Curved Edges ✔

(52) Marvelous Mona

♡ MONA

It's the middle of the night and my best friend's ginger hair lights up in the faint light of the lamp on the nightstand. She is sleeping peacefully with her head on my chest and I'm afraid to move. We haven't talked about anything yet and I'm worried. But at the same time, I'm glad she's able to sleep.

Montell raced me over here as soon as my mom called me to let me know Ama had arrived with Noah. I walked over to the library right away and couldn't believe my eyes when I walked in. Ama was asleep on top of Noah. He had his arms around her protectively and smiled like a kid on Christmas morning.

She looked so calm and relaxed. I've never seen her like this before. She is the sleep-with-one-eye-open kind of girl. If you breathe too loudly she will wake up. Seeing her like this made me calm down a little. Noah carried her up the stairs to her bedroom and I tucked her in. I got into bed with her and she snuggled up to me. Noah walked out without a word and I didn't bother to follow him. Ama comes first.

I'm grateful he was there for her through all of this, don't get me wrong. But I can't help feeling a bit sad. I should have been the one being there for her. So that's what I'm doing now. I'll hold her, hug her, listen to her. And make sure she goes out with me to the club. We need to forget about how cruel life can be for a while and just let loose.

I stroke her hair and finally fall asleep myself.

♡

I wake up the next morning from a sound I can't quite place. I open my eyes a tiny bit and see my bestie tying her hair in a high ponytail. She's also fully dressed in workout gear and I sit up quickly.

"Ama? Are you going to the gym right now?"

She turns around to look at me and smiles, "Yes I am. I need it. We'll talk when I get back, okay? Thanks for staying with me last night."

She looks excited and happy, but I still worry. She is very good at pretending she's okay. She's so good at it that she manages to convince herself sometimes. But she's out the door before I can ask her about it or look her in the eye.

I get up, take a shower, and get dressed. When I go downstairs I find my mom and dad preparing a breakfast feast. I sit down at the kitchen island and dad hands me a cup of coffee. We enjoy our breakfast in silence and wait for Ama to come back.

I'm grateful for the fact that the kids have a dentist appointment this morning and their mom is taking them. It gives this nanny a little time to talk to her bestie and see how she's truly doing.

♡

I hear the front door open and get up to meet her in the hallway. But as happy as she looked when she left, she looks the complete opposite now. I rush over to her and pull her in for a hug. She cries so hard that she forgets to breathe and I take her face in my hands to make her look at me.

"Ama, breathe. Look at me, bestie. Breathe."

She looks at me and tries to take a deep breath. The tears stream down her face and her beautiful green eyes carry a world of hurt in them. I bring her into the living room and sit down on the couch with her. I take her hands into mine and wait for her to speak.

Her voice sounds broken and insecure when she finally speaks.

"I thought he felt the same. He kissed me. He... He was so cold this morning... Mean even... I don't understand... Why did I get my hopes up? It always blows up in my face. Always."

She starts to cry again and I wrap my arms around her. I try to come up with the backstory to her sadness, but I don't get it. It sounds like Noah hurt her. But he seemed so happy yesterday. What the hell happened here?