[h2][center][color=orange]Archie[/color][/center][/h2][hr]
There was something uniquely harrowing about his home when he finally returned to his dwellings. Maybe it was the stark contrast between the warmth of Natalie's apartment compared to the silence of his own that shocked him into realizing how alone he was.

The worst part, maybe, is that he knew this would happen eventually. He knew it was inevitable; he wasn't a person that took well to being alone and never was.  He wasn't one that could uphold the facade of being perfectly fine. He just wishes this feeling wouldn't have struck him around the time he's decided to take a step towards moving on.

It seems inane, almost. He's beginning to realize how many opportunities he's had to mend the broken. And, in natural-Archie Style, he's forced himself to overlook all of those opportunities while he was sorting his own thoughts; fruitlessly attempting to complete a puzzle when it's clear that he's misplaced half the pieces; thoughtlessly trying to write a letter without a pen; aimlessly searching for an answer in front of his face when, perhaps, it was just behind his back the entire time.

He decides, finally, to let it lie. He gives Natalie the day to mull things over herself but all he feels is the terribly familiar radio silence— a low, irritating, unrevealing buzz that stays in his ears that brings him back to horrid memories. He doesnt have work today- which is good because his sleeping schedule has long since fallen off track, and Archie feels like he's slipping. It's been a few months, he tries to reason, but a few months of silence feels like a few years with [i]her[/i].

It could just be bravery, or stupidity, or maybe it's the fact that he refuses to roll over to his own ignorance and refusals to fight for what he wants, but he dials her number.

He does think it over for a second before pressing 'call,' but rather than anxiety overwhelming his mind, all he notices is that the buzzing in his ears is gone. The phone rings for what feels like hours, a dull lifeless tone that makes him scrub at his face with his free hand. It takes him a moment to realize that she's definitely busy, whether it be due to an interview or a client.

[i]"Hi, it's Ellie. I'm not here, so—"[/i] He hears a laugh in the background of the recorded message, and oh—that's [i]him[/i], that was him.

That was him with his chin tucked over her shoulder as she tried to record a new message for her voicemail inbox. That was him laughing against her neck and saying, 'obviously you aren't there.' That was him saving the recording and kissing her sweetly through her protests of 'give me my phone, I have to redo it.' That was [i]him[/i], that was [i]them[/i], and now they're so far from where they were.

[i]She hasn't changed it,[/i] some part of him says. [i]Why hasn't she changed it?[/i]

The easiest answer would be that she's forgotten it's there at all. Archie bites his lip until it hurts, and then he realizes that the beep sounded 10 seconds ago, and he's still thinking about Ellie and pressing his smile against her own.

"Oh," he says suddenly. "Uh, hi. I know you're busy right now, probably, it's the middle of the day. But—if you get the chance, sometime, you should call me back sometime. I… Right. Bye."

God, he's embarrassing. He knocks his phone on his forehead twice before tossing it to the other side of his bed, dejected. He shouldn't have called her. He didn't even know what he would have said if she picked up, and it's not like either of them had spoken in a long time. He hated that. Deep down he hated that he liked Natalie as much as he did despite his obvious hangups. He planned to see her again because she made him feel like he belonged somewhere, yet here he was calling his ex-wife who had no interest in speaking to him again. He questions why he decided to call her to begin with. Ever since the accident-

His breath hitches when his mind wanders into that all too familiar memory that always grips him like a steel trap. Archie brings his hands up to cover his face then sighs and sits up. He forces his mind to move away from that memory. He cant think about that right now. It'd be too much, so he reels himself back to Natalie. He knew what he was doing was going to end up with someone getting hurt. But he couldn't bring himself to put a stop to it. He deserves a break, he thinks. He'll... run with this. Whatever [i]this[/i] is between himself and Natalie. It'd be something good, if only for a little while. 

He looks at his watch. He's got plenty of time to do nothing, and wasn't feeling like getting a drink. So he succumbs to losing himself in his own thoughts. Perhaps he'll think up a way to unfuck his stupid mind.