Chapter 54

Chapter 54
DALIA
Of all the ways I had thought my parents would find out about my relationship with Noah, this wasn’t one of them.
“Fuck,” I muttered, hitting my head against the wall as I tried to blink out the tears that had gathered in my eyes. I felt sick.
I was having the shittiest day- the shittiest week… and it was all my fault. That bastard - Travis - and Forrest had been staying at the apartment without anyone knowing, and when mum went in, he hit her over the head with a baseball bat because he was high and thought she was me. Mum didn’t remember what happened and who hit her in the apartment after she woke up, but we had been able to figure out who had been in the apartment through the things they left behind and after they got arrested, Forrest revealed what happened. According to Travis, he did that because I ruined his sister’s life, and my parents found out about all that from my dad’s detective friend a couple of minutes ago.
I sort of wished I had been the one to get the baseball bat to the head, but what I wanted more than that was to kill Travis. He could have killed my mum because I got involved with his sister's ex, and I couldn't get that off my mind.
And Noah… With everything that was going on, I had tried not to think about him and what Tamika had told me about him, but he always managed to pop into my mind every now and then. He had also called and texted me several times over the past two days and I felt really bad for ignoring him and making him worry, but I just… I couldn’t talk to him right now. And after what just happened… Everything was just a mess.
What I did know was that I didn’t want him out of my life.
I sniffled, using my handkerchief to dab the undersides of my eyes, and shoving my hair back away from my face before turning around to see Dad walking past me. “Dad.” I had left them in mum’s hospital room under the guise of needing to get something to drink because the room had become eerily quiet after mum and dad found out about Noah and I. I had felt like throwing up and hadn’t wanted to wait for them to start asking questions. “I…” My eyes began to water again and I dropped my gaze to the floor as I swallowed. He had looked so stunned when he found out, and I didn’t know what to say to make him not disappointed in me.
“It’s okay, kiddo,” he said, giving me a smile as he patted my arm.
“I didn’t date him for grades.”
“I know.”
“Really?”
“You wouldn’t do something like that.”
You also wouldn’t have thought I’d date my professor.
“I know there’s a reason for that,” he said, knowing what had crossed my mind. “And the three of us will talk when mum is less pissed,” he added and I hmmed, not looking forward to that talk because I was pretty sure of how it would go.
Noah hadn’t even met them yet and they most likely disliked him already. Especially mum. I couldn’t blame her though.
“...She probably hates me.”
“Hey, that’s not true,” he said with a frown, and I pressed my lips together before he pulled me into a hug. “She could never hate you. She’s just… pissed right now. Everything’s going to be alright.” He patted my back in a soothing manner and I finally let myself relax as I hugged him back. “...You should go home. Get some rest.”
“Yeah. Harvey’s on his way to get me,” I replied as he pulled away from me and he nodded before sniffing.
“Get a shower too,” he added, drawing a snort from me, and I gently shoved him.
“Oh, go away,” I muttered while he laughed, before pressing a kiss to my forehead and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as I watched him walk down the hallway till he was out of sight, feeling considerably better than I did when I left mum’s room.
“What? Did you steal him from someone else?” a voice came from behind me, startling me, and I quickly turned around to see a woman standing behind me. I cleared my throat, about to ask if I could help her, before her words repeated themselves in my mind, and my brows snapped together. What the hell?!
“What?”
She tipped her head to the side while I took a step back because of how close she was and gave her a once over, before realizing that she was the pregnant woman I had seen on campus during lecture free week. I hadn’t thought about her since that day and as she let out a laugh, I remembered why I had thought she looked familiar when I saw her in school.
The picture of Noah and a woman that had fallen out of one of Noah’s books when Javier and I were helping him to unpack his stuff after he moved into his apartment. The picture he’d snatched up the moment he saw it. She was the woman in the picture.
My stomach churned.
“Noah’s not enough for you?” she asked with a grin and moved closer to me. “Or did he dump you?”
I took a deep breath, deciding not to say anything to her, but as I turned to walk away, she grabbed my hand. I scowled, remembering she had done the same thing when I saw her on campus, and I wondered if she had something to do with Avery finding out about Noah and I. I mean, it wasn’t long after I saw her on the floor Noah and Avery’s office was on that Avery came to find me.
“Let go of me,” I spat, feeling a flash of irritation, and she snorted.
“Do you know who I am now?”
“Noah’s ex?”
She didn’t like that. “You-”
“This is the second time you’re doing this. Don’t you think it’s pathetic?”
The anger on her face was replaced by shock and she relaxed her grip on my hand. “Excuse you?” she replied just before I yanked my hand out of hers.
“If you have a problem, it isn’t with me. It’s with Noah. Take it up with him,” I stated. I still didn’t know when Noah broke things off with her, but I was willing to believe that it was before we met at the club, and I was going to find out if I was right or wrong when I finally talked to him. “I didn’t even know that you were his ex till a couple of days ago. What’re you hassling me for?”
As she scowled and tightened her hands into fists, it didn’t seem like she knew that her brother had been arrested. She wouldn’t have time for this if she did.
A woman down the hallway called her name, making her glance over her shoulder, and when she returned her attention to me, she shot me a dirty look. “Slut.”
“Grow up.” The fact that her brother was the reason mum was here came to mind again, and I gritted my teeth as I turned around, heading towards the stairs.

“Thank you,” I muttered as I collected the bottled water Harvey was stretching out to me, and he nodded before taking a seat next to me. He hadn’t said anything about what I told him over the phone - my parents finding out about Noah and I - ever since he picked me up from the hospital’s parking lot and he still didn’t bring it up now as I thought of what to do about my situation.
Noah.
I couldn’t keep on being with him like nothing had happened because it would seem like I didn’t care about what had happened to my mum. I also didn’t want to keep on hiding my relationship with him and sneaking away to be with him because it wasn’t fair to him.
I couldn’t not do anything.
“What should I do, Harvey?” I asked as I fiddled with my fingers, and he heaved a sigh.
“I… I can’t answer that, Dalia.” He knew exactly what I was asking. I wanted to know if I should or shouldn’t stay with Noah, but to be honest… I already knew the answer. “I’m not going to tell you what to do. I just want you to do what’s best for you,” he added while my lower lip quivered and he pulled me into a hug when tears gathered in my eyes.
I really wished it didn’t have to come to this.