Chapter 29 #2
A strange tightness curls in my stomach. I can’t tell why. There’s no obvious reason for it. Still, I keep looking until the building disappears behind us and he is out of sight.
Al starts talking almost immediately, like he’s been waiting for silence to break.
"I’ve been out of your life for a bit, huh?" He says, glancing at me briefly before returning his eyes to the road. "Uni’s been insane lately."
His tone is light, casual, but I can hear a hint of apology buried under it.
I shift slightly in my seat. "Yeah… you kind of disappeared." I say, not accusing, just stating it.
He lets out a small breath that sounds halfway between a sigh and a laugh. "I know. I wasn’t too worried though. Maddie’s always around to keep you company."
I nod faintly. "She tries."
He taps his fingers lightly on the steering wheel, hesitating, like he’s debating whether to say what’s on his mind. His jaw tightens slightly before he speaks again.
"Though… she’s kind of stuck at home right now."
My head turns toward him immediately. "What do you mean stuck at home?"
He glances at me, then back at the road. "It’s because of what happened at the station."
My stomach sinks. "What?"
"The commissioner mentioned it." Al says. "Just… casually. He brought it up in front of her father during a conversation. Said something like, ‘Your daughter has quite a temper. She caused a scene at the station the other day.’"
A cold feeling spreads slowly through my chest.
I swallow. "What did her dad do?"
Al lets out a slow breath. "He lost it. Told her if she kept getting involved in things like that, he’d take everything away. Her flat. Her car. Even her theatre studies. Said he’d pull her out and make her come back home for good."
My chest tightens painfully. "He wouldn’t actually do that…"
"You know how her dad is." Al says gently. "When he decides something, he doesn’t bluff."
Silence fills the car. The streetlights slide across the window one by one, streaks of light and shadow passing over my hands in my lap.
"That happened because of me." I whisper.
The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. They feel heavy, like they’ve been sitting in my chest all along, waiting for a chance to come out.
"It didn’t." Al says firmly.
I shake my head slowly, my eyes fixed on my hands resting in my lap. "It did." I insist, softer this time. "She went there because of me."
"She went because she wanted to." He replies, his voice gentler now. "You know Maddie. You couldn’t have stopped her even if you tried."
I don’t answer right away. I know he’s right. Maddie has always been stubborn, always fiercely loyal, always the kind of person who runs toward trouble if someone she cares about is standing in it. But knowing that doesn’t make the guilt go away. It just makes it sit deeper.
My throat tightens. I pull out my phone.
"I’m calling her." I say quietly.
Al nods once, not stopping me.
The call rings only once.
"Ree! Hey!"
Her voice is bright, warm, completely normal, like nothing is wrong at all. The sound of it hits me harder than I expect. My chest tightens, and suddenly I have to swallow before I can speak.
"Mads…" My voice comes out softer than I meant it to. "Al just told me what happened. I’m so sorry. This is all because of me."
There’s a small pause on the other end. Not silence exactly, I can hear faint movement, maybe fabric shifting, maybe her adjusting the phone, but it’s enough to make my stomach twist.
"Ree, stop." She says gently.
Her tone isn’t annoyed. It isn’t upset. It’s calm. Reassuring. The same tone she always uses when she’s trying to steady me.
"It’s not your fault." She continues. "Dad’s just being dramatic like always. You know how he is. He’ll calm down. He always does."
I stare out the window as the city lights blur past, my fingers tightening slightly around the phone. "I still feel awful."
"Well don’t." She says immediately. "Because I’d do it again in a heartbeat."
Something in my chest loosens just a little.
"You’re my best friend." She adds. "That’s kind of the job description."
A small, breathy laugh slips out of me before I can stop it. "You’re impossible."
"And you love me for it." She replies without missing a beat.
I shake my head faintly, a weak smile touching my lips. "Yeah. I do."
We talk a little longer, about small things, normal things, the kind of conversation that doesn’t carry weight or fear or tension. She tells me something random about a movie she watched. Nothing important. Nothing heavy. And somehow that normality feels like relief.
By the time I hang up, my chest doesn’t feel as tight as it did before. I lower the phone slowly.
Al glances at me from the driver’s seat. "Feeling better?"
I take a second before answering, checking in with myself, noticing the difference. "A little." I admit. "Thanks for telling me."
He gives a small nod, like that answer matters to him more than he lets on. "Anytime."
Silence settles in the car for a few moments. Not uncomfortable silence. Just quiet. The kind that gives your thoughts space to breathe.
Then he speaks again. "So…" He says casually, though I catch the tiny hesitation before the word. "Are you free tomorrow?"
I look at him. "Yes. Why?"
A small grin appears on his face, the kind he gets when he knows something I don’t.
"I’m taking you somewhere."
I blink. "Where?"
"It’s a surprise."
I narrow my eyes slightly. "Since when do you do surprises?"
He laughs under his breath. "Since now. Trust me. You’ll like it."
I study him for a second, trying to read his expression, but he just keeps driving like he didn’t say anything unusual at all.
I lean back in the seat, watching the city pass outside the window. My mind is still crowded with thoughts. But beneath all of it, for the first time in days, there is something small and unfamiliar.
Curiosity.
And I can’t tell if that feeling is comforting… or dangerous.