"Assumptions are like termites in a relationship. They slowly and patiently chew on the love, affection and understanding, till everything eventually falls apart."

Daniel & Alicia. After the misunderstanding they had last time, which ended up in both of them apologizing ---- Alicia apologizing for being selfish and Daniel apologizing for the outburst, they were okay. Not okay as in very good, but okay as in just okay. Because of engagements at class, they couldn't meet up at their usual hangout for a couple of times, and it seemed their closeness began to drift apart. That was when the web of assumptions starting clouding both their minds.

Alicia glanced at her phone for the umpteenth time. She was obviously expecting a call; Daniel's call. Not that he said he was going to call, but she hoped he would. She's been home sick for 3 days. She couldn't attend classes, because she felt weak and often felt like fainting. Yet her best friend wasn't aware. She didn't know what was going on between them anymore. It seemed Daniel withdrew from her emotionally after the last misunderstanding. "Or does he hate me now?" She couldn't help wondering. She could easily have picked up her phone to call him so he would be aware that she wasn't feeling well, but she felt, what was the need? If he really cared about her, he would call to check up on her. Don't you think?

At the same time, Daniel was gazing at Alicia's picture on his phone. God help him, because he misses her so much that he could hardly concentrate in class the previous day. Everyone kept asking him if he was okay, so he decided to skip class today. He couldn't help wondering if he made a mistake with what he said the last time. Was he too hard on her? If he had kept his mouth shut, he would probably be with his friend right now. These were his thoughts as he clicked on her number, meaning to call her. But then, he stopped. The Alicia he knew wouldn't be able to stay a day without hearing from him. Where was all the love now? Probably she doesn't want to be his friend anymore. With that, he dropped his phone and laid down to rest.

Meanwhile Alicia was burning up. Her body temperature was enough to boil water. She felt dizzy too. She was in school away from her parents, so there was no one to take care of her. The only one who would have cared for her wasn't talking to her. The whole thing was so complicated. It seems her emotions were even adding to the sickness. If she was going to die, she may as well just reach out to her friend. So she quickly picked up her phone and sent a text to Daniel. It read, "Hey Daniel, I'm not feeling well". By the time Daniel saw the text and reached out to her, she was already asleep. He called and called, but no one answered the phone. So, he dressed up and went to Alicia's house, hoping to God that he wasn't too late; hoping he didn't lose his friend because of some silly assumptions.

Alicia woke up to the feel of a cold towel on her head. When she opened her eyes, she saw her friend sitting by her side on the bed. Wait a minute! How did she get to the bed? The last she remembered, she was sitting on the chair. Well, Daniel must have carried her to the bed, and apparently must have tried reducing her hot temperature with the cold water and cloth on her head. She looked at Daniel and saw him watching her. When he asked her, "how do you feel?", the dam of tears broke, and they came spilling from her eyes. She laid out her grievances, how she felt he abandoned her because of their misunderstanding, and he did same. By the time they were both done with pouring their emotions, they had come to a conclusion, "never to cause a breach in the communication between them".

Lack of communication is the breeding ground for assumptions in relationships. To avoid assumptions, be willing to ask questions and answer questions.

To be continued tomorrow

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© Xenia