Without You (gxg)

Part 47- Present Day

It started off as a normal Friday morning in February- or so I thought. I thought I was just going to work. Have a normal day with my 8 clients. Then come home and spend the night with Noelle.
Noelle usually rushed around in the morning to get to work- but this morning she was just sitting at the kitchen table- coffee untouched. She was staring at her phone.
"Is everything okay? You're going to be late for work." I said to her, grabbing a KIND bar to eat.
"Yeah...I told them I'm going to be late." Noelle sighed, "You're not going to like this."
"What is it?" I looked at her, panic rising in me.
"I got a text from Elena. Her grandfather passed away? She's in the Philly area because he lived about an hour away from here. She gave me one of his old watches and she never asked for it back. Now she wants it back. Saying her grandmother needs it." Noelle said, looking troubled.
What the fuck.
"Okay. So...what does she want to do about it?" I asked Noelle.
"She's telling me I have to meet her for dinner tonight and give it to her." Noelle said.
"Oh, you have to meet her for dinner? She can't just stop by here and grab it?" I said, already feeling irritable.
"I really don't want to argue with her. I don't want no interact with her at all. If she wants to meet up for a stupid dinner I'll just get out of there as fast as I can."
"Are you serous? Why can't you tell her no? That you'll mail it or something?"
"She said she needs it before she leaves. And Harley...she can be relentless when she wants something. I know what's best in this situation- and that's going along with what she's saying. It'll be the least amount of trouble." Noelle said. She looked distraught.
"Fine. But I'm not happy about it." I said, "I'm going to work. I'll see you later."
"Neither am I, Harley." Noelle said. She got up walked over to give me a kiss, but I slightly dodged it and she got my cheek. I knew I was being immature. But it really bothered me that Elena had pulled her into her web.
All day at work I could barely concentrate. Even Tessa asked me if I was okay. I just told her I didn't want to talk about what was going on. Part of me understood where Noelle was coming from- just wanting to cause the least amount of drama possible. But the other part of me didn't want her being across from a table from Elena.
By the end of the day, I had accepted this was happening. I wasn't happy about it at all, I just kept picturing Elena trying to lure Noelle in somehow. I trusted Noelle of course- but I did not trust Elena. I also thought it was odd that she didn't ask if I could join them. She knew we were  together, she had to have from social media. It seemed disrespectful to me.
Noelle texted me that she was going to be meeting Elena about an hour away at 8 PM to give her the watch. Which also angered me. She was going to have to drive an hour for this?
She should've told Elena no. I had such a bad feeling about this.
When I got home from work, Noelle was there, drinking a beer.
"You have to drive, stop drinking." I said to her.
"It's just one. I'll be fine." she said, and put the beer down on the counter. She had on a plaid shirt and black jeans to go to dinner.
"I really don't like that you're going, Noelle." I said, "It does make me uncomfortable."
"I'm so sorry, Harley. I really feel terrible. I hope you know that- this is the last thing I want to be doing. I will call you right when I'm leaving. I am going to make this as quick as possible." Noelle came up to me and put her hands on my arms lightly, a pleasing look in her eyes.
"You'll have to make this up to me." I said to her with a small smile. To let her know it was okay.
"I love you." she said, and she gave me kiss. I could smell the booze on her breath.
"Are you sure you're okay to drive?" I asked her.
"Positive." she said, and grabbed her bag. "I'll see you at around 10. No way in hell am I spending more than an hour with Elena."
"I love you." I said, as she started toward the door. I really did not want her to go. But I was feeling a bit better.
"I love you too. See you later." she said.
After she left, I went to the fridge and grabbed myself a frozen pad Thai for dinner. Olivia asked me to hangout- but I didn't feel in the right state of mind. I asked her if we could tomorrow, and she agreed. She was now 8 months pregnant. I couldn't believe it.
I put the frozen dinner in the microwave and opened up the trash to throw away the box. There- I saw two other empty beer cans on the top of the trash- not including the one Noelle had just finished.
She lied.
She drank more than she said.
I decided to not text her about it. But it put a pit in my stomach. But I was relieved when she texted me she was at the restaurant at 8:03 PM.
I got one text ten minutes later that she couldn't wait to see me.
9 PM rolled around. I was expecting to get a text that she was leaving soon- but I didn't get anything.
10 PM. I was starting to get nervous. Why was this dinner taking so long? Why didn't she text me she was leaving? I tried texting. Nothing.
11 PM. I tried calling. Multiple times. I felt like I wanted to scream. Cry. Why wasn't she home? Why wasn't she answering me? I was panicking.
12 AM. I was pacing around the apartment. Looking out the window. Calling Noelle every other minute. I was a scared at this point. Why wasn't she home? Why hadn't she answered me.
1 AM. I felt like I was going to throw up. All I could do was stare out the window. I tried Noelle's phone. Dead. I almost messaged Elena on Facebook- we weren't friends on it, but I could message.
But what if she was with her still?
Oh my god.
Where are you, Noelle?
I was on the floor, crying. Sobbing.
Then I saw a glimpse of a blue and red light. No sirens were on. But those were cops cars coming into the apartment complex.
And I had never felt more sick in my life as I stood by the window and watched two cops- a man and a woman- get out of the car and walk up. Directly to where my apartment was.
Something happened. Something bad.
I heard a knock at my door. But I was already opening it.
They stood there in front of me.
"What happened?" I said, weakly.
"Is this the residence that Noelle Thompson lives at?" the female cop said.
"Yes. What happened?" I repeated.
"May I ask who you are in relation to her?" the male cop asked gently.
"Her fiancé." I said back. I felt completely numb at this point.
"Ma'am...there's been an accident." the male cop said.
And after that- it was a blur.