Chapter 5

Arabella

I thought I had imagined it. That Adrian was just a fragment from my imagination, that he couldn't possibly be there but that swift punch to the man's face was too vivid for any hint of a doubt.

It was him.

I couldn't stop picturing him even with the loud blaring of car horns trapped in the heavy traffic.

He had used me; he had taken my virginity and tossed me aside, saying the most hurtful things that broke my entire being which eventually sent me to therapy. Still, after five years, I couldn't bring myself to ignore him. I should've left the moment I saw that he was the one, but for some reason, my feet remained glued to the floor, and I kept staring at him.

The way he had been looking at me brought back all the memories of his hurt and betrayal. No matter how I tried shaking the look away, it was burned into my mind and I couldn't stop thinking about him.

My day had gone from worse to terrible. I mean, I met him, and all of a sudden, I was stuck in traffic that wasn't here earlier. I was exhausted from all the mind work I'd done today, and the only thing I needed was my bed, but that was far from possible now.

"I don't feel so good." Susan moaned, stirring in her sleep. She was passed out when I returned with her bag and I had to drag her to the road to stop a taxi.

I rubbed her back gently as she nuzzled her face against my neck.

"Susan, please don't do anything stupid" I don't know what I'd do if she made a mess in the taxi. The driver had been skeptical about taking us when he saw how boozed she looked. Even now, I caught his frown from the rearview mirror when she said that.

After almost thirty minutes, the congestion lessened and we began moving. Minutes later, the cab pulled to a complete stop outside my apartment building. I got out in a jiffy, opening the door wide for Susan to do so as well as she was half awake now but she stopped and gave me a mulling face that suggested she was going to do something crazy

"Susan, no!" I warned, and the driver turned to look at us.

"What's going on back there? Get her out al–" He was yet to complete his statement when she gagged, regurgitating all she had in her stomach on the floor.

The air in my lungs dried up and I stiffened, my lips parting as I stared at the mess she made. And she fucking had the guts to sigh in satisfaction after doing that.

"Aw, hell! How could you let her do that in here?" The driver yelled, and I came back to my senses. The man was angry, very angry. His face was scrunched up like a cartoon character and I could imagine steam coming out of his ears.

My day was terrible but this...this was the climax.

"I'm so sorry, Sir," I apologized, pulling Susan out of the car while she kept saying how good that felt. "I'm so sorry, I'll pay you double the amount, triple even to get your car washed"

"How will that fix the mess she made!" He snapped. "I know I shouldn't have let you ride when I saw you two. You both are disgusting!"

I ignored his rant as I tried to get Susan to stand on her feet beside me, using my body for support. When she was well placed, I rummaged my bag for any cash I could find because paying him off was the only option now.

Susan had to repay me for going through all this trouble.

I handed him the money I found in my bag. Probably the only money I had on me. I watched with an aching feeling in my chest as he counted the notes. His eyes glimmered with satisfaction when he was done, and after a final mean comment at us, he stepped on the gas, driving off.

I'd managed to bring Susan to my apartment but was surprised when there was no resistance to the lock when I tried unlocking the door.

Had I forgotten to lock up before leaving for work?

My eyes narrowed as I pushed the door open, but my wariness turned into glee when I saw my best friend, Sky in the living room with a bag of chips on her legs. Her gaze snapped to me, and she raised a brow, seeing Susan.

"Hey. Help me with her?" I said as I walked in with Susan slumped on my shoulder.

Sky was up in an instant, slipping her arm under Susan's to help me carry her inside. She didn't say anything right away, but I could feel the tension in the air like she had something on her mind.

Once we had Susan tucked safely into bed, Sky leaned against the doorframe, her eyes narrowing. "Where's Ruth?"

"She insisted on staying at the hospital tonight. I'll bring her back tomorrow; she needs to rest," I said, stretching myself. Damn, every part of me ached.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest.

I shook my head. "About what?"

"Bella, I saw the eviction notice you thought you hid," She said, and my breath caught in my chest. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I didn't want her to see it. I didn't want her to know that I was struggling because she'd want to help by any means. And for heaven's sake, I thought I hid the notice well, how did she find it?

"It's nothing," I muttered. "I've got everything under control, Sky. Don't worry about it."

"Seriously, Bella? We both know that's a lie. I don't blame you for that, but I'm your best friend. You should've told me so we can figure something out together," She said softly as she stepped towards me.

"I received the notice today morning" I confessed, sighing. "And no, you can't help me, Sky. You have your problems to deal with. You've got student loans and whatnot heavy on your back. I'm not cruel to add my problems to yours"

She folded her lips, looking away from me. I had caught her there. Sky had put herself through medical school since her parents didn't want to assist her. She had taken loans, worked three jobs to scale through and now, she had more jobs just to try and clear her debts. She had her problems, too, and I wasn't going to add mine to hers.

"Bella–"

"I know, Sky. It's too much for me, but I'll figure something out," I said, trying to convince myself more than her because, at the moment, I had no plans.

"Well, for context, I'm fucking worried about you and I can't stop that!" She snapped, her jaws clenching. I smiled and moved over engulfing her in a hug she reluctantly reciprocated.

She had always been there, through everything – the worst and the best. She'd even fought with Adrian, someone she took as an older brother for my sake. And now, he was back. I pressed my lips together, choosing not to tell her that I'd met him. She wouldn't like it. She wouldn't be happy to even learn of his return.

This saddened me. Unintentionally, I was the reason for their fallout.

"I know you're broke and will eventually need a place to stay. My place is open to you, okay?" She said and I mumbled a thank you, nodding against her neck.

I felt a little less alone now. I felt like everything would be fine. I hoped it would.