There was a knock on the door.
“That should be Nick,” Cynthia muttered. “He’s driving us there.”
“Do you want me to get that?”
“Yeah. Tell him I’ll be ready in five minutes.”
I tried to ignore the feeling that I was getting shut out by the very best friend I’ve ever had, my first real friend, and did my best to focus on the seriousness of the situation. I took another swig of the energy drink and reminded myself not to pout as I opened the front door.
“You must be Nick.” I forced a smile and even used my friendly voice. “My name’s Taylor.”
“Hi. Nice to meet you.” His lips curled briefly, but his gray eyes remained somber, his body language impatient. It seemed we were all putting on faces this morning.
“Come on in. Cynthia said she’ll be ready in just a few minutes. Can I get you some coffee? Water? Red Bull?” I flashed my can commercial style.
“I’m fine, thanks. I’ll just see if I can get her to hurry.” Without pausing, he headed accurately down the short hall that led to her bedroom. All I could do was stare after him, wondering if there was something wrong with letting him just walk through the apartment like he owned the place. Then I gave an actual shrug. She knows him better than she knows me anyway, sulked my uncharitable thoughts.
Hearing my whiny inner voice was making me cringe (I’m not a morning person on a normal day), and I knew I needed to get out of there. I could feel my insecurities coming to the surface, and they’re not pretty.
“I’m taking off, Cyn,” I called down the hall. “Call me when you can.” I grabbed my keys and gym bag and was already heading down to the courtyard when she came jogging out.
“Tay! Wait!” She looked distressed as she caught up with me. “You weren’t going to say bye?”
“You seemed busy,” I muttered, barely meeting her gaze because I knew I was being stupid but couldn’t seem to stop myself. “I don’t like to get in the way of family.”
She stared into my eyes searchingly for several seconds (really weird) before looking down at the ground with a sigh. “Okay. There’s more going on with Nick than I was letting on, but the truth is, I just can’t think about it right now. I’m not trying to shut you out. I wasn’t expecting to see him yesterday, and now my brother could be missing. My feelings are all over the map, and I don’t have the luxury of time to sort through them, much less share them. Please tell me you understand.”
Her golden eyes were sincere. There was even a shimmer of tears. Without even thinking, I gave her a warm hug. “Of course I understand.”
“You mean a lot to me, Tay, and I don’t ever want you to think otherwise.”
“I’m just a big baby.” I shook my head. Here I was throwing a tantrum, when Cynthia faced possibly losing a brother. “Do what you need to do, and call me when you can.”
“You’re the very best friend I’ve ever had too. There’s never been anyone else I could trust the way I’ve trusted you. Really.”
“Cynthia, we’ve got to go. Now.” Nick’s tone of voice was more commanding than friendly as he came down the stairs with her suitcase. “Make sure you have everything you need.”