Chapter 17. Night Sky
1286 Words
"On second thought, you stay here."
Laurence got out of the truck at lightning speed.
Only when he went inside a*****e did Milly see the sign that said 'pharmacy'.
She closed her eyes momentarily and leaned back against the headrest.
"What do I do with him?"
Amelia muttered under her breath.
Never did she expect to meet someone like him a month into college, but here she was. Her quiet resolve was suddenly ruffled by his presence. She wasn't particularly looking for a relationship, and even now, she didn't feel ready to completely accommodate him in her life. And yet, she couldn't deny her heart racing whenever he was with her.
Milly sighed and tried to relax. The headache was still there, faint, but enough to make her feel uncomfortable.
Laurence opened the car door gently and handed her an ibuprofen tablet as soon as he got in, then proceeded to open a bottle of water for her.
Milly looked up at his face for a moment, before gulping the medicine down.
"Thanks."
She murmured, once again touched by his thoughtfulness.
He could just drive her straight home, but instead, he took the time to stop by a pharmacy.
"Anytime."
He quipped, back to his usual "one-liner" self.
Laurence drove in silence as she stared out the window.
"Why are you two together?"
Ryan faced both of them by the porch, basketball in hand.
It was early afternoon but the weather turned gloomy it looked like it was about to rain.
"Ah... he happened to see me waiting for a cab home and I just...hitched a ride."
Milly tried hard to speak normally to avoid any suspicion from her cousin.
Her showing up with Laurence tagging along wasn't too far-fetched to happen but Ryan didn't know they were much more acquainted than he might think. So she had to make it sound like it wasn't anything special.
Well, it really wasn't.
She just happened to sleep in his house!
Shit.
Milly faked a yawn and bypassed her cousin to get inside first. Otherwise, he might see the obvious lie in her face.
Ryan turned to his friend with questioning eyes.
But Laurence merely lifted his shoulders casually.
"What she said."
He agreed with a smirk.
"Care for a one-on-one match?"
He asked and pointed at the ball Ryan was holding.
"Too late buddy, it's about to rain."
His friend scoffed and threw the ball in the netted storage basket by the porch.
"I'd take you on online though."
Ryan challenged.
"Oh yeah?"
Laurence had no plans for the entire afternoon.
Besides, his mind was pretty much occupied by someone. So he might as well bury himself in an online game battle with Ryan to forget how she made him feel in his truck.
"You're on!"
He lightly smacked his friend's left biceps and earned a slap in the butt in return.
Hours later, Milly woke up finally feeling rested. The ibuprofen she took on the way home kicked in and she fell asleep almost instantaneously. It did the trick, she felt refreshed.
Well, not entirely refreshed. Her stomach grumbled in hunger.
She hadn't eaten anything after her brunch with Laurence. Nonchalantly combing her hair, she checked herself in the mirror.
Good enough, she thought.
She grabbed her phone from the side table and checked her messages. Claire had several texts, informing her she just woke up again and longed for a hangover soup. Milly smiled and texted her back to just order delivery, fast and simple. There was a message request from Theo, she remembered giving him her account at the bar.
'Hi.'
Sent three hours ago, just when she arrived home and went straight to sleep.
'Did you go home just fine?'
He must have waited for her to reply but when she didn't, he tried again.
'I tried following you and that guy home, but the cab driver lost you after the main intersection.'
Sent just an hour ago.
Milly pressed the accept button so they could easily chat with each other.
'I'm home and okay, thank you.'
She replied and walked down the stairs.
It was almost dark outside and the house was as silent as in midnight hours. She wondered where Ryan went. And what about Laurence? Did he go home right after she went inside earlier?
The only light illuminating the wide downstairs space was the small floor lamp next to the television. Other than that, none of the lights in the kitchen and the study were turned on.
If Ryan was in his room, he hadn't come downstairs for a while. Searching for food, Milly continued to the kitchen but didn't bother turning the switch on either. She just opened the fridge to pour herself a glass of milk and snatched the cheese bread she spotted on the table.
Her phone dinged, alerting her to a new message.
'Good to know.'
Theo sent a reply.
'But who was he if I may ask?'
Milly didn't exactly know what transpired when Laurence fetched her off Theo's company and she didn't think she had to press Laurence for more info either.
'He's a family friend.'
She typed back.
'Sorry for the trouble, I didn't mean to impose on you last night.'
She was truly ashamed for her lack of control over her drinks that she ended up being escorted home.
'No, no trouble at all.'
He replied.
'I just wished I could have made sure you were home safe.'
Milly made a big bite of her bread as she typed back.
'Don't worry. I am safe.'
She was.
Laurence made sure she was taken care of. It was something she couldn't deny despite his unpredictable behavior sometimes.
'Glad to know.'
Theo again.
'Maybe we could hang out at school sometimes too if that's okay with you.'
He continued, adding a smiley emoji at the end.
Milly drank the rest of her milk and sent a reply.
'Sure, no problem.'
After washing her glass in the sink, Amelia wandered to the living room again but her bare feet brought her in front of her piano in the study. She opened the cover gently and sat there silently. The darkness of the room gave way to a tranquil view of the garden outside through the glass windows. Most of the main lighting installed on the side of the house was solar-powered. So they automatically lit up at night. Milly sat unmoving for a long time, taking in the quiet atmosphere.
When she felt she was ready, her fingers lightly stroked the keys of her piano to begin a solemn melody of the song Night Sky by her favorite classical singer Alhambra.
The song talked about beginnings and endings, and how the night resembled that once darkness faded, a new beginning would come soon. It sounded a bit of a cliche' but it spoke of the true nature of life. How we were always circling back and forth, good or bad, hopeful or broken, the cycle continued. The song wanted its listeners to know that no matter how dark the night was, morning would eventually come.
Amelia breathed in and out calmly as she approached the ending of the song.
What a beautiful piece, she thought with a smile.
Art in all its forms always had some sort of soothing feeling to them depending on the state of mind of the person who viewed them. After all, art, in general, was subjective. That was why she liked it.
Her finger lingered a little longer on the last note, before completely letting it go.
Closing the cover gently, Amelia stood up and turned to the opened doorway.
And screamed at the top of her lungs.
- Writer
