SIXTY-SEVEN
Yalda hadn't even attempted to sleep on returning to her apartment, she new well enough that her anxiety wouldn't let her shut her eyes for a second. Deciding that she couldn't hold up on replying Riley's messages any longer, she called instead.
She had foolishly broken down and told her about her problems, and now she had to deal with the aftermath. The monotonous ringing last for a couple of seconds before it was replaced by Riley's voice which didn't sound very cheerful today.
"Yalda, goodness, I've been so worried about you." She pushed on answering.
Yalda blew out a breath as she settled on the window sill unernergetically, and Loki wasted no time in climbing onto her lap excitedly.
"I know." She sighed. "I didn't mean to make you worry so much, I'm sorry."
Just recalling how out of control she had been yesterday had her rubbing her temple wearily. She felt bad for having made Riley rush over like that.
"How are you feeling today?" Riley asked her. "You're not crying anymore, are you?"
She shook her head though she couldn't see her.
"I'm not." She replied quietly. "Thanks a lot for coming over. I assure you I'll be better company next time."
"Oh, it's no problem at all."
An awkward moment of silence stretched between them before Riley spoke again.
"So, Alexander Monroe." She said quietly, as though saying his name was sacrilegious.
And all Yalda could do was blankly stare down at Loki as her heart clenched all over again.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Riley asked her. Her tone wasn't judgemental or reprimanding, she was merely asking.
She shook her head though she couldn't see her.
"I don't." She replied honestly, quietly.
"Does he love you?" Riley asked. The question had tears prickling the back of her eyes.
"Can....can you not ask?"
Riley cleared her throat quietly.
"Alright. Call me if you need anything, alright?" She said, she tried to sound a little cheerful to lighten the mood. "I'll come rushing over."
Yalda tried to smile but her lips hardly complied.
"Thank you so much, Riley". She replied quietly.
"Come on girl, there's quite no need for that." Riley replied. "I hope you feel better soon."
She nodded, it was all she could do.
"Take care." Riley said before the line went dead.
Blowing out a breath, Yalda set her phone aside before absentmindedly combing her fingers through Loki's fur. She sat there for a moment longer before deciding that it was time to start packing.
~~
The day had gone by quickly, Yalda had spent the day trying her best not to overthink things. A part of her was glad Alexander hadn't called her, sha had no idea what she was going to say to him, not after she had made a proper fool of herself.
She had just began falling asleep when her phone began ringing softly, the sound was soft but it irritated her to the point that she groaned quietly. Tapping around blindly, she snatched the phone from her nightstand to find Dephne's contact displayed on it.
Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the screen, and though Dephne was the last person she wanted to talk to, she tapped on the answer icon.
"Leave me alone." She warned the very second she answered the call. "All of you."
"Yalda." Dephne's voice sounded nothing like her. She sounded drained and defeated. "This is what you wanted, right?"
"Fuck off." She bit out.
She began lowering the phone from her ear when Dephne spoke again.
"I'm sorry. We all are." She said. "Stop what you've been doing. We'll never bother you again."
She had once again forgotten all about Alexander's threat, and hearing Dephne sound so defeated and broken made her understand once again that Alexander wasn't to be messed with. She cleared her throat quietly before nodding once.
"Alright." She said quietly.
And with that, she lowered the phone and hung up. She stared at the screen for a moment before deciding to call Alexander, and though her hands trembled, she dialed his number still.
Every ring has her heart beating heavily, every second had her breath faltering, and when he finally answered, her breath hitched.
"Yalda." His deep voice has her heart slowing. "How are you feeling?"
She forced herself to drag in a deep breath before she spoke.
"Dephne called." She told him.
She had no time to exchange pleasantries, she was too unstable for that.
"Did she?" He asked her.
She nodded, a habit she couldn't eliminate.
"She apologized and promised never to bother me again." She told him.
"Are you okay with that?" He asked her.
She nodded once more. She wished she didn't have to speak at all.
"I am. " She replied.
"Alright then."
She blew out a breath before bringing herself to speak again.
"Thank you." She said quietly.
"Be ready by seven tomorrow." Came his response right before the line went dead.
She lowered the phone from her ear with a trembling hand before letting herself breathe. An hour or more went by in which she stared blankly into the darkness till she finally fell asleep.
She hadn't slept well at all, and she was awake even before her alarm went off. She took a shower, got dressed, fed Loki, and forced herself to take a cup of tea before Alexander arrived.
The sound of the doorbell had her heart falling to the pit of her stomach. She had to remind herself to stay calm before she made her way to the door and opened it. Alexander stood there looking glorious as always though he was dressed casually in a pair of dark slacks, an equally dark shirt, and a leather jacket.
His gaze raked over her quickly before settling on her eyes. All the while, her breath faltered.
"Are you set?" He asked her at last.
She nodded.
"Good." He said.
His gaze flickered to Loki who had hurried over to him and his lips curved in a faint smile.
"Did you have something to eat?" He asked her though he wasn't looking at her. If she didn't know better she'd think he was talking to Loki.
She nodded once more.
"I did." She replied quietly.
His gaze returned to hers and she her breath faltered once more as he stared into her eyes.
"Are you sure?" He asked her.
She cleared her throat quietly.
"I am." She replied.
"Good. Are you warm enough?"
Why was he asking so many questions? She couldn't wait to leave already, he was making her even more anxious. She glanced down at her hoodie briefly before nodding once.
"Alright. Carl will grab your stuff. Let's go." He said as he leaned down to scoop Loki into his arms.
With that, he turned around and headed back to the car while she quietly followed him.
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