Follow Me

Chapter 6

"Alice, come in."

"How's your Dad?"

Alice looks forlorn as she steps into my apartment, her arms cling around my neck as she pulls me in for a hug. I can feel the slightest whimper from her body as she rests her forehead into my neck.

I was never good with emotional situations so felt a slow back rub would suffice.

She pulls herself away from me, using the sleeve of her coat to wipe away the tear falling down her cheeks.

I wasn't about to press her for an answer, her emotions were enough to tell me that things weren't great.

"Come and sit down, I'll pour you a glass of wine."

She smiles at me as she lowers herself on to my sofa, wrestling her coat from her arms.

"Here you are. Let me take your coat." I hand her the glass of white wine as she gives me her coat.

"I've sent you over your edits from the shoot on Sunday, by the way. I know you needed them."

I shake my head at her as I sit down beside her, reaching for my previously poured glass of Scotch. "Alice, you didn't need to. I know you have more important things going on right now. Those should have been the last thing on your mind."

"It's fine, I managed to edit them on the train back from the hospital, to be honest, I needed to preoccupy my mind, so you were doing me a favour really. I've sent you 5."

"Thank you. So, I take it your Dad isn't great?"

Alice looks up at me slowly and shakes her head. "I don't thing he has much longer, Noah. He is deteriorating quickly."

The tears flow much easier this time. I move across to place my arm around her once more, this time her head falling into my chest.

We sit in silence for a good few minutes. Neither of us knowing what to say.

The silence is broken by a knock at my door. "Ah, the foods here." Alice sits up and grabs a tissue from her bag as I head to the door.

~~~

"Thanks for dinner, Noah. I didn't think I was that hungry." We both laugh as we look down at the empty containers on the table.

"Don't day I don't treat you." I wink towards her as I stand up and begin picking the containers up and placing them in the bin. Alice offers to help to which I ignore and instead fill her empty wine glass back up to the brim.

My phone lights up and buzzes to alert me to a new message.

"Is that your new lover girl?" Alice asks playfully.

During dinner, I ran Alice through my conversation with Emma earlier on in the day. Told her that she thought it best to start interacting with my following. Which had started with a simple like of some girls message.

"No, it's Emma." I look at the time on the phone wondering why she's asked me to call her so late.

"What does she want?" Alice questions as she takes a sip of wine.

I hold my hand up to signal, I'll only be a minute as I begin to call Emma.

"Hi Emma. What's wrong?"

"Hi Ryan, I don't know if you've heard but Daniel Morrow, has just been found dead in his apartment."

"What?!"

Alice looks up at me due to my reaction. My jaw dropped open and is refusing to close.

"How?"

"About an hour ago, suspected suicide."