Chapter Five
865 Words
Inside his car, the quiet hit him. There was too much waiting to be dealt with. His father. Politics. The disappointment that followed him like a shadow no matter how far he walked. That one sat the heaviest. Ariel crossed his mind briefly soft, fleeting, then almost like they were telepathically connected, his phone rang.
“Earl?” Her voice cracked through the line. She sounded small. Like she’d been crying.
“Ariel? Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry I’m calling this late. You’re probably busy, but I can’t—”
“Can’t what?” he cut in, suddenly alert.
“I can’t stay alone tonight,” she said. “The thoughts keep coming back. The truck… how close it was. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
It was the most she’d ever said in one breath. Concern settled in his chest, heavy and immediate.
“I’m on my way,” he said. “Stay there. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
He ended the call and started the car without another thought.
***
Earl walked into the house and found her on the couch. Ariel was curled in on herself, a pillow clutched tightly to her chest. For a moment, he wondered if he should leave her there, protect the fragile sleep she seemed to have found. He didn’t have to decide because she lifted her head at the sound of his footsteps.
“Earl,” she said softly, already sitting up. “You came.”
He sat beside her, leaving a small space between them. Careful. Unsure.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, her voice trembling. “It was too much. I don’t know what to do.”
Her words cracked, and the tears followed. Earl moved without thinking. He pulled her into his arms.
“It’s okay,” he said quietly. “I’m here now. You can tell me what scares you.”
The words settled into her like warmth. No one had said that to her in a long time. Not like this. Not and meant it.
“I don’t know what I’m living for, Earl,” she whispered. “I have nothing to live for.”
His arms tightened around her.
“Don’t say that,” he said. “Where are your parents?”
She stiffened.
“They don’t exist,” she said.
Earl didn’t push. He didn’t ask again. He just held her closer—so tight it almost felt like he needed the hug more than she did. Within minutes, the sobbing faded. Earl looked down and realized Ariel’s eyes were closed, she had drifted back to sleep.
She looked peaceful like this. Too peaceful. As if whatever storms lived inside her had momentarily gone quiet. Earl found himself studying her, wondering what kind of past could weigh so heavily on someone so small. Every time he was near her, his own problems seemed to blur, pushed aside by a growing concern for hers.
Carefully, he shifted and lifted her into his arms. He carried her to the bed, reluctant to let go. After tucking her in, he lay beside her, resting a hand lightly on her waist. They slept that way until morning.
A sharp alarm tore him awake.
Work. He had ignings to do at the Atlas Lounge. The responsibilities he couldn’t ignore. After freshening up, he did something unfamiliar, something strangely domestic. He picked up a small paper note and wrote:
Morning, beautiful. I’ve gone to work, but I’ll check on you during the day. Call me if you need anything.
He placed it beside the bed.
Before leaving, he looked at Ariel once more. She was still deeply asleep. Something deep inside him tightened. She needed him. Or at least, that’s what he told himself.
***
The day crawled by and Earl checked his phone more times than he cared to admit. No missed calls. No messages. When he finally got the chance, he rushed home and this time, he rang the doorbell.
No answer.
He rang again. Still nothing.
Maybe she was asleep, he thought.
The apartment was eerily quiet when he stepped inside. He went straight to the bedroom. The bed was empty and neatly made.
“Ariel?” he called.
Silence.
He searched every room. Even the bathroom.
Nothing.
He returned to the bedroom and sat heavily on the bed. His eyes fell on the note he’d left that morning. As he picked it up, he noticed faint writing on the back.
Earl, thank you for being there. I promise I won’t try that again. I have to leave now, before I pull you into my mess.
His chest tightened.
Anger flared, sharp and unexpected. He didn’t even know who it was aimed at. Was it at her, or himself.
He called her immediately.
Voicemail.
“She’s not ready to leave,” he muttered to himself.
But the truth was quieter. More unsettling. Maybe he just wasn’t ready to let her go.
Without hesitation, Earl called his assistant.
“I need a background check,” he said. “On the girl from the accident.”
The pictures were already circulating. He didn’t need to explain further.
- Writer
