Chapter 53

Chapter 53
DALIA
“You guys are moving back in?” Tamika asked, peeking out of the kitchen, while Norma shoved my legs off the couch from behind it and I sneered at her.
“We didn’t actually move out.”
“The apartment has been empty for weeks. Our neighbours thought you guys had left the building.”
“We drop by occasionally,” I muttered as I sat upright, shoving my hair back away from my face, before remembering that Norma was starting her internship soon. “When are you starting at CCS?” I asked, turning to face her.
“Thursday? You?”
“Monday.”
“I’m going to be the only jobless one among us. It’s not fair,” Tamika said with a frown, and I gave her a blank look because no one told her not to get an internship.
“How sad,” Norma replied and Tamika tsked before disappearing back into the kitchen just as a knock came on the front door. “Coming!” Norma called out, walking over to the door, and I glanced over my shoulder to see if it was mum when she opened it because mum and I came here together, but she went to my apartment first. It wasn’t her though, it was one of our neighbours, and I returned my attention to the TV while Norma stepped out of the apartment.
Minutes later, Tamika walked out of the kitchen and sat next to me while handing me a soda. “Aww, you’re so hospitable,” I cooed and she rolled her eyes before picking up the TV remote while I opened the can to drink from it.
“So you’re spending the night here?” she asked, grinning at me, after I dropped the soda and I shook my head sideways.
“No. I’m telling my mum I’m spending the night. I’m actually spending the night at Noah’s,” I replied and the smile instantly slipped off her face before I snorted. Lately, it seemed like she didn’t like me spending time with Noah and I assumed it was because I always ditched her and Norma whenever he called. “What? Are you jealous?” I added, poking her cheek as she pressed her lips together, just before a racket came from outside, drawing our attention to the door for a brief moment. “... I’m sorry I’ve been ditching you guys. I’ll make up for it by spending the entire weekend with you.”
The corner of her mouth turned up a bit. “You overrate yourself,” she muttered and I elbowed her, drawing a small laugh out of her before she faced the TV. She stayed silent for a while and just as I began to wonder what mum was still doing in my apartment, she spoke again. “Dalia… Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” I said while stifling a yawn, and she adjusted on the couch. She didn’t say anything though and I raised my brows when she kept staring at me intently. “What is it?”
“Noah…” she started and I tipped my head to the side while she let out a harsh breath. “How much do you know about him?”
“...What?”
“How much do you know about Noah?” she asked and I tipped my head to the side, drawing my brows together.
“Um, a lot I guess,” I replied, giving her a half-smile and a slightly confused look. “Why?”
“I ran into Travis a couple of days ago, and he told me Allison was pregnant. Allison’s his sister.”
…Okay?
“He said it’s Noah’s.”
It took a couple of seconds for me to fully understand what she just said and I was so far beyond confusion, the urge to laugh rattled through me as I stared at her. It didn’t look like she was messing with me - she actually looked a bit nervous - but for a little while more, I waited for her to laugh and say it was a joke. She didn’t.
What the fuck?
“What -” Noah’s smiling face flashed through my mind and I frowned at her because what she said was definitely a lie. Her information came from Travis and Travis wasn’t exactly a truthful person.
“He wasn’t lying,” she said, like she knew what I was thinking. How exactly does she know that? He lied to her for most of their relationship. “Noah and Allison were engaged. He said they broke it off a while ago.”
My frown deepened and as I opened my mouth to retort, the day Noah’s mum sent Julie a gift basket popped into my mind. Hayley had said she had a daughter-in-law named Addison, but Julie had corrected her, saying the name was Allison instead.
There was a bitter taste in the back of my mouth that I couldn’t seem to get rid of as I replayed their words in my mind, and I gripped the hem of my skirt. Daughter-in-law? Engaged until a while ago? How long ago was ‘a while ago’? Days? Weeks? Was he-
No, this couldn’t be right. It didn’t make any sense. I was overthinking this. I just… I should just talk to Noah.
I picked my phone up from the table next to the couch, knocking the open can beside it to the ground as I unplugged it, and I watched the liquid spill out of the can for several moments. It can’t be right. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat before getting to my feet and Tamika did the same, concern etched on her face.
