THIN ICE |BOOK I |BWWM|

•ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 19•

•OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA•

Julia's POV

Flavors of red bell peppers and onions exploded in my mouth as I took another bite of vegetarian lasagna.

"I'm gonna be honest Aunt Sonia, I didn't think I'd like this."

"Yeah Mamma, going to be a minute before I get used to these new recipes." Olivia studied the food on her fork before taking another sniff and eating it.

Uncle Stef smiled at Nicolai as his cheeks puffed out full of food.

"Nicky seems to like it."

I chuckled and brushed a loose curl from his forehead.

"Slow down Polpetta. You're gonna choke."

Nicolai chewed slowly as he tried to smile.

"Oh! I meant to ask you sweetheart, how did your session with Dr. Sullivan go today?"

I pulled a Nicolai and shoved food in my mouth, "It was um...okay." 

Uncle Stef perked up, leaning his arms over the table, "Just okay?"

"Yeah, I didn't expect it to be anything more. I haven't seen her in so long, so it's just a lot to unpack and get back on track."

Aunt Sonia rubbed circles into the middle of my shoulder.

"It's still good that you're going. Small steps, ya' know?"

"Yeah," -I nodded, my gaze floating between my plate and Sonia,- "I just need a clear mind for once."

"Mommy? Did you get the candy?"

I chuckled as I noticed Nicolai's mouth smeared with marinara sauce. I grabbed a napkin and wiped his face gently.

Last summer I took Nick to the Chinatown in Oakland for the first time. He absolutely fell in love with everything-the colors, the shops, and the murals.

We spent about two hours taking pictures in front of almost every mural we passed.

When I was going to Dr. Sullivan's office regularly, I had to bring Nicolai a few times because he wasn't feeling well. To cheer him up, I would get him some Chinese candy; and he's been in love ever since.

"Yeah, baby I got it. It's in my purse. I'll be back.

I placed a quick peck on his cheek as I pushed myself away from the table and headed down the hallway.

I chilled in Olivia's room the moment I got home tonight and ended up leaving all my stuff there before dinner. As I pushed the door open, I found my purse lying beside her bed.

"Ah, there you are."

I scooped my bag from the floor as a faint familiar ringtone sounded. The burner phone that Olivia had been letting me borrow had a default ringtone, but what I was hearing was my old phone's ring. The one I thought I lost. My feet stopped in their tracks. Maybe I was just hearing music from the street below.

The longer I held my position, the louder the ring sounded. Cautiously, I tipped to the edge of Olivia's bed and dropped to my knees. Under the bed was clear, but light still illuminated the carpet. I ran my hand under the frame, finally feeling the device taped to the bed.

"I know you lying...."

My eyes squinted as the blue light blurred my vision, showing Andres' name across the screen.

"....Andres?" I whispered, keeping my body low to the floor.

"Julia. We need to talk." -His tone was coarse as if I was in deep trouble- "I've been trying to call you for a week."