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"Cassandra," I said, my tone cold.
"That's no way to speak to your mother, Alexandra," her voice echoed through my phone. "Put it on speaker," Nico mouthed to me.
"What do you want?" I asked. "I'm kind of occupied at the moment."
"Watch your attitude, young lady!"
Nico rolled his eyes while I tried not to laugh. She was less scary over the phone.
"We're kinda busy at the moment, Cassandra. If it's really important, we want to hear it now, otherwise, we'll hang up," Nico chimed in.
"I just wanted to know how things were between Alex and her girlfriend. Can't a mother be curious about—" I hung up. "Cannot be dealing with that today." I put my phone on do not disturb.
Nico stretched out on the couch, grabbing a throw pillow and settling in comfortably. "You know, for all her faults, she sure knows how to pick the worst times to call," he said, shaking his head.
I sighed, sitting down next to him and pulling up the pizza delivery app on my phone. "It's like she has a radar for when I'm at my lowest," I muttered. "I can't deal with her drama on top of everything else."
"Forget about her," Nico said, nudging me with his elbow. "Let's focus on us tonight. You need a break, and I'm here to make sure you get it."
I smiled, grateful for his support. "Alright, pizza's on the way. Now, let's find something good to watch."
We scrolled through Netflix together, debating the merits of various movies and shows until we settled on a classic comedy. Just as the opening credits started to roll, the doorbell rang.
"Perfect timing," Nico said, hopping up to grab the pizza. He returned with the box, and the delicious aroma filled the room.
As we dug into the pizza and laughed at the antics on the screen, I felt a sense of normalcy returning. For a while, the chaos and stress melted away, replaced by the comfort of Nico's presence and the simple joy of a relaxing evening.
Halfway through the movie, Nico turned to me, his expression serious. "Alex, about Dani... I know it's been rough, but you guys really cared about each other. Maybe there's still a chance to fix things."
I took a deep breath, considering his words. "I don't know, Nico. I don't even know if she wants to talk to me."
"Well, you won't know unless you try," he said gently. "Just think about it, okay?"
I nodded, appreciating his encouragement. "Thanks, Nico. I will."
As the movie played on, I found myself thinking about Dani. Maybe Nico was right. Maybe there was still a chance to fix what was broken.
⟡
I walked to her door. Should I really do this?
'She probably doesn't want to talk to me,' I thought to myself. I turned around and walked back.
I turned again.
But what if she did?
No. I turned again.
Yes. If I don't, I might regret it.
I walked to her door.
Standing on the porch, I almost knocked.
No.
I'm not doing this.
Turning around for the last time, I immediately hit someone.
"Shit, sorry!" I immediately apologized. "Alex?" A familiar voice sounded.
Dani.
I couldn't feel negatively about running into her. I was the one going to her house and standing on her property in the first place.
"Hi," I said. "I, uh, came to apologize..."
"What?" She asked, clearly confused about the situation. "I'm sorry about...uh...lashing out."
"I thought we banned that word," she remarked. "You still have every reason to be mad at me, though. I was being immature." I ignored her remark.
"Don't apologize. I should have never mentioned your mom in the first place," she started. "Want to come inside? It's cold out here."
"Mhm." I nodded.
Dani opened the door, and we stepped into the warmth of her house. The familiar scent of her favorite vanilla candles filled the air, making me feel oddly at home despite the tension between us.
"Do you want something to drink?" Dani offered, walking towards the kitchen.
"Water would be fine," I replied, feeling nervous. I took a seat on the couch, my mind racing with everything I wanted to say but not knowing where to start.
Dani returned with two glasses of water, handing one to me before sitting down across from me. There was an awkward silence as we both sipped our drinks, neither of us wanting to break the ice.
I spoke first. "You were right, though. I was being immature and had no right to speak to you like that."
"What? Alex, did you fall on your head or something? Are you okay?" Dani chuckled. "You don't need to apologize for having a shit day and expressing it. I was the one who could have handled it better. It's not your fault," she said.
"You're never going to let me take the blame for this, are you?" I asked.
"Never," she insisted.
After a moment of silence I spoke up again.
"Okay, fine," I conceded. "But I still feel like I owe you an apology."
Dani shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "Let's just call it even and move on. How about that?"
"Deal." I took a sip of my water, feeling a bit of the tension ease.
"I'm glad you came." Dani confessed. "I wanted to come apologise to you myself but I just couldn't do it, might've had something to do with the fact that you blocked me on everything..."She chuckled.
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that.."
"I got really fucked up yesterday night and that most of the time leads to making bad decisions in the morning." I explained. "As long as you're okay now."
"I, uh, actually need to tell you something.." I took a breath. "What happened?" Dani asked concerned.
