The Brothers and I

Chapter 41

I shifted my weight nervously, watching her frown deepen and her lips pull into a thin line. There was a reason my best friend had an affinity for numbers. She was a natural when it came to deciphering complicated problems, making her a deadly marksman at "putting two and two together".

With that in mind, I had spent the last half hour, trying my hardest to dodge her probing questions but judging by the look on her face, Sasha wasn't buying what I was selling her.

"Hold on. This doesn't add up." Her curly hair bounced vigorously around her face as she shook her head. "You're telling me that the reason you couldn't call or answer your damn phone was because you were busy? Seriously? Is that the best you can do?"

I glanced at the camera on the ceiling before looking sheepishly at my friend. "I know it sounds lame but it's a new job, new place, new people... I was just trying to settle in."

"You have been gone for over three months Mia! And in all that time, all I get are one-word responses to my texts with no explanation, no reason, no nothing!"

Leaning forward in her seat, looking extremely pissed, Sasha continued, "Do you know how it felt when I showed up to work and found out that you had left? To Portland of all places!? You never mentioned anything the day before! No goodbye, No - "oh hey and by the way, I've decided to move to a shithole because I've lost my goddamned mind."

"I understand-"

"No, you don't."

My mouth zipped close as we looked at each other for the next few minutes, a million words passing between us in silence. My heart broke, knowing that she had unintentionally placed herself at risk for the sake of my wellbeing.

"Sash, look...I'm doing fine and I'm sorry that I did not get in touch with you..." I raised my voice slightly when she opened her mouth to interrupt. "...And no, I'm not going to give any excuses but I will admit that I've been a lousy friend. Please forgive me."

She lapsed into silence for a while, her frown slowly disappearing, but replaced instead with a look of sadness. A slash of guilt cut through me when she spoke, her voice wavering with emotion.

"I didn't know what to think. What to do..." Her eyes which was trained to a spot beyond my shoulder, took on a far-off look. "...One minute you were there and the next you were gone. They said you got a better offer here at the head office and you took it but I didn't believe that. Surely you would have said something to me. Surely..."

She glanced back, her eyes searching mine for some form of confirmation but all I could force out of me was a tight-lipped smile. I wasn't sure what she made of it, but she carried on, "...And when I didn't hear from you, I went to your apartment, hoping to get a forwarding address or something but no luck..."

An image of my place flashed in my mind. My heart yearned for it but most of all it yearned for the person I used to be – free and happy.

Pushing herself forward in her seat, her voice lowered. "...Then it was these weird texts telling me you were fine and not to worry... they didn't sound like you. I mean I know you. You can be boring to talk to at times but you're never vague or dismissive. And you have never not answered my calls for this long. No matter how pissed you were at me. It was all just...fishy."

I couldn't help but feel pride in that moment. Those government bastards who'd pretended to be me had clearly not fooled my friend.

"And after that, all these crazy thoughts started going through my mind. What if you were kidnapped? What if you were locked in someone's basement? Or what if you were dead?" Her hands flew all over the place as she gestured erratically. "...I started to freak out so I went to the cops..."