Mikaal

18: Mikaal

Suddenly the song 'Riptide' by Vance Joy, blared through his phone speakers. Dalia watched his features crease after looking at the name of the caller before ignoring the call by swiping on his phone screen. He proceeded to tap and swipe his phone further, but what that did exactly she couldn't be sure. He was an Android phone user after all - there was flaw number two.

"Sorry about that," he said, turning his phone face down on the restaurant table, but immediately after, this time, it vibrated.

'Typical - it takes so many taps and swipes just to put an Android on silent,' she thought to herself, a smirk on her face.

He could normally read her expressions and would have retorted something in opposition to her beloved Apple iPhone, but he seemed distracted as he briefly scanned his phone screen as if reading a message. "Dalia, I'm sorry, there's something urgent I have to sort out," he said with a frown, but as he stood up, he promised to be back in a few minutes before raising his phone to his left ear.

Dalia groaned, awoken by her alarm, her whole body aching from restless sleep - feeling further burdened by the same recurring dream. The dream always came in fragments, appearing to show the same scene but different details. It was strange - as dreams were - Blake's face never clear in these dreams yet the vividness of knowing his expressions and their impact on her endured.

Dalia felt her head throbbing from the beginnings of a headache, as if her body feeling like it's completed a triathlon wasn't bad enough. This was just getting too much. First the bombshell of yesterday afternoon, now being reminded of Blake... She needed to get out of the house and do something to break free from this dispiriting state.

Knowing exactly what to do, she conjured the willpower to kick off her down quilt that she had doubled up for the biting cold winter nights, before heading to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She then threw on a Lorna Jane branded lemon yellow, long-sleeved top with an inspirational message printed on the front, black running shorts over Lorna's famous, flattering, full-length tights, before making the drive to Burswood Park.

Dalia felt really fortunate to live so close to the beautiful park that sat beside the Swan River, with concrete walking and cycling paths that lead all the way up to the city, winding their way along the river. Although she wasn't much into jogging like the fitness enthusiasts who seemed to live at the park, she loved coming regularly for a leisurely walk to relax and clear her mind. It was one of her favourite activities for de-stressing.

After easily finding a parking spot - the large expanse of well-kept, green lawns decorated with clusters of shady trees, appearing quieter than usual perhaps because of the chilly climate and the grey clouds that loomed above - Dalia thread her left hand through the strap of a small red umbrella just in case the grey cotton-like clumps decided to shed tears, while she held her blue Lorna Jane bottle in her right hand.

"Hey Siri, start an outdoor walk," she said into her Apple Watch that she had brought close to her lips, feeling the tap on her wrist indicating Siri's acknowledgment.

As Dalia took in the serene view of the still, greenish-blue water to her right with the backdrop of Perth City, she drew in a deep breath, allowing herself to remember the events of yesterday with each unhurried step. After the initial shock of hearing Simon's unexpected words, for a reason she couldn't explain, something possessed her to make the split second decision to return to the boys pretending she hadn't heard a thing. But on her drive to the karaoke place in the city with Simon a short while later, she had carefully asked why it had looked like Simon was ready to hit Mikaal.

Simon's response, although it shouldn't have surprised her, was infuriating.

"He gets on my nerves," he had said with a shrug.