Location; Nicholas' Apartment
Interacting With; Layla (Mentioned).
"
I'm really sorry. I swear to you, I had no idea," The female voice came out of her phone's speaker, her voice wavering slightly and echoing through the nearly empty room. "
That's not the kind of person I am, if I had known...I'm so sorry."
Amelia stared at the wall across the room, her eyes unfocused. She sat in an old, wooden chair in the bedroom, her body leaning forward. Her phone was in her hand, the call still ongoing as an unknown number displayed on the screen. For about a week, that number had constantly called the apartment, begging to see Nicholas, her boyfriend. She didn't know why, but even after he assured her that it was probably a mistake, she couldn't quite shake off the feeling that something was wrong. Her mother had always encouraged her to follow her gut, so naturally, Amelia never listened and took the safest route instead. This was probably the first time she had finally done it, she finally got the courage to call back the number.
There was a dramatic scene that she had played in her head: she would demand the truth from the mystery woman, confront Nicholas, then slap him and storm out. Of course, reality had a way of sobering up the anger and leaving you completely empty. The truth was that sometime during the summer, presumably the period of time when she had gone to visit her parents' place for a family reunion, Nicholas had one too many drinks and had hooked up with a waitress at some bar he had gone to. It was a one time thing, probably a mistake, but it happened, and there were consequences.
And now Amelia needed to figure out what to do when he would arrive. Letting out a sigh, it took her a moment to realize she had inadvertently ended the call. Scratching the bridge of her nose, she took off her glasses as she stood up. The bedroom didn't even look the same. Nothing did. But she had seen it coming, going so far as to send her stuff over to Layla's place preemptively. Speaking of, she promised she would text her to let her know what happened, didn't she? Walking over to the living room, her heart froze as she heard the lock turn. Wait, why was she surprised? He wasn't working, he would've been back at any moment. Well, she hadn't expected him to get here right then and there, either! Okay, no problem, she would just wing it.
Nicholas opened the door, humming something as he walked in and closed the door behind him. He jumped slightly, though he let out a laugh as he realized who was in front of him. "Hey, I thought you were working 'til three?" Nicholas greeted her, hand running through his brown hair as he acknowledged her still in her work uniform. "Kinda scared the crap out of me just standing there, though."
So casual, like nothing was happening. Since August he was like this. August! It was November! Months! An inner rage seemed to boil, though she somehow managed not to explode. She needed to be calm, civil, and let him know she was done. "
Sheila just needed me to open but didn't need me for the rest of the day, so I decided to leave," Amelia replied. "
I needed to come home--to come here, anyway."
Nicholas threw himself onto the couch, nodding in understanding. "We still going to your parents' place, right? It'd probably be better if we take advantage that you're home, we could probably beat traffic if we go now," He pointed out.
Something was in her throat now. Oh, god, why? She swallowed, one hand behind her back as it would pull on the ends of her hair. "
Um, actually...we're not going," She started slowly, taking in a deep breath. She just needed to take it slow. "
You remember that voicemail we kept getting? It actually was for you." Or she could just jump right in, that was a thing, too.
He was quiet, eyeing her for a moment, though he groaned, throwing his head back. "Why would you call back after I told you not to?" He asked, annoyed. "Now you're mad over some shit she probably gave you--"
"
Oh, I'm sorry, you--you don't get to be annoyed at me," She quickly cut him off, ignoring her shaking voice. "
The only reason I called was--was because she kept calling, and it seemed really urgent. And it was."
"Urgent? What? I told you not to worry about it," He said, frowning. "You're gonna get yourself all worked up over nothing."
"
Well, too bad, I worried!" She was losing traction, though she couldn't believe how nonchalant he was about this. In a way, it gave her a second wind, though she couldn't exactly hold herself back anymore. "
Nick, she knew exactly who you were, where you lived, the tattoo on your back--she knew everything about you, so unless you've decided to become a stripper without telling me, I feel like there's something you're not telling me! So...So are you going to tell me or what?!"
To her surprise, Nicholas would finally get up, crossing his arms as he stood in front of her. "Tell you what, Amy?" He asked her, his voice low in an effort to calm her down.
Whether it was his constant denial, her own rage, or maybe she had just plain snapped, she found herself screaming at the top of her lungs: "
Por el amor de Dios--Tell me that you got Lucy pregnant, Nick!"
Letting it out certainly calmed Amelia down, though she was a ball of emotion as she placed her hands on her hips, watching Nick's reaction. He had paled somewhat, uncrossing his arms as he took a step back. For a moment, the two stared at one another, as if daring the other to speak first. To her surprise, he let out a laugh as he shook his head. She looked at him, her eyes begging for an a denial, but his silence was as good as a confirmation. "Amy..." He said her name quietly, taking a step towards her.
Amelia stepped back, holding her arm out. "
I can't believe you," Her voice matched his in volume. As he moved to get closer to her, she stood her ground. "
Don't."
"It's not what you think, I promise," He pleaded with her, taking her hand in his.
"
Not what I think? Did you accidentally land on top of her naked?!" She retorted as she pulled her hand away from him. "
No, you know what? I don't want to hear it, I don't care anymore, just--I'm gone." She grabbed her purse, rustling through it as she pulled out an envelope and a key, slamming both of them on the coffee table. "
I closed our account, that's your half."
"You closed--so you made up your mind before we even had a chance to talk?" Now it was his turn to get angry as she stomped over to the door. "What the hell, Amy?"
Unfortunately for him, Amelia wasn't having any of it. "
No, no, no, no, you lost this argument--you lost me the moment you decided to sleep with someone else!" She told him as she walked out, practically slamming the door behind her.
Her black heels hit the ground hard as she walked, her mind in a frenzy as she stormed out of the building. The cold air hit her face hard, but all she knew was that she needed to get out and get as far away as possible. The urge to let out another scream was building up as she chose a direction and just walked, but she managed to keep it in. It wasn't until she stopped at the corner that she realized she was shaking. Admittedly, her suit jacket wasn't too warm, and her pencil skirt and tights didn't give much coverage either. Buttoning up her jacket, she let out a breath to try to calm herself down. Once the light changed, she walked across the street, crossing her arms in an attempt to warm herself. When did it get so cold? What a stupid question, it was November in New York! She let out a sigh as she fixed her glasses, once again coming to a stop at the corner of the block. It was then her phone buzzed, but she ignored it for the time being, shivering in place as she waited for the light to change.
What a day.
