Christmas in Seattle

Chapter 4~ Early Morning Troubles

Back inside the apartment, Jessica was asleep until she had to use the bathroom as she got out of bed, slipping on her slippers as she made her way to the bathroom, opening her bedroom door and walking out of the room. After using the bathroom, she washed and dried her hands, turning off the bathroom light as she walked out. While walking back to her room, she noticed that Simon's bedroom door was open, realizing that he wasn't in there as she glanced into his room and then made her way down the hallway to see if he was in the kitchen or living room but there was no luck and then walked back down the hallway to Natalia's room, opening the door.

"Natalia!" Jessica said, shaking her awake.

Natalia stirred in her sleep as she tiredly opened her eyes, looking up at her roommate who was standing in front of her.

"Jessica?" She asked, stifling a yawn. "What time is it?"

Jessica tapped Natalia's phone screen and looked at the time on the screen as it read ten minutes after one in the morning.

"It's 1:11." Jessica replied, watching the time change on the phone. "But forget about the time right now, Simon's gone."

As she said that, Natalia opened her eyes as she was surprised of what she'd heard and sat up in bed.

"Wait, what do you mean he's gone?" She wondered, stifling another yawn.

Jessica explained that she got out of bed to use the bathroom and then on her way back to her room, she saw Simon's bedroom door open but he wasn't in the room as well as the living room or kitchen as she was talking frantically.

"I need you to breathe." Natalia told her, turning on her lamp.

Jessica breathed in and out as she calmed herself and sat down on Natalia's bed.

"Feeling calmer now?" She queried.

"Yeah, I'm feeling better." Jessica told her.

"Okay, have you tried texting or calling him?" Natalia wondered.

"No, I haven't but I was wondering if you could try to get in touch with him." She answered.

Natalia took her phone off the charger and unlocked the screen as she went to her contacts, pressing on Simon's contact and then the green call button, calling him. Getting off the elevator, Simon walked into the lobby as he put on his coat and buttoned it up along with his gloves as he placed his key into his coat pocket, making his way outside to the café. Back upstairs, Natalia was calling Simon as his phone went to voicemail, prompting her to get out of bed and walked out of the room with Jessica behind her.

"Any ideas where he could've gone?" Natalia asked.

"Maybe he went to the hospital to check on a patient." She said.

Natalia called the hospital after Jessica gave her the number as the nurse answered. As the nurse answer the phone, Natalia explained the reason she was calling as the nurse placed the phone on hold to check if Simon was there at the hospital and then came back to the phone telling her he wasn't there. Natalia thanked the nurse as she hung up, ending the call.

"I talked to a nurse, and she said that he's not there and that today and tomorrow are his days off." She said.

Jessica sighed as she ran her hand through her hair as Natalia called his phone again, becoming really worried about him because she didn't want something terrible to someone she deeply loved. Walking, Simon arrived at the café and opened the door as the bell chimed where he saw a few people sitting at different tables talking and drinking tea, coffee, or hot chocolate which it wasn't really busy around that time with mostly everyone at home asleep or leaving for the holidays before a huge snowstorm had hit the city. While sitting at a table by the window, a woman walked over to him.

"Good morning, I'm Carmen." She greeted. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"May I get a hot chocolate, please?" He replied.

"Of course, would you like anything else?" Carmen said.

"Two oatmeal raisin cookies as well." Simon told her.

"Coming right up." Carmen responded, smiling warmly as she walked away.

While waiting, Simon took his phone out of his coat pocket and saw that he had a five missed calls which two was from Jessica and three was from Natalia as well a text from her asking where he was. He texted back telling her that he was down the street at the café since he couldn't sleep and that he was okay. Back at the apartment, Natalia replied and then turned to look at Jessica as she was looking out of the living room window.

"I just texted Simon and he said that he couldn't sleep so he went to the café to be alone for awhile but he's okay even though something tells me that he's not." She told her, giving an update on his whereabouts.

"I think you should go talk to him because I feel like he'll open up to you if it's just the two of you." Jessica said.

"Are you sure?" Natalia questioned.

"Yeah, I'm definitely sure." She replied. "And besides, I feel like he needs you more than anything right now."

Natalia nodded as she went back to her room to put on her shoes and coat along with her scarf and gloves, walking out of her room. Walking into the living room, she notified Jessica that she wasn't taking her key as she responded saying that just let her know when the two of them will be back. Natalia gave her a thumbs up as she walked towards the door and unlocked it, walking out to the hallway as Jessica locked the door behind her.

Back at the café, Carmen walked over with a cup of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies as she placed it down on the table in front of him. He thanked her and then took a sip of his hot chocolate as Carmen walked off. As Simon broke and ate piece of his cookie, he unlocked his phone and opened his i********:, going through his former best friend's, Jake's page, he saw the video of him spinning Eliana around. While going through the comments, the bell on the door chimed as Simon looked up and saw Natalia walking towards him as she instantly spotted him at a table.

"Natalia, what are you doing here?" He questioned.

"Jessica sent me to come and talk to you because she saw that you wasn't in your room and we were both worried about you which I wouldn't be able to live with the fact that something terrible happened to you." Natalia explained, sitting across from him.

"I'm fine, I just had to clear my head but I'm really sorry for making you and Jessica worried but mostly making you come here by yourself at this hour." Simon responded, apologizing to her.

"I forgive you, but what's going on?" She said. "Like I'm not trying to be in your personal business or anything but I'm just wondering why you were here by yourself this early?"

Simon took a sip of his hot chocolate and then sighed as he placed the cup down on the table and passed the plate with a cookie on it towards her.

"Before I moved in with you and Jessica out here, I was in a relationship with my now ex-girlfriend, Eliana back in Miami and I saw this video of her with my former best friend, Jake which made me suspect that something was going on between them only to find out that they been seeing each other around Thanksgiving which they kissed." He explained.

Natalia sat quietly as she listened to his experience while she ate a piece of the cookie that he gave her which she thought about something similar that she went through and she couldn't imagine how someone could have a reason to cheat on someone like Simon with him being the most generous person in the world and many other things that she could describe about him which anybody would be lucky to be in a relationship with. After he told Natalia what happened, she reached across the table and took his hand, holding it.

"I'm so sorry that you're going through that like I understand where you're coming from as I've been through a similar experience." She said, still holding his hand.

"What happened?" He wondered.

"Back in New Jersey, I was seeing this guy which we were very serious about each other and one night when I went to this party with him, I found him kissing someone else which was not a small kiss on the cheek but a full on make out session." Natalia told him. "And from this day forward, I've never told anyone except now as you’re the first person I’ve told."

Simon got up and sat in a chair closer to her as he took her in his arms as tears started to swell up in her eyes while Simon held her, rubbing her arm with his hand.

"Can I ask you something?" She queried.

"Ask away." Simon aforesaid.

"Do you think you'll find love again after what you've just been through?"

Simon hesitated as he thought about Natalia's question as he was still processing everything but also remembered that Eliana wanted him to be happy and knew that she wasn't going to hold him back as he gave her an answer.

"Maybe when the time is right." He answered.

After a few minutes in Simon's arms at the café, Natalia sat up as she dried any of the tears that she had as they talked until they started to yawn as the wave of exhaustion was crashing over them.

"How are you feeling now?" He inquired.

"Ready to go home and get back in bed." She commented.

"I'm feeling the same way." Simon claimed.

"Let's go, then." Natalia responded.

The two of them got up from the table as they put on and buttoned their coats and gloves as Natalia wrapped her scarf around her neck, walking out of the café together as Simon placed his phone into his coat pocket.