrong. Yes, they have been seeing each other much less lately but she has started a new job so of course she has not had so much time for him. They were together for a whole year! What did she mean that he is going too fast and being too clingy? Did she forget how he let her stay at his place after she lost her last job and supported her while she was looking for a new one? Was she just using him?

It would probably be a good time to go cry to a friend about it, go hit some pubs and look for solutions to his problems on the bottom of a bottle. But Michael has never been very good at making them and the few he used to have seemed to like his girlfriend better and are taking her sides. Which is ridiculous! He is the one getting dumped and. Does he not deserve at least a bit of pity? He wonders if anyone would bother to show up to his funeral if he ended things right now. He would not be surprised if not…

But no, he probably does not want to kill himself. He just wishes this day never happened. He wishes he and Amy never met. Or maybe he could wish to disappear from this world altogether. Somewhere where he cannot bother anyone anymore and they can all happily forget him.

Dark thoughts are filling his mind while he stares on a little velvet box in his hand hiding a cute little gold ring. He is sitting on a bench in the park not even that far from the restaurant he paid for dinner like an idiot and walked out not so long ago. Or maybe it might have been a long ago. Who knows how long he has been even just staring at nothing here? If one could drown in their own self-pity, he would be already dead…

“May I join you?” a soft cheerful voice asks. Michael looks up. A rather large man stands right in front of him. Caught in his own sorrows he has not even heard him approaching. He does not look that old even though his hair and beard are completely white. Something about his long old navy coat evokes imagery of a seaman. He has a bit of unsettling blue eyes and a merry smile on his face. He is looking at him in expectation and… ah, yes, he asked him something?

“I guess…” Michael shrugs as the other man is already sitting down next to him.

“I see your marriage proposal was not very successful,” he starts as if he is making small talk about weather.

“What? How do you…” Michael looks at him confused till he realizes he is still clutching the ring box in his hand. He hides it quickly in his pocket. “Oh… yeah. But I would rather not-…”

“I know how you feel.” The man pats him on his back in a gesture that is not comforting whatsoever. “Happens to all of us. I still remember the first time I got rejected.”

“First time?”

“Oh yes, it has been… huh probably several years ago? Ah, the time goes by so quickly, doesn’t it? Ah, good times.” Michael already regrets asking because he has not even meant to. He has just been caught by surprise. Till today he has not believed that the dramatic proposal rejection happens anywhere but in movies. He does not want to hear about personal stories of his unwelcome companion. “James was always so cold in his rejections. He could always make one feel like he did not care. Elias on the other hand tends to be more smug and condescending about it. He tries to make it feel really personal…”

“I’m… sorry?”

“You have no reason to be. I don’t think I would bother to propose if there was not a chance I might get rejected,” the man’s voice is still full of cheers. Though something about it sounds dishonest. Fake.

“Uh…” Michael has no idea what to answer. He is growing more and more uncomfortable. The man might mean well but Michael could have not been any less interested in hearing about his failed proposals. He looks around in an attempt to find an excuse to leave but all he sees is an empty park. Almost suspiciously empty where did everyone go?

“And you know what Elias said as a reason? He told me that I should put more thought into it. That I never even bother to do anything romantic anymore…” The man continues very likely completely oblivious towards Michael’s disinterest. “I really put effort even into picking the right ring this time.” He pulls out of his pocket a little black box with gold decorations. Inside it there is one of the most pompous gold rings Michael has ever seen. He is pretty sure that the place he was shopping for a ring did not have anything this extravagant. He does not even want to know how expensive it must have been…

It makes him a bit wonder about who this man is. He probably must be rich even if he is not dressed like that. But if he is, why the hell does he have nothing better to do than pulling strangers in parks into uncomfortable conversations?

“Oh, that is unfortunate?”

“What has he even meant by it? Anymore? I do not remember ever doing anything romantic. I have not asked him for a performance review he could have said just a simple ‘no’.”

“Maybe you can try to do as he said? If you care about him…” Amy did not even bother to tell him what he should have done differently. Unless he counts that she asked him to be less clingy of course.

“Oh no, I don’t really care about him. And he will say yes sooner or later anyway.”

“Is that so…” This conversation is really getting weird. Maybe he could excuse himself from conversation because it is getting cold. It would not even be a lie. The mist sending chills through his body appeared out of nowhere only a few moments ago.

“Hm… yes it would be surprising if he stayed stubborn and refused to marry me this time. Not completely unlikely. what would you suggest?”

Wait did he say this time? Michael has not really been paying much attention but he feels like his companion is pursuing someone he has already married once? Or at least once? No, he really has no more patience. “Sorry but I really do not know and I also-”

“No… You have been quite helpful actually,” his companion smiles at him again. And Michael finally realizes what has been bothering him about the man’s eyes. The smile does not really reach them. The man gets up.

“Anyway, I will leave you. I believe you would prefer to be alone right now anyway.”

*

*

*

“…and I knew I was out of there when I found that bench again! It is as if the whole world came back to life. The fog had risen and I finally heard the sound of birds and cars, I saw people passing by and I had to restrain myself from hugging the first person that came close.

