Blinded by Limerence

69 | The Lonely Hours of the Afternoon

Addison

Morgan and I had ended the day pretty late last night.

After Hanna left, we lost track of time and talked the night away. It seemed as though we had plainly jammed a lifetime of conversations, anecdotes, and even therapy sessions into one amazing night of just talking to that person you'd trust your life with—and for me, that was Morgan.

Granted, we didn't always get along, but we did in the times that mattered. That's what being a best friend is about.

It was around four in the afternoon when I woke up in my bed at dad's house. Thank goodness for that, too; I don't know how my mom would've reacted to my coming home so late last night.

To be honest, I wanted to get more hours of sleep in, but I also knew that if I didn't get up now, a restless night would inevitably be waiting for me later tonight. So, with that in mind, I reluctantly pushed the covers back and crawled out of bed.

Halfway down the stairs, the sweet aroma of pancakes wafted through the air, and I instantly didn't have any regrets about getting up.

One of the many perks of staying with dad: breakfast is to die for.

"Pancakes!" I squealed excitedly as I quickly dashed down the last few steps. 

Dad was in the kitchen, his back against me as he flipped the last few pancakes. Spotting me from his peripheral, he turned around, and he was wearing that adorable smile of his that formed crow's feet around his eyes. 

"Morning, kiddo," he beamed cheerfully.  

Returning his bright smile, I took a seat at the kitchen counter. "G'morning," I greeted as he placed down a fresh plate of pancakes in front of me, reached across the counter to grab the bottle of maple syrup, and proceeded to douse the stack of golden pancakes in the stickily sweet liquid. Suddenly, I noticed that his smile faltered for a moment, and my heart sank. I knew what was coming—

"Something wrong, dad?" 

"No, not really," he said. "I just—don't have time to sit and eat with you—"

He was going to say he has to work...

"—I've got to go to work."

Called it.

I knew it was selfish of me to assume dad would drop everything for the weeks I'd stay with him; he has this whole other life separate from me and Archer, after all, but I just really wanted to soak up every minute I spent with him.

If there's anything I've learned in these last few months, it's that life's fragile—more fragile than you'd think—and you should make the most of it while you can. Spend your limited time on this planet with the people you love.

"Alright," I said shortly, forcing a smile on, even though I knew he'd just see right through that. I stood up and walked to his side of the counter to plant a dry kiss on his cheek. "Have fun at work, dad—"

He seemed hesitant to leave at first, but after I reassured him that I'll be fine the third time, he finally left.

Half an hour later, after downing my pancakes quickly, I left the dishes in the sink (I'll do them later, I swear) and picked up my phone to see if Morgan was up to hang out again today. I was probably coming off as clingy, what with the two of us having just hung out yesterday, but honestly? I couldn't care less.

I'm leaving for Stanford in a few days, and the mere fact that it was in a whole other zip code freaked me out. I needed my best friend.

An hour or so later and still no reply from the girl. 

I theorized that she could still be asleep—maybe she opted to clock more hours in—so I left her another text before playing a few more rounds of Mario Kart on the Wii in the lounge. 

Another hour had passed and no reply. By now, I was beginning to get worried, so I got up from the couch, grabbed my keys, and put on my overcoat before making my way to the Darhk residence. 

|

"Okay, so you haven't been answering my texts, but I just thought we should binge 'How to Get Away With Murder' one last time before I leave for Stan—"

Morgan's parents were usually out, so I've gotten used to just barging in whenever I liked, talking to Morgan the way I would if it's just her home, so naturally, I was more than a little petrified to see Mr. and Mrs. Darhk seated in the living room, a police officer standing in front of them.