Obsession

chapter 6

★Mia★

I switched between doubt and disbelief. Nina followed my lead like the air wasn't awkward, so I kept walking.

"Is that all about him? Dylan?" her voice cut through the unwavering silence.

Maya was still standing at the counter. No words. No actions. Just an unreadable countenance. I went to the fridge to grab a canned beverage for both of us. As I did, Maya walked past me and made her way up the stairs.

Just as expected, Nina wore her smile like a mask and rushed towards her. She reached out to rub Maya’s back, but Maya shrieked—a sharp, terrified sound—and hurried up the steps.

"Wrong timing," Nina muttered. She withdrew her hand, her face turning pale. "Never seen her this way before." She spun back toward me.

I handed her the juice and pulled mine open. I took it down in one gulp and dropped the empty can on the marble counter.

She opened hers and took a sip.

"Don't say this to anyone," I whispered, leaning in. "She thinks someone broke into the house and made use of her dildo."

"Gross."

That was all Nina could utter. She adjusted her posture, leaning against the counter. Silence bled between us. She kept sipping her drink while I stared at the empty room, the silence suddenly feeling loud.

"So what do you think yourself?"

I looked up at her immediately. My stomach tightened at her tone. The question sounded more like a test than a conversation.

"I think she's losing it," I said. It was all I could find.

"A good f**k will do," she chirped in between mouthfuls of juice.

"Are you hitting on my mom?" I threw the hand towel at her.

"Nah, man, hell no!" she burst out laughing. "But she's cute. And those boobs? God."

"Go f**k yourself."

I tossed my can into the waste bin and told her to follow me to my room for more peachy talks. We climbed the stairs fast, taking two steps at a time. Her laughter cracked through the whole house, pushing away the creepy silence.

She ran ahead and dropped into the seat in front of the piano my dad bought me when I turned sixteen. Sweet sixteen, like he fondly called it. It was also the year I became a young adult, and the first time I tested coke.

My eyes scowled the piano. A thin layer of dust coated the keys. I hadn't played it since I started dating Karl. He's gone now, I thought. I need to find my track back.

I pushed Nina aside and settled onto the seat. She watched my hands move across the keys, tuning any sound that I could think of. She moved her body to every beat, swaying off-key.

And once again, the thought of the break-in disappeared. Every minute is to be cherished, not just survived.

"I'm surprised my fingers find the right keys," I gasped when I took the first stop.

"Ugh, why did you stop?" she growled.

Her head bent between her widely spread legs, her dark hair floating in the air as she bubbled around. She has terrible dancing steps, but she's always the first to volunteer to entertain.

"Still good, I must say,"

I smiled. That's what I'd been waiting to hear from her.

She slumped onto my bed while I rested on the piano seat. The thought of the date flew back into my head.

"Guess what?" I chuckled nervously.

"Not good."

"Just try, don't spoil the fun already," I frowned.

"You f****d him," she said blatantly.

"Surely your brain is filled with p*****s and d***s," I sighed. "He asked me on a proper date. I'm terrible at choosing nice dresses. Help me out."

I went over to my wardrobe. Dress after dress met the floor until my room was a mess. I picked each one up, and each time she shook her head in disapproval while her eyes stayed glued to her phone. Her lips were beaming in a wide smile, her eyes sparkling.

"Ashley can wait," I feigned. Ashley, her girlfriend, had her tripping for the last few months. Everything and every time was Ashley. Just like Klein, the boyfriend before her, did before they drew apart.

She still didn't look up. Still focused.

"Not Ashley though," her voice cracked, but her eyes still beamed with smiles.

I walked over and snatched the phone from her. She tried to get it back. We struggled for it, her weight fully dawning on me until I fell onto my back. She tickled my arms and punched my jaw, but I still held onto it. I got a chance and took a peep.

She snatched it back, but I saw it already.

"Mr. C?" I asked, breathless. "Why do I have the feeling that's an old man?"

She clutched the phone to her chest.

"Saw what?" Her voice sounded cold, like I had committed an unforgivable offense.

"Nothing," I managed to say.

Then the air between us felt tense. I could see her face starting to twitch in anger, her cheeks burning while her knuckles rubbed each other. It was a look she only got when something bad happened.

But that left me confused. It was just a phone.