INSIDE THEIR MINDS

Where Are They

ALEX

Where are they? They were supposed to be here half an hour ago.

I decided I should just let myself inside. So I grabbed the hide away key that blended seemlessly into the pile of rocks near the garage and unlocked the garage side door.

Kate's car was parked inside and from the looks of it, it hasn't been driven in awhile. Honestly that didn't surpise me what with them working in the same building and Phil being as over protective as he can be.

I walked past her car and got a sudden pang of sadness when the realization hit me.

Kate is different now. She doesn't live in the same house, she doesn't drive the same car.. She is dating someone she cheated with and that definitely isn't something the old Kate would have done.

How did I not see this sooner?

Part of me wanted to leave, but I didn't. I couldn't. I won't just walk away from her. She needs me, just like I need her.

Then I hear my phone buzz.

Please be Kate.

"Are you busy tonight? I wish we didn't have to wait until tomorrow to see wach other." The text from Derek says.

"Sorry I'm helping a friend of mine move, otherwise I would see you tonight."

Usually I would mock his clingyness, being that I usually dind that very unattractive in men, but with him I actually enjoyed it. I liked that he wanted to not have to wait to see me. I want to know more about him. Everything about him is pulling me in.

I took a seat in their living room, finding it the only place I could actually sit besides the floor.

Boxes upon boxes surrounded me.

Where were they?

"Kate are you still at work?" I text her for the second time.

No response from her.

Then I see a the movers pull up along side the house.

Come to think of it I don't even know where they are moving to. I know they had been looking and that they had it narrowed down but... did my best friend really not tell me where she is going to live?

I hear the doorbell ring and I couldn't do anything but answer it.

"Are you Kate?" The gentleman asked me.

"Uh no. I'm Kate's friend, they got stuck and work and asked me to supervise." I say not knowing if it's actually the truth.

"Normally I would ask for at least one of the residents to be here but Phil and I go way back, ya see he helped me get the loan for my first moving truck." He says with a toothy grin.

"That was nice of him." I say moving aside so he could come in.

"Yeah, he's a good guy that Phil is, glad he moved past Erica to be honest, never liked her." He said weirdly being brutally honest.

"Um.."

"Sorry, but if you ever met her you would understand." He says with a stern serious look.

"So where should we start?" He asks as two men walk up behind him, with gloved hands and bearded faces.

"Here's fine." I say gestering to the living room.

"You have the address for their new place?" I ask them hoping that at least they know where they are going.

"Yep. Phil texted it over today." He said after grabbing a box and wapking back towards the front door.

"Great." I said almost too enthusiasticly.

I tried my best to stay out of their way while they loaded up the two moving trucks and texting Kate several more times.

Then I see my phone is ringing.

IT'S KATE.

"Alex?" A man's voice, Phil's voice, asks.

"Yeah, everything ok?" I ask wondering why he would call me instead of her.

"We are at the hospital. Kate is having the baby. Are you at our house?" He asks me.

"She's having the baby now!" I yell into the phone earning a weird look from one of the movers.

"Yes, but are you at our house?" He asks.

"Yeah. Helping the movers. Why?" I say.

"You set off the house alarm and I got a call from my security company.b he says somewhat seriously.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Kate showed me where the key was and..."

"It's fine, it's just we locked the house and turned on the alarm. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't someone breaking in or anything." He says sounding panicked.

"I need to get over there can you tell me which hospital?" I ask him.

"Well.."

"REALLY PHIL, SHE IS MY BEST FRIEND AND YOU WONT TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!" I yell.

"It's not that. I just want the house to be ready for Kate. I don't want her or the baby living out of boxes. Is there anyway you can bring the furniture to the new place and help them organize it just a little?" He asks.

"Fine, but you call me when shes about to have the baby I want to be there for her when she does." I say to him.

"She said that would be great." He says obviously relaying information she had just said.

I see that the movers still had quite a bit of work left to do, so I took a seat, on the floor, since they had already moved the couches away to the truck.

"Hey are you any good at interior design?" I text Derek.