CHAPTER 6

Lily's POV. 

My legs sprang up from the seat. The plate of chicken that sat on the table flipped and landed on the tiled floor. Everyone shifted their attention to me with furrowed brows. 

Through the glass window of the restaurant my eyes moved from honking cars to moving people, looking for a white-haired man. 

“What the fuck is wrong?” Shawna asked with a sharp voice. 

She stood up and took the phone from my hand. She glanced at the screen, trying to see who I was speaking with. 

“We need to leave,” I said as I hurried toward the front door. 

When we got inside the car she refused to drive. She simply placed her hands on the steering wheel and exhaled before looking at me.

“What was that?” She asked. 

“Nothing,” I responded. 

My fingers wouldn't stop shaking on my lap. Everything was wrong. Someplace out there Aaron had my contact, my location, my voice and probably my address.

“Lily, I'm your best friend. I understand what you are going through. You need to tell me stuff,” she raised her voice. 

“Do you?” I asked sharply before she could continue. 

“What do you mean?” she asked with a tightened eye-brows. 

“You have never had a breakup before, so how can you understand?” I answered. 

Silence took over the car but the tension clung to the air. I wanted to take it back, but the words had already done their damage. 

Her face was clear, it carried no emotion but there was something with the way she stared at me that made me blink repeatedly. 

“That came out badly,” my voice dropped, adjusting in the seat but she said nothing. 

“I'm sorry, Shawna,” I added.

She still didn't reply. She moved her eyes back to the steering wheel before swallowing. 

“So who was that on the phone?” She muttered and I finally let out the air in my lungs. 

“It was a man I met at the club the night Dorian broke up with me,” I answered

“We drank together for a while but he got very drunk,” I continued.

“I had to drive him home in his car.” 

“You drove a stranger home,” she replied in a low tone without looking at me. Unlike before, her enthusiasm had disappeared, making me worried about whether she was still upset by what I said earlier.

“I didn't have a choice,” I replied. 

“He called because he thought I stole his wristwatch. Something about a family heirloom.” 

“He is crazy.” 

“I think he is stalking me,” I added, glancing through the car window. 

“Over a wristwatch?” She asked. 

“He mentioned the exact meal we were eating,” I continued. 

“So you think maybe he is close?” she responded. 

“Yes.” 

“Can I stay with you guys for the night,” I asked. 

“Okay.” 

The humming of the car was the only sound the whole time on the road to her apartment. When we got there, her husband, Mikel, was already at home. My eyes couldn't leave the rear view mirror, constantly checking if any car was following us. 

We exchanged pleasantries. Shawna explained to him that I would be sleeping over. He smiled and led us into the house. 

Shawna guided me to the visitor’s room before returning to her husband. 

By evening, I came back out into the sitting room where Mikel sat on a sofa watching a movie. 

I stood behind him for a while unnoticed, appreciating how kind he is to Shawna. Not in their one year of marriage had Shawna complained about him, instead she praised him at any chance she got. 

He turned his head to the sound of my footsteps as I approached from behind.

“Hey, Lily,” he said, smiling. “How are you doing?” 

“I'm fine. Thanks,” I replied, falling into an adjacent sofa. 

“Shawna is preparing dinner,” he said, glancing toward the kitchen.

“She told me everything,” he added. 

“About your break up,” he continued. 

“I'm really sorry,” he said, leaning forward on the sofa. 

“Thanks,” I responded in a low voice. 

“I'm sure a man who will truly love you will come your way,” he added, frowning a bit. 

“I'm not sure I want any man to come my way at all,” I said, chuckling.

He smiled gently, putting down the TV’s remote control. 

Mikel frowned. “She also told me someone is stalking you.”

“You should report him to the police,” he said. 

Mikel continued the conversation with jokes. I laughed and smiled at it all. Something I hadn't done in a few days. 

“Lily. You finally came out,” a voice sounded from a corner. 

I turned my head. It was Shawna. She was holding a spoon, and a blue apron framed her plus-size body. 

“Dinner is ready,” she said. 

We stood up and joined her at the dinner table where she had laid out plates of spaghetti with tomato sauce, garlic bread, and a small side salad. 

As we dined, the couple made sure to lift the troubles that weighed on my heart with their interactions. We talked about the latest movies that plagued the city, among other things. For the first time in days, the weight that pressured my heart lifted. 

My mind drifted away from the dinner table to how life was before my mother's sickness. Together with Amelia, the three of us would sit at a round table in our sitting room. Eating. Chatting. Gossiping. Laughing. It worried me how quickly life can change within a short period of time. 

My phone buzzed in my pocket amidst the clicking sound of forks and knives. 

I picked it up and stared at the screen. 

“Is it him again?” Shawna asked, leaning back in her chair. 

“Should I call the police?” Mikel added. 

“No. It's my mother's doctor. There has been an update about her condition.”

The air in my lungs froze as I read the next line in the doctor’s message.