“Dalia-”
“I’m…” I trailed off as I removed her hand which she just placed on my arm and headed towards the door with her in tow. “I’ll- I’ll be back. I just need to go see what mum is doing. She’s supposed to be on her way home by now.”
“Was Travis here?” Norma asked after opening the door, and she paused when I walked past her. “You’re leaving?”
I didn’t answer. I just kept heading towards my apartment with my fists clenched, pushing the door open when I got there. I just have to talk to him and he’ll clear this up. I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my nerves when I walked in, and I scrunched up my nose as I registered a smoky smell that made me think of cigarettes. There were a couple of clothes and empty beer cans in one corner of the room and a couple of moments later, I spotted mum lying on the floor next to the couch.
I began to head towards my room, not wanting her to ask what was wrong if she decided to turn around, but before I walked into it, I glanced at her again and saw that she was sleeping. That was odd.
“Mum… Mum.”
She didn’t answer.
I pressed my lips together and dropped my phone on the shelf beside my room’s door, before walking towards her and kneeling next to her. “Mum?” I called out again, but she showed no signs of stirring, and as I reached over to gently shake her, I paused.
Blood. The white part of the carpet next to her head was stained with blood.
My heart slammed against my chest and I tore my eyes away from the carpet, quickly shifting closer to her. “M-Mum.” I placed my hand on the back of her head and when it came away stained with blood, I became frantic with alarm. “Oh my God. Oh my God.” My voice shook as I pulled her head into my lap with trembling hands, on the verge of losing my mind, and my breath came in short spurts. “Mum… Mum!”
What… How… What happened? Why is she-
My mind became jumbled up as different thoughts slammed through it like cars in a head-on collision and my stomach twisted into knots, fear pulsing through my veins as I checked if she was breathing. She was.
“Dalia?”
I jerked my head around to see Tamika and Norma walking into the apartment, and their eyes went round when they saw mum. “Call- Call an ambulance.”

NOAH
I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, lifting my gaze to Dalia’s apartment to see that the lights were still off in it, and I heaved a sigh. I leaned back in my seat as I picked up my phone, unlocking it to see the message that mum had sent me earlier and I clenched my jaw as I read it again.
I had asked her to help me find out what he meant when he said ‘it was for the best’ earlier today, and it turned out that Dalia did apply for an internship at Goodmans.
Dad made sure it got rejected.
I remembered how anger had rushed through me when I first read the message and even now, I could still feel it stirring within me. And those words he said - ‘it was for the best’ - like he had done a good thing, didn’t help how I felt. I understood why Dalia didn’t tell me and I wasn’t going to question her about it, because she most likely wouldn’t like it.
I hadn’t spoken to dad yet since I only found out while I was preparing to leave my apartment for my date with Dalia, and I didn’t want to talk to him about it over the phone because I didn’t want him to dismiss it easily. I also didn’t want him to ruin my mood with whatever he would say.
I closed the message and dialled Dalia’s number, clicking my tongue when I heard that it was unavailable before ending the call. I had called her a couple of times before I left home and after I got here, but her number had been unavailable each time. Did she forget we’re going on a date? ...No, she couldn’t have. She mentioned it when I called her during the day.
I looked up at her window again and after checking the time on my phone, I got down from the car and headed to her apartment. After knocking for several moments and receiving no response, I began to wonder if she was even here. Did something come up?
Footsteps came from behind me and I glanced over my shoulder to see Tamika walking down the hallway. She paused when she saw me and as I opened my mouth, she immediately looked away and resumed walking.
“Hey,” I called out when she walked past me and I couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward because I hadn’t talked to her before. She stopped, turning to face me, and I gave her a small smile. “Um, do you know if Dalia is…” I trailed off as I pointed at the door, and she set her mouth in a hard line.
“She’s not,” she replied and I let out a harsh breath as I glanced at the door again. “...I’ll tell her you dropped by.”
I returned my attention to her to find her already in front of an apartment, unlocking the door, and before she entered, I asked, “Did something happen?”
She nodded and my brows shot up. What? What happened?
“She’ll call you.”
“Is- Is she alright?”
“...She’ll call you,” she repeated as she walked into the apartment and shut the door.