Loyalty and Lies

Nerve-wracking

Lea's pov:

I sat at the kitchen table, my eyes focused on my best friend across from me, studying her closely.

Addie's large, almond- shaped eyes with a striking shade of green, were directed at her coffee mug in front of her. Her delicately shaped nose sat harmoniously above full, rosy lips which were often curled into a gentle, inviting smile, were now pressed together, while she was biting the inside of her lip. A habit that surfaced whenever she was nervous, scared, frustrated or everything at once.

Her lightly waved, brunette hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, a few strands, which freed themselves with the time, framed her face, enhancing her well-defined jawline and slightly pointed chin. She also wore a subtle touch of makeup, enhancing her natural beauty without overpowering it.

If a stranger had seen Addie, they wouldn't have thought much of it, except perhaps that she was a beautiful woman. They wouldn't have thought much of it, because they didn't know Addie. Not like me. They didn't know she was a single mother. They didn't know that she had just completed a night shift, and her dark circles under her eyes were most likely not the only thing the makeup was covering. They didn't know that she never wore makeup, apart from certain occasions.

And they definitely didn't know that the way she was acting, meant she was frightened.
We have been sitting here for five minutes and she hasn't said a single word yet.

Addie sat stiffly in the chair, hands tightly folded laying on the tabletop, while her right foot tapped nervously under the table.

„If you don't wanna talk about it.... then we don't have to." I said that to calm her, but it was a blatant lie. We definitely had to talk about it and apparently Addie was thinking the same thing.

„Adam was there."

The second my brain registered the name, a cold chill run down my spine. The name only to familiar. Adam, Addie's Ex-boyfriend who left her alone with a child on the way to go study at Stanford University. That guy was only good for causing trouble. There were rumors that he was back in town and not only that, he was supposedly a successful lawyer now too. I didn't paid much attention to them though. Why would a successful laywer return to the city from which he tried to escape. But now everything was crystal clear. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

There was only one possible reason for him to come back.

That possibly reason was sitting in the living room eating her breakfast, while watching Arielle. Completly zoned out from everthing around her.

However, I needed confirmation.

"What did he want?"

"Isn't that obvious? He wants Mira." Her voice was filled with pain, each word laced with sorrow. It was shaky and uneven, as if on the verge of breaking.

Since I know Addie I saw her that dejected merely one time before. She just never needed to be comforted, she was the one comforting all the others. It looked so easy with her, when she held Mira in her arms, whispering calming words in her ear to make her stop crying. As shitty as the situation was, Addie never failed to make people believe that things would get better. I, on the other side, was a total noob when it came to such things.

So, I did the only thing I could think of, putting her hands in mine, putting a slight pressure on them, silently promising her my support. And for the first time since our our conversation began she raised her head and looked me straight into my eyes.

"You need to tell me what happened, Addie."

„Okay." It was just above a whisper, yet all what I needed.