The train

Ch. 5 [Z]

Flashback

I was sitting on my fur rug in the corner of my room with my knees brought up to my chest and my head buried in the small dark gap.

Muffled sobs could be heard coming from me if you were close enough. I was having a bad day and everything came down on me. On top of my bad day, I was homesick.

For over 40 minutes, I was sitting there sobbing. Regretting moving to New York and so far from my family.

I missed my mom coming into my room and we caught up on life.

I missed hearing my dad yell at the tv when his favorite sports team was losing.

I missed seeing my little brother make questionable facial expressions at dinner.

I missed my family.

I couldn't resist this feeling alone, I needed a distraction. A way to cope with the pain. I wiped my nose with the end of my sleeve and looked for my phone. I unlocked my phone with the passcode and opened the contacts. I typed the letter "R" in the search bar and scrolled through the list. I called Rose and waited until she answered.

Nothing.

I gave up after calling her 20 times. She was either asleep or busy. I then called Ivan with hesitation.

I regretted calling him because it felt like I was bothering him. He picked up the phone after about ten seconds of ringing.

"Yes?" Ivan answered.

The second he talked, my urge to cry went away. He only said one word. I don't know what it is, but it's comforting to hear him.

It sounded like his morning voice, deeper than usual.

"Did I wake you up? I am so sorry. I just needed to talk to someone," I sighed.

"It's okay, I was about to wake up anyway. What's wrong? Are you okay?" He loaded me with questions.

Someone worrying about you feels great.

"I am okay, I guess. Do you want to come over? We can. . .watch movies or something. It's totally fine if you don't want to. I understand," I asked.

I was already embarrassed after asking him that. He probably thinks I am super weird now. I wanted to bang my head against a wall at this exact moment.

"Of course. I don't mind. I will be there in a few minutes," He responded.

He sounded uninterested. Did I bother him? No, he was probably tired... Or I am just overthinking again.

He doesn't sound excited and happy 24/7, Lyra. That's how humans work. Or not.

"Thank you, it means a lot," I thanked him.

"Yeah, bye," He hung up.

Oh.

Males.

I cleaned up the mess in my room and headed to the living room.

The sun was going down quickly and Ivan never showed up.

Did something happen? Or did he just not want to come over?

He could've said no.

I was looking at the stunning view of New York City through the giant window, biting my nails subconsciously.

I then flinched because of the sound of my doorbell.

He came.

I walked to the door and opened it. A smile appeared on my face. I honestly felt so much better. Ivan showing up to my doorstep boosted my happiness.