Till Death Do We Part

Chapter Eleven

"So, tell me about this mystery man."

I had been with Joseph for four, wonderful months, and Alice was anxious to meet him. Or, at the very least, to hear about him. And considering most of my free time was spent with Joseph and all I could ever seem to talk about, think about, and breathe was the man I was committed to, it seemed more than reasonable for me to tell Alice everything or have her meet the man of my dreams.

Unfortunately, Joseph wasn't too keen on meeting my friends just yet, and with the hours he was pulling with work it didn't surprise me that he only wanted to spend his time with me when he was off. So, I was just going to have to stick with gushing over Joseph until he eventually met my best friend.

It was nearing the end of July, and school was about to start up again in a few more weeks. Alice and I had managed to go for those drinks as we had promised each other months ago, and with both of us currently out of our main occupation, it was easier to catch up than it had been previously.

Now, the two of us were curled up on either side of Alice's sofa, a glass of red wine in our hands and the thriller movie we had been watching earlier turned down low. Outside of Alice's house, it was raining, the wind violently rustling the trees and the claps of thunder never too far behind the lightning that flickered incessantly in the dark, stormy night sky. I smiled and peered at her over the rim of the wine glass, my cheeks burning.

"He's amazing, Alice. He's so sweet and thoughtful and so romantic. He's surprised me with flowers, held open doors for me, taken me to all the nicest restaurants and spots in town... He treats me like I'm his queen."

"A true gentlemen," she nods in my direction and takes a sip of her alcohol. "Go on. What's he do? What's he look like? You told me a little bit before, but I want all the details of his life. Who he's like as a person. Let me have all the dirt on him!"

"Okay, alright," I laugh, waving her off playfully. "You already know he's older than me--"

"--much older than you," Alice interjects with a grin.

"--But he's always been nothing but kind and loving towards me. He lives in a nice one bedroom apartment in the heart of downtown, with a cute little patio that we like to sit on during the summer nights and watch the people down below. He handles the tougher cases that deal with special victims, like rape, domestic abuse, and lust murders, as well as cases regarding children. He has yet to lose a case against the defense attorneys, he takes care of his Aunt's dogs and mine as well ever since Haven has gotten used to him and his treats... he's just a good person, Alice."

She doesn't look too convinced. Her eyes still sparkle with mischief as she gulps down the last of her wine and reaches for the bottle to refill her empty glass.

"That's all?" She asks. "Nothing else? No dark secrets about his past? No little quirks or flaws about him that seem weird to you?"

I shake my head. "No. He's as perfect as they come by."

"Bullshit," she muses, that smile never leaving her lips. "There's gotta be something! A guy like that can't be completely perfect... Maybe he's secretly a drug lord?"

I roll my eyes and laugh. "Now you're just being ridiculous, Alice. Not everyone has some deep, dark secret or a major flaw to them. I swear, you've been reading and watching way too many of those crime and thriller-based novels and movies. Things like that happen, sure, but..."

I shrug, letting my words trail off. Alice didn't question what I was about to say, though. She seemed to have already known.

"I know, I know. It's not always like that in real life. Can you really blame me though?"

"For being paranoid for me well being?" I joke.

"Well, that and my inquisitiveness. I mean, I haven't even met the guy! There's no way he can be that perfect. Maybe he's gay?"

I laugh. "No, certainly not gay."

"So you have slept with him!" She muses, and I chuck the pillow in my lap at her.

"I knew you were going to get to that!" 

"Hey, can't blame me for that either! I'm your best friend, Sienna! I have a right to know these things!"

We both fall into a fit of laughter until we get a hold of ourselves. We sit in silence for a few seconds until Alice sets her glass loudly on the coffee table and stands from the couch, making her way to the hall.

"I'll be right back, lovely," she calls over her shoulder. "I gotta use the restroom. You know me and wine--"

"--It goes right through you," I finish for her. "No worries. I'll still be here. It alright if I crash with you tonight? I don't really feel like driving through this storm."

"Of course. You're always welcome here. I'll get the extra bedding when I'm back. I know how much you love stealing the damn covers when I'm asleep."

I hold up my hands in mock surrender. "Guilty as charged, I'm afraid."

As her footfalls recede into the background and the door of the bathroom closes, I can't help but think back to what Alice said, and part of me hated to admit it, but I thought she could be right. Joseph was a bit too perfect, and as much as I loved everything he had done for me, how he treated me, and how he seemed like the all-around good guy you always dream about in your fairytale happy endings, I just couldn't shake that maybe there was something I was missing about him, something important, whether it was a major flaw of his personality, or some deep, dark secret Joseph had decided to omit. After all, I only knew the good parts of his life and about him, and I had yet to see anything else differently.

So, maybe Alice was right. Or maybe she just helped me become a little more paranoid alongside her. But whatever I thought, and whatever I was going to do about it, was quickly pulled out of my mind the moment my cell phone started ringing. It was my Mom, and with how late it was I could only assume she was calling about something important.

"Hello?" I answer, my heart pounding in my chest. I feared I already knew the answer as my mother sobbed into the phone, her words barely audible.

"Oh, God, honey..."

"Mom? Mom, what is it? What's wrong?"

My voice didn't sound like my own as I called out to her, my head swimming with a million and one thoughts about my father, about my mother, about our family and what had happened. My heart sank into the bottom of my stomach and felt like it was breaking to pieces, and my chest felt like there was a heavy weight sitting on top of it, suffocating me until I couldn't breathe. Somewhere far away from where I was now, I could here the running water in the bathroom as the toilet flushed and the sink turned on, but I couldn't acknowledge what it meant. I couldn't acknowledge anything as Mom struggled to get the words out and across to me, her pain seeping through the phone and into my own veins.

"Oh, Sienna. Baby, I'm so sorry. Your father, he-- He's dead."