Chapter 51 - Be There For Each Other

"It's fine, I don't care about what that woman said. Whenever you want to talk about it, I am here." I said reassuring him, he smiled.

"Do you want to leave?" He asked me, his voice rang preoccupied, but I shook my head no.

"We still have to talk to many people and I am having fun."

I took a glass of chardonnay that the waiter was carrying and I took a few sips of it.

He laughed and walked behind the waiter to do the same, then he clicked his glass with mine and whispered, "to us."

We drank a few glasses then he took my arm under his and walked to another room, I heard Madison's voice echoing from afar, "he is bringing her to the bedroom since he doesn't like to be seen."

I ignored her for the umpteenth time, even though this time her saying slightly moved me because she mentioned one of his rules hence that was the confirmation that she was probably his ex.

In the next room, there was a huge table filled with appetizers.

"I may not show you my real emotions or my story, but I can show you my world and I hope you decide to walk in even if there may be people who step in our way." He smiled at me, caressing my cheek.

"I do want to walk in if you give me the chance to explore your world to the fullest."

I wanted to know his secrets but the most important thing was that I wanted him to understand that nothing would make me change my mind about him and I will always think he is a good person.

One hour later we handed more business cards and then finally left.

We walked to our respective cars, the night fell on us and we remained alone in the silence of the evening. He rested his hands on my hips and squeezed them, "good night, Cinderella."

I smiled, my nickname sounded like a sweet melody coming from his lips and I genuinely cheered up.

"Good night," I whispered.

Then we walked back into our cars and left sharing a big smile.

The next morning my phone's ringing woke me up in the middle of the night, the name Joanna and the bright screen blinded me for some instant but I managed to answer the phone with my heart palpitating in my throat.

"Hello?"

"L-lily…." Sobs echoed from the phone causing my heart to break.

"My dad." She said with a creaky voice and swallowing the lump in her throat.

"He is gone." She exploded in a cry followed by loud sobs and shortened breath.

I could feel the desperation through the phone and I wished I could hug her.

"I am so sorry." 

"I am alone now… I feel so lonely.."

"You can come here, even tomorrow or now."

"I will leave tomorrow morning. I just wanted to hear your voice."

"Do you want me to fall asleep with you as we call?"

"Like we did when we were teenagers."

"Yes, like we did when we were teenagers."

"Okay then."

Her crying slightly faded away, and we both fall asleep hugging the phone, imagining that object was each other and knowing we would be there for the other.

I woke up at 8 and I could hear some noises coming from her phone, reminding me we were still on call.

I smiled, I felt like she was next to me despite the distance, "good morning," I said as I got up.

"You talked in your sleep but couldn't figure out what you said."

"How are you?" I finally asked when I heard the noise of the taxi stopping by and then her voice followed to tell the driver to drive to the airport.

"Destroyed is not enough to explain the pain I am feeling right now." She said, her voice as low as a whisper on the edge of breaking into tears.

"If there is something I can do to help you, Joanna, please tell me," I said with all my love ready to be sent and given to her because if there was one person who deserved it, that person was her.

She moved to another city to help her father and give him the medical care he needed, driving from hospital to hospital in search of a positive result to his diagnosis and only to get disappointed as result.

Her whole family never helped her, and she was the only one who stayed with her father in his best times and his many worst ones.

Joanna probably knew that time would have come since the doctors told her that his father's condition was drastically bad but I guess you're never ready to tell goodbye to your close ones.

Especially if you gave up everything just to earn one more minute with them.

"Lily you're already helping me a lot, I will always be grateful to you for this. I can't wait to hug you."

I smiled and my eyes filled with joy, "I love you."

I could see her smile through the phone even if I didn't see her, "I have to get out of the taxi now, love you too."

I immediately called work and then Cameron to tell them that I will take the day off since I wanted to be at home to welcome Joanna and to be there for her during the first day without her father.

I remembered how we bounded closely during high school because of our problematic adolescence, her mother continued to disappear and then definitely left when Joanna was old enough. While my father was the one assent, I didn't even know what he looked like and never had the chance to get to talk to him. I didn't know what situation was worse, not knowing your parent at all or knowing your mother only to see her walk away from you.

We had been there for each other when nobody was, we knew how much the other had suffered and went through and even if during the last years due to the distance we had lost contact, I was sure that living together would make us get as closer as we used to be during our youth.