The severe light of Sunday morning brought Cal back to his senses abruptly. He'd forgotten to shut the curtains the night before, and woke in the early morning hours. Cal felt the day stretching out before him, a vast expanse of time to be filled with anything but the silence of his own company.

On his way down the stairs to let Stella out to go to the bathroom, he knocked on the guest bedroom door to see if Marcus was awake yet. As he did so, his knuckles instead pushed the cracked door open even further... revealing an empty bed, comforter and pillows neatly arranged. Damnit, Marcus. Before he could finish his own thought, his finger was already dialing the number. 

Marcus picked up on the first ring. "Dude, don't be mad, I just--". The sound of the highway filled the background of his voice.

"You were [i]drugged[/i], Marcus. What the hell are you doing, driving?" His voice was laced with irritation and concern. "We agreed we were gonna plan our next move today. You better not be going after Danny solo!" 

"I'm [i]not[/i]," Marcus interjected, sounding frustrated himself. "Jenna called me, freaking out that I never showed last night. I didn't think to text her that I was staying at your place. I'm just going to reassure her that I'm fine. Shit, dude, you're wound up tight. We'll figure out this Danny thing, just take a day to relax, you clearly need it." 

[i]Click.[/i]

Exasperated, Cal sighed, shoving his phone into his pocket. He hadn't thought of Jenna, Marcus's girlfriend. He'd been so preoccupied with the Danny thing, he hadn't ensured to cover his friend's back so he could rest up without setting off alarm bells. He needed to get his head screwed back on straight, he was starting to lose it. This whole weekend had been one big distraction -- Calvin Crawford was not the type to let things slip through the cracks. 

[i]What I need[/i], his mind sounded off indignantly, [i]Is to get laid. Nothing to clear my head like a beautiful woman.[/i]

Cal shook off the thought, somewhat perturbed by himself. There was only one beautiful woman occupying his mind at the moment, and she hadn't responded to his texts yet. 

He was left to face the day alone, but at least he had Stella. He took her outside, watching her bound across the yard, her energy and innocence a stark contrast to the complexities of his own life. 

The day stretched on, filled with simple activities meant to distract and soothe the mind. He watched a movie with Stella curled up beside him, ordered in a takeout lunch, and found respite in the cool water of the pool against the heat of his thoughts. Sundays, with their quiet and lack of distractions, forced Cal to confront parts of himself he could usually ignore. His business, with its demands and stressors, offered an escape he found himself yearning for. The thought of Monday brought a surprising sense of relief, a return to a world where he felt in control, where he could don his usual persona and leave the solitude behind.