Gene's Obsession

"Gene.. Gene, this is serious, pick up..."
The dull voice from the answering machine barely even alerted the boy who worked so diligiantly over his bugs. Clarice... oh how Eugene loved her. But, he was essentially out of money by now, unless his projects could get him the grant he wanted.
"Gene we're all worried about you, please, pick up, we need to talk... this is getting out of hand... Gene, please..."
He ignored it. The little blue spider in front of him lifted her front legs, then retreated back to scuttling about her cage. Clarice could wait, he was almost done...
Another hour passed, and again the phone rang, and once more the quiet beep of the answering machine picked up the call.
"I know you're there, Gene! I'm tired of this. I can't... I can't always wait for you. It's over, Eugene."
That finally got his attention. Eugene straightened up, and his back cracked. How long had he been working..? He had a date with her tonight, he was supposed to propose tonight, but where had the time gone? All he wanted to do was two more minutes of research on this little blue tarantula, then he was going to get ready and go... But the windows let in no light. It was dark outside, and the dim light from his desk lamp was the only thing illuminating the small apartment.
A hand went to his chin, where it found the prickly stubbles of shadow on his face. It began to sink in... this wasn't the first time that Clarice had threatened him, no, it had to be... the fifth? sixth? Why didn't she understand? All this work was for her, for them, wasn't it?

A week passed, and Clarice had ignored Eugene's desperate calls. They were all of stories that she had heard before, anyway, and she knew that she would only hear them again.
'I wasn't thinking.'
'The time slipped.'
'I was this close to a breakthrough!'
But he'd blown it. His last chance was gone, and all that week poor Eugene had felt the throb of heartache and regret. When he could stand to look at his spiders once again, it was not with the fiery determination he once had.
"Hello again," he whispered to the little blue tarantula, "I know it's been a long time... You remind me of someone." The spider only twitched and watched him. "Someone very pretty. Elegant. She had... blue eyes..." he continued dreamily. The insect walked about on his hand. "Clarice, was her name. But you make a better Clarice... Clarice."
Spider Clarice only stopped, and looked at him once again. He smiled back to her, feeling his heart race.
"I love you, Clarice," he told her, "and... and you, too," he picked up another spider, more red in color, "Clarice. I love you, too. I always have... do you forgive me?" The two spiders simply eyed each other, as if wondering what to do. Fight? Run? Be still..? "Thank you, Clarice... thank you, I'll never let you down again!" Gene promised, "I swear it on my life... I'll never forget you again..." he put his arm into the spider cage, picking up another two. A little brown thing and a fuzzy black, "I love you... I love you... Clarice..."