Chapter 4
757 Words
The three dots blink on the screen for what feels like forever. Finally, a response comes through.
Shalom: I may have mentioned it, why?
Mimi’s stomach twists.why,She closes her phone, feeling unsettled. Shalom wouldn’t do anything to hurt me...oh boy.
The rest of the day passes in a blur, the tension from Aiden’s scolding lingering in her mind. She keeps her head down, focusing on the tasks at hand, but the unease never really fades.
Her day just moved from awkward to terrible.
—
‘Do you know the peace that comes with having your parents back you up in your decisions,even though they don't completely agree?
Do you understand how heavy it is to stay in your home and still wish you had home?
I love my parents and I know they tried Their best, but I couldn't stay with my grandma and aunt anymore. They might be my legal guardians now,but I'm an adult,a young one,but it doesn't change that I'm an adult now .Here, with Shalom, it’s different. I feel at ease for the first time in years. It's been the longest stretch of time where I haven't felt like a burden, like I owe something. And now that I have this job, I can help with rent, with food. I can hold my own. Still, I miss my parents. No matter how much I tell myself to move on, some nights, that longing hits me hard.
And yesterday, being caught up in Aiden and shalom's family drama,I did not see that coming.’
Mimi
She pulled her focus back to the present, typing away at her desk, trying to shake off the flood of thoughts that come with memories.
On getting back from work,she finds shalom at home in the kitchen.
Shalom hums a tune as she fixes dinner, completely oblivious to the storm raging inside me. The kitchen is filled with the scent of pasta, but she doesn’t have much of an appetite. Her thoughts whirl around the fact that Shalom is Aiden’s cousin. How could she not have known? How could she have missed it? How are they even related for the love of God?
“Hey, everything alright?” Shalom asks, breaking her reverie.
She glances up, trying to act casual. “Yeah… just a lot on my mind,” she mumbled
“Work stuff?” she asks, stirring the sauce.
“sort of,” she says. There’s no way she can tell her what just happened with Aiden. Not now, at least. What happens in the office stays in the office.
Shalom looks at me more closely, a small frown tugging at her lips. “You know you can talk to me, right? If something’s bothering you.”
“Yeah ,yeah sure, and the same applies to you too."
" Okay,”She doesn’t push me further, returning her attention to the pot on the stove. She feels a pang of guilt. ‘I’ve been staying here, enjoying her kindness, but now… now it feels like there’s a wedge between us, something I can’t ignore.she should have told me,why didn't she tell me, I'm her favorite friend,we live together for goodness sake! Doesn't she trust me?
Why'd she not tell me? ‘
Mimi thought as she cleaned the kitchen.
Aiden leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on the city skyline outside his office window. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to shake the frustration gnawing at him. Shalom didn’t know the full extent of his plans with Jessica, and the last thing he needed was for her to catch wind of it from someone else—especially Mimi.
Shalom had always been close to him, but she wasn’t involved in his business. That’s how he preferred it. His personal life, his choices with Jessica, had nothing to do with her. He didn’t need her opinion. Still, a part of him felt uneasy.
His phone buzzed on the desk. It was a message from Jessica, asking if they were still on for dinner that weekend.
He glanced at the screen, his thumb hovering over the reply button. Jessica was polished, sophisticated,
He liked her ?Everything his life needed on paper. But why, then, did he hesitate? He couldn’t afford distractions—not now, not with everything riding on this.
He put the phone down, still not replying, and turned his chair back to the city, watching the lights twinkle as the sun dipped lower.
He closed his eyes for a bit.
Just then someone knocked on his door.
- Writer