You do not understand how horrible and empty that nightmarish world felt. I swear I spent several days, maybe even weeks. But when I checked the clock in the park, they claimed it had barely been an hour. And that is impossible. The entire thing that happened is obviously impossible…

Anyway, to why did I even come here. You see, there was a business card of your institute lying on that bench. And it was too much of a coincidence to just find it on the place that he was sitting. I looked this place up and when I found out what your entire deal is, I thought I might try to go here…” Michael lets the sentence just end there because out of sudden he is out of words. He usually does not have much to say but it felt like this entire story was being pulled out of him. It was just so easy to tell everything in great detail.

Michael looks at the man next to him in expectation. He looks… well, Michael has no idea how old he could be. He is dressed like a sixty year old but in his face he looks quite young. It does not matter, more importantly his thoughtful frown makes him feel like exactly someone he would imagine working in a place like this – like someone who surely knows what is going on.

“So? Do you have any idea what happened? Do you have any records about… I don’t know, supernatural fog?” Michael looks at the man next to him in great expectation. The only sound in the room is a buzzing sound of a running tape recorder. He hoped he would feel better after talking about what happened to him. He still felt empty. And cold. He has been like that since the moment he got back. No matter how hard he tried it seemed impossible to get warm. But maybe if he learns more-

“First of all… are sure you have not just fallen asleep? Time appears to fly by faster when you sleep. And after such an emotional day it seems possible to have such a traumatizing and lively dream and then even confuse it with reality…”

It takes several seconds for Michael to understand what is the so-called expert from this Institute trying to say to him because what the fuck?

“What? No! What do you mean by…? Can you fucking imagine what it feels like? Do you think I cannot tell a dream apart from the… that horrible place! I… were you even listening to what I was just saying?”

“Please calm down,” the man sighs and it has exactly the opposite effect on Michael, “We… We’ve had one similar case but we cannot rule out all the rational options first. So, if you just-”

“Uh, this was stupid. Why did I even go here!” Michael gets up.

“Sit back. I promise that we will look into it and if we find anything we will contact you and-”

“No this has been a waste of time. Goodbye.” Michael slams doors behind himself. He hears the man mumbling something either to himself or to that ancient recorder he insisted on having during their interview. He could not care less as he is storming from the lowest level of the building. He should have not come; he should have just pretended nothing had happened; he should have tried to forget it.

Michael shivers a bit again. No, he will probably never be able to forget it.

Still mildly upset from the Archivist, or what the heck the guy said his job is, Michael does not pay much attention to where he is going and… huh… so exit is not this way then. Maybe the other turn… uh, this place was a maze. The old building seems to be full of corridors and stairs and dead ends. Are there not supposed to be clearly marked emergency exits? This seems like a safety violation. He should have asked for direction when he was leaving the Archives. Not to that unpleasant man but maybe one of his assistants? The one that offered him tea when he arrived there seemed nice…

There are no people around in the institute which makes Michael anxious. As if he was back in that empty lifeless place. The strange portraits on each corridor does not help. It is silly but he feels like every single one of them is watching him. No, he has no reason to stress. He is fine. It is fine. It is quite late afternoon, almost evening, of course most of the employees have already left. Michael was honestly surprised some people were still at work when he arrived here.

He is starting to panic when he – no, unfortunately he does not see exit but the next best thing – he hears people talking. Finally, someone to ask for directions.

“So, this is your grand move to win my affections? It is… well, at least original, I must admit…”

Michael is about to turn around the corner with apologies for interruption already on his tongue but then-

“I’ve been told that treating one a dinner is considered a romantic gesture.”

Michael stands frozen where he stands as he recognizes that voice. So soft and cheerful but also empty. Empty and lonely as the world where he was trapped. He remembers it vividly as for his stay there his voice was only sound, he was able to recall clearly. He has no doubts the man is somehow the culprit of his imprisonment there.

“Careful or I might start to think you really might love me, Peter!”

“So, is it a yes, Elias…?”

Michael carefully leans over the corner to get a quick peak. His suspicions are confirmed as he immediately recognizes the man he was talking with that day, dressed in the same shabby coat.

Towards him is leaning a few inches shorter man with brown hair neatly slicked back, dressed in a green suit. He gets only a few second look at them but it is enough to say that they look like quite a strange couple together. Michael has at no point bothered to wonder how the man who rejected that other man’s – Peter’s proposal looks like but he would definitely not be expecting someone contrasting him so much.

“I might consider it… after all you have even picked such a lovely ring for one. I did not have any with obsidian…”

Michael will not risk coming anywhere near them. Maybe he will recall his way back to the Archives and there he can ask for directions! Or get someone to accompany him… Oh god, what the hell was he even thinking coming to place on a business card that was very likely left on that bench by Peter this all was so stupid of him!

“You are not getting it till I get the answer.”

“Yes then. We should go to my place and celebrate it.” Michael starts slowly backing off making sure he does not make the sound. It will be fine if they are preoccupied with each other. They cannot know he is there… “But first I have my statement. You can finish what you started. He is just around that corner.”