Silent Tears

Chapter Seven

Peter's POV

Me
Nikki?
You there?
Helloooooo?
Are you dying?
Is something wrong?
Why aren't you answeringggg
You were literally texting back two minutes ago
Where did you goooooo

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Nikki and I had been having a conversation over text, and then she just - stopped responding.

She's probably just busy with something really quick...no big deal. Right?

I wanted to believe my own reassurances, but what if she wasn't? No, that's stupid, she knows how to take care of herself. She'll only get mad if you suggest anything else. She probably just stepped away from her phone for a minute. She'll be back soon...

She wasn't. Ten minutes passed, and she didn't respond, or even show that she had read my messages.

Me
That's it I'm coming over

I gave her another couple minutes, since she usually responded telling me not to whenever I suggested we hang at her place, but five minutes later she still hadn't even read it. So, I went to the top of the tower and swung around the city until I recognized the top of her apartment. Stepping quietly, I walked down the hallway to her door. I knocked softly, then picked the lock and twisted the handle.

I walked through her small apartment, scanning for anything that might seem amiss. There wasn't anything concerning in her kitchen, tiny living room, or bathroom, so the final room to check was her bedroom.

I tried the handle, but the door was locked. Why would she lock the doors inside her own house when she's the only one who lives here? Once again, I picked the lock and pushed the door open.

"Nikki?" I spoke quietly, stepping into her unnaturally dark room - the curtains were drawn, the lights were off; there was no source of light whatsoever. "You in here?" As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw a lump on her bed.

I poked it. "Nikki?"

She groaned.

"Oh, thank Thor you're alive."

Her face was partly smashed into her mattress, so her words were mumbled. "What does Thor have to do with anything?"

I laughed softly and shook my head. "Nothing. Just...glad I found you. What happened?"

She sat up, looking at me with a questioning expression. "What do you mean?"

"We were texting and then you just stopped responding."

Realization dawned on her. "Oh yeah...sorry about that. I remember now. I was just super tired...I must have drifted off while we were talking."

A feather of doubt swept around my mind, but I brushed it away. Nikki would never lie to me, right? "Oh, alright. You doing okay?"

Even in the dark, I could see her eyes roll. "Peter, thanks for checking on me and all that, but I'm fine. I've just been a little busy the last little bit, so I've been staying up later. It's all good."

"If you say so..." I stepped out of her room as she laid back down on her mattress, pulling a blanket over herself. As I swung back over to the tower, I considered the situation. Obviously, I was glad that she was okay, but she seemed...different the last few days. I had thought that I was getting somewhere with her; getting her to be able to trust me. And then suddenly, it had all evaporated.