"So you're telling me she just walked out with Bret?" Mike crossed his arms as he sat down in the armchair across from James.
"Just linked arms and got in her car."
"How'd he get here?"
"Uber."
"Did you text her where they were going?"
"Yea. No response. I was hoping he stubbed his toe so he couldn't dance with her on Saturday, but that fucker looked so cheeky when he dropped her off. Now he thinks he can just take her out again? It's Wednesday. Don't they have things to do? Like work the next day?" James grumbled loudly like a child throwing a tantrum.
Mike chuckled, "You're being awfully petty here. And you, of all people, should know that Nadz doesn't have work on Thursday."
"She hasn't looked me in the eye since I got home. One word responses."
Mike made a face, "Well, I mean... you do sorta deserve it."
"I didn't think she'd actually hold a grudge."
He unfolded his arms and leaned his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together. "Do you remember what I told you back at the reunion? That if you left, my biggest fear was that she'd close herself up permanently."
"I'm right here!" James threw his hands up in the air. "Who left? Who's leaving? No one's leaving!"
Mike raised an eyebrow at him, "No one's leaving? So you're turning down the promotion?"
James sighed, "Oh."
The two men sat there in silence, the only noise being Sora laughing upstairs in her room with Melanie and Benji. Mike leaned back and relaxed, closing his eyes as if he was going to take a nap.
"Dude, why am I here? Why is it me you called?"
"How was she the first time?" James asked meekly, feeling like he wasn't allowed to ask that. "The first time I left... before Sora?"
He took a deep breath while nodding, "At first, I understood her. She was barely at home. If she has too much time to herself, she'll dwell on it. But then after a while, it just became normal... her being gone. It was like living with a ghost. She didn't want to talk about anything if I was even able to catch her at home."
"Because she was working so much?"
"Because if she wasn't at work or school, she was driving off to some random place. I didn't even know where she was half the time. She completely shut everyone off. Not even Tita My knew she was off travelling the coast in just her car. The only reason I knew she was travelling was because I cornered her about it."
James stayed silent and stared at Mike with wide eyes to continue talking. Mike shifted in his seat to a more comfortable position.
"We would argue because I wanted her to at least tell me where she was going, just in case of an emergency or she doesn't come back by the time she has work. She flipped me off as a response everytime I asked, saying she knew what she was doing. But I still got it and I supported the trips because I think in a way, those trips were for her to find herself again."
"Did she?" James asked in a strained whisper.
Mike shook his head, "She came back from her last trip crying. I thought it was her finally letting out all the pent up emotions of you leaving. That the trip was her realizing that she needs to let it out since she hadn't shed a single tear up until then. But she was crying because she found out she was pregnant. So no, I don't think she ever found herself."
