Nothing On You

Chapter Eighteen

I pause my 5th winning game of Street Fighter and set down the controller as my phone rings. I snatch the phone off the table and hit answer. 

"Hello?" I blurt out. 

"Hey Bru," 

"Hey." I say, letting out a silent sigh as I hear my little sister's voice, why would Izzie call me anyway? 

"Where's your girlfriend? I've been trying to call her for the past few days and I haven't heard anything back." I feel a sharp pain in my chest. She was much more than that. 

"I don't know." I manage to say trying to swallow the lump forming in my throat. 

"Well call her; ask her friends."

Pres says casually, completely oblivious to the state of our relationship. If I tell her, she'll lose it. —-I don't need anymore trouble, I have plenty. She pauses, her voice changing ever so slightly, I almost ask if something's wrong but she interrupts me. 

"I'm starting to worry, she always answers my calls. I thought she would have gotten back to me by now."

"I don't think—-" I start choosing my words carefully. "I don't think I have the right to call her friends. They won't answer my calls anyway." I blurt out,  I wish I could take it back. The words hang heavily in the the silence between the receivers. 

"Why?" 

I swallow hard and move my phone a couple inches away from my ear. "She broke up with me..." I say softly, my chest constricting, making it hard to breathe. 

"WHAT?! BRUNO WHAT DID YOU DO?!

"Pres, it's hard to explain... either way, there's nothing I can do; she won't talk to me." 

"Bruno...are you alright?" she says, her voice softening. Her concern comes across clearly. Heat rushes to my face.

"No, Presley I'm not..." my voice shakes involuntarily as I try to clear my throat.

"I'll be right over."

___________

"So Presley, hasn't heard from her either?"

"No...something." I feel the slightest twinge as the hair on the back of my neck stands up. "...something's not right." 

"Have you stopped by her place,  Gorditio's and the publishing company?" Phil asks, his forehead wrinkling.

"Yeah, her car isn't at her place, or at either of her job. She hasn't used any social media either."

"That's very unlike her, I mean the girl is practically married to her Instagram. Something has to be up." He stares at the table in concentration. "She would't have gone anywhere far away, Gorditio's as barely been open for 2 and 1/2 months..." 

"Yeah," I sigh falling back into the studio couch. "I'm sure Devi and Cristina know where she is." 

"Tell you what, why don't we go over to the publishing company and see what we can get from Alex. He's probably in contact with her because of how soon her book release is but, until then, lets finish this song." Phil says looking at me.

"Alright." I reply. 

_____________________________________________________________________________

 "Thank you." I say to our driver as I step out of the car with Phil in toe. The car disappears down the street as Phil and I enter the SilverLining Publishing Company building. We walk to the front desk.