Wandering Thoughts, Wandering Eyes

I arched my back and stretched, thankful that I would be leaving work in an hour.  The work day had been really slow and I was looking forward to a hot bath when I got home.  In addition to being unbelievably tired all the time and throwing up everything I ate, I was experiencing muscle aches and cramps sporadically. 

I twirled the cord to my headset and let my mind wander as I doodled on a piece of scrap paper.  My phone vibrated in my purse, making me jump slightly. 

Must be Michael checking up on me, I thought to myself as I fished around my purse for it.  I was surprised to see the message wasn't from Michael, but from a friend of mine named Holly.  I hadn't seen much of Holly in awhile; she had a new boyfriend who occupied a lot of her free time and worked two jobs.  I missed hearing from her, and smiled as I opened the message.

"Hey sooo, I know you and M worked things out and I'm not trying to butt in here, but I'm pretty sure I just saw him or someone who looks exactly like him leaving Austin's with some random blond girl. Thought you should know. xox"

I felt myself frowning.  Sure, I knew Michael was going out with friends tonight, but he hadn't mentioned a female friend, which was unusual for him.  Holly worked at Austin's, which was a local bar and grille, but I didn't know if that was where Michael had been headed.  Michael had plenty of female friends, as I had plenty of male friends.  I trusted him fully and chalked it up to a misreading of the situation or mistaken identity. 

"Hey girl! Thanks for the heads up, Michael's out with friends so I doubt it was him, but when I get home I'll ask what he was up to.  We should hang out soon!"

The next hour at work went by at a snail's pace.  I didn't think much of Holly's message until I walked in the door to my home that night.