Chapter 18: Somewhat a Deep Talk
"Where are you?" Nick heard him ask. I couldn't answer right away since he was hesitant. "Let me guess, you're sick," he continued. Nick turned to Fera, he thought of waking her up to answer the call but he knew she needed to rest.
"State your temperature, I'll send Lora to take care of you." His bored voice spoke from the other line again, he did hear some noise of papers too.
"Thirty-nine," Nick answered and the other line went silent, it was awful silent.
"Where's Fera?" The only thing he spoke.
"She's-'
"Give that phone to Fera," his monotone voice seemed deadly that didn't even let Nick finish what he was saying.
"She's sleeping," he only answered and instead of giving the phone to Fera, he went out of the room and lean on her door.
"Nick Kingston Hernandez," Fred stated his name which made Nick's face into a grim expression. "Seventeen years old, detective wannabe, only son of Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez who both died in a car accident. And who messed up with Mr. Constancio is in my girlfriend's house."
Nick on the other hand was trying not to break her phone in his tight grip. He was clenching his jaw to suppress his annoyance. At the same time, he fell into confusion and pain. How did he learn that information and why? Who was him to Fera again? A girlfriend? But they don't act like it. Those thoughts linger in his head but he chose to shut up. He kept his tongue still, cause he needed to be vigilant. He knew that the man he was been talking to was up to something and his giving him danger aura.
"Apartment," he instead corrected him. Fred was testing Nick and he only returned the favor.
"Yeah right, her apartment. You're good at this huh? But not good at checking up on a woman. Stay away from my girl or else-"
"What? Are going to kill me?" He continued what he was saying, but it was answered by a low chuckle.
"I hope you knew what you were doing, boy. Do you even know who I am? I bet you don't. But this is one thing you need to remember, always know the people around you. Always open your eyes and look around you, you might be walking in a graveyard and you still didn't know."
His chest went crazily beating fast, it was not a piece of advice, it was a warning. But he couldn't find what he was talking about, what was something he didn't know, was it Mr. Constancio, Fred or...
Suddenly someone snatched the phone and he turned to it. His eyes widen when he saw her deadly glares. She was eyeing him in her most cold expression. She instantly cut the call and turned to Nick again.
"Fera, are... are you alright? Does your head still hurt?"
"Why do you have my phone?" She only asked. He knew he was in doom, her voice was raspy and weak but it was dead serious to mess around.
"Someone called so..." he was having a hard time explaining it to her. His nervousness had risen as she asked why.
"You answer the call without my permission." She slid the phone into her pocket while wearing her unimpressed look.
"Yeah, but are you alright now, you should have stayed in bed. You must rest." He took steps closer and was about to hold her arm so he could help her walk back to her bed but she step away.
"Out," she tilted her head to the door and he glanced at it.
"You're not fine-"
"Why do you care?" she cut him off. She was in full rage now but she kept her calm tone still. She didn't appreciate his meddling in her business at all. All she wanted was to drive him away.
"Are you sure, you're fine alone?" He asked cause he knew he was hopeless. The anger in her eyes was making him feel weak especially when he knew it was his fault why did she act like that, guilt was killing his dominance to fight back.
"I am much better alone," she venomously spat.
"I know you're mad cause I touched your phone and even answered that call, but I promise. I said nothing major and we spoke only about your condition. It was your boyfriend Fred and I told him you're sick." But her browse slowly moved to each other and made her look more annoyed.
"Get out," she answered.
"Alright, I only wanted to help," he hopelessly spoke.
"Just GET OUT!" she furiously shouted and he raised both hands his palms were facing her a sign of surrender.
"Alright-alright, calm down. Your head might hurt again, okay? Take care then and goodnight." He said while he was slowly walking to the door. He turned to her once again before shutting the door and said, take good care of yourself, and I'm sorry."
As he shut the door she fell to her knees, all her strength. Aside from the pain struck in her head and her sight rotated a bit, she felt weak upon hearing his care too.
"Stupid, you should be better off alone but you act like you don't, such a liar." She cursed herself, she got disappointed with what she felt.
She opened her phone and saw the recent call. It was Fred, she knew that Fred told her that they were lovers. She also knew that it was impossible to have a lame talk with Fred, he knew how to play with someone's head.
She almost crawled back to her bed, she didn't feel good, but when she woke up and saw her phone was not on her side table, she jumped out of her bed and found it in Nick's hand. The nervousness put too much adrenaline on her to talk to him like that, she was thinking that Fred might be telling him more than she allow, Fred would never let her down but he would always slap her with the harsh truth making her doubt his motive sometimes.
Her phone rang again, and she hit the answer button as she laid her back on her bed.
"Expecting that this is you?" he asked, after a long silence and no one dare to speak first.
"Who?" she asked and her voice was enough to confirm that it was her.
"Good to hear you are still alive," he said. While she dropped her phone beside her and closed her eyes.
"Breathing, unfortunately,"
"You had lower your guard, understandable since you are sick but be careful next time." She was too weak to move an inch but if she was in good condition she would have scoffed and role her eyes.
"You seem like you care too much, it is gross." she still did her best to answer. But her voice was too evident that she was not feeling good.
"Of course for my girlfriend,"
"I'd rather die,"
"Then die," he heartlessly answered. Which made her lips stretch a bit.
"How?"
"I don't know, figure it out. I'll send someone to take care of you. I have so much work to drop by," he said and she only waited for him to hang up. Soon enough the line ended.
She may be half asleep but she remembers everything she heard. His whispers and touches. He took care of her, was thankful for that but she couldn't risk thanking him, she might felt in his charm in no time. She decided to put a line between them, if cutting the friendship between them was the cost of her peace then she'd obligingly do it. Fred was never wrong.
But thinking of it was enough to make her tears fall. What more if it was already happening exactly in front of her face. Another night of full tears, nothing was new but it just felt unfair. She'd been crying for several nights but it still hurt the same.
Another empty night.