Voyeur Extraordinaire(40)

I felt sick and dizzy and tired, and so many other things that I didn't want to feel right now. I realized I’d left my keys in the lock. I opened my door again. Tears were running down my cheeks as I fumbled with the keys, but they seemed to be stuck in the stupid keyhole. “Fuck!” I muttered. Why couldn’t anything in my life be easy? I didn’t want anyone to see me like that, but sadly Amy and Jared must have heard my not so silent entrance.

The door of their apartment opened and Amy poked her head out. She searched the corridor until she spotted me. One look at me and her eyes widened in horror. She rushed over to me, only dressed in a skimpy babydoll and barefoot, but she didn’t care. If I were her, I’d be more worried about touching the disgusting corridor floor with my skin, but Amy had only eyes for me. That was Amy for you. I’d never had a friend like her. Well, at least not for a long time. I dropped my hands from the key still stuck in the keyhole. Amy wrapped her arms around me. “Nora, what’s the matter?”

I shook my head, holding onto the last bit of my composure with a steely grip. Amy removed my key without trouble and closed my door before steering me towards their apartment, instead of mine. I didn't fight. I was too tired, too sad, too angry, too disappointed. Just too everything.

Jared was sitting on their sofa, his legs propped up on the table and Bruno was curled up in his lap, deep asleep. That dog would sleep through a break in. Definitely not a guard dog. Jared turned his head, gawked at me and dropped his legs from the table. Bruno yapped in surprise and sat up, finally spotting me. Before he could dash toward me, Jared gripped him by the collar and stood.

“What happened?” he asked quietly.

Bruno wriggled in his arms, but I was glad Jared wasn’t putting him down. I would cuddle with Bruno later. Right now I needed time to think. There was murder written across Jared’s face as he studied me. Maybe he’d actually kill Adrian if I asked him nicely. Not that that would make me feel better. Or maybe it would, but I couldn’t do that to Jared. My homicidal thoughts actually gave me a brief moment of satisfaction, but then I caught sight of myself in one of the many decorative mirrors in Amy’s apartment and felt my stomach tighten.

I was a mess and I felt really sick. This was the problem with me. If I cried too hard, I always ended up sick. The wine definitely didn’t help either. A stronger wave of sickness washed over me. “I think I need to throw up,” I whispered, then clapped a hand over my mouth as if that could actually prevent the worst. Usually that wasn’t the case. I had experience with it, not only first hand, but also from watching too many customers throwing up in the bar.

Amy ushered me into their bathroom and lifted the toilet lid – just in time. I bent over the white ceramic and hurled the evening’s dinner into the toilet bowl. Amy held my hair back and made small calming noises as I emptied my stomach. The acid of the wine burned in my throat. I sat back on my haunches, suddenly embarrassed. Amy let go of my hair and handed me a wet wash cloth. I rubbed my mouth and chin, then whispered. “Thank you.”

Amy didn’t say anything. She was watching me with a small frown, her expression a mixture of dread and worry. I couldn’t take it anymore. I stumbled to my feet and took a step to the side toward the wash basin. Amy’s and Jared’s bathroom was only marginally bigger than mine but Amy had managed to make it seem more comfortable by adding bright pink shower curtains, matching towels and other touches of décor.

I turned on the faucet and rinsed my mouth, then splashed some water in my face. Finally, I risked a look at my reflection and immediately wished I hadn’t. Not just because I was pale and had finally managed to smudge my waterproof mascara all around my eyes, but also because I could see Amy’s face hovering behind my shoulder with that same look of almost tears on her face. Amy never lost her shit, so it seriously freaked me out that I was the reason for that expression on her face. And to make matters worse: she hadn’t closed the door and Jared kept casually walking by to take a peek at me. It was probably second nature for him as a future doctor to check up on people but I wished I was alone with my broken heart.

Amy touched my shoulder and I met her eyes in the mirror. “Nora, what...” Amy voice broke. She swallowed visibly, then cleared her throat. “What happened?”

“Can we sit down?” I asked in a hoarse voice.

She bobbed her head in agreement, then took my arm as if I was too fragile to walk on my own. I let her lead me back into the living room, glad for her company. Jared leaned against their kitchen counter, Bruno still on his arm. His eyes followed me around the room but he never stopped patting Bruno’s head.