Twisted Souls || Michael Langdon

Chapter Twenty-Five: Muddled Minds

"Estella? Are you listening?" Lillian poked my arm lightly and I shook my head, trying to escape the daze I was previously in. "Babe, I've been asking you if you know what you're going to wear for David's surprise party this Saturday."

"Oh, sorry." I said apologetically with a sheepish smile playing on my lips.

"Are you alright?" My bestfriend asked me, only for me to reassure her that all was well.

Weeks had gone by and I lived my life, day by day, slowly healing. The wounds inflicted by my violent situation with Nick had healed over the past month. Nothing was left except for the scars that occasionally kept me up at night.

However, I was still recovering, little by little.

I had Michael to thank for that.

He occupied the spot beside me in my bed almost every night. We laid together, wrapped up in the sheets, listening to each other breathe and whispering about our day. When the nightmares began to drown me, Michael would pull me back to the surface, comforting me until the demons that taunted my mind disappeared. I was so lucky to have him in my life, and so grateful.

He frequently said the same thing about me too.

Michael's sessions have been successful. The feeling of wanting to cause chaos and harm others was almost completely absent from his life. The answers he gave when I asked him for three things that he was thankful for became more positive, more earnest. When I gazed at Michael, the pools of darkness that once shrouded him were no longer flowing from his figure. They had become smaller over time, but that was something I kept to myself.

We were each other's anchors, tethering our souls down to prevent them from getting lost in the abyss.

"I was actually thinking about wearing this sparkly emerald green dress I bought last weekend from TopShop." I began to describe the garment and Lillian vigorously nodded her head in approval.

"You have to wear it! The color will compliment your eyes." She exclaimed before taking a sip of her iced tea. We were seated in her white and gold decorated living room. Upbeat pop music streamed around us as nearby speakers pumped out the joyful notes. "I decided on wearing the red minidress I got last month."

"That would look perfect with the new Louboutin's you got last week." I said before feeding myself a potato chip. Apart from our bowls of snacks, planners, highlighters, and sheets of paper completely covered Lillian's glass coffee table. "I hope David likes the party we're throwing for him. Who knew it would be this much work?"

"Ugh, he better, or I'm taking a cupcake and smashing it on his face." Lillian sighed as she slumped back into her chair. "Besides, how could we not throw a party for him? He's turning thirty! That's a milestone."

She uncapped a nearby pen and drew a straight, black line on a piece of paper that listed the tasks she had to complete. "As annoying as David can be, I can't help but admit that I care about the guy. He's been working for me since I opened up our clinic and we've been through a lot."

"David's like the brother I never had." I commented, flicking through the list of people who confirmed they were attending the party. "A huge pain in the ass, always tries to steal my food, super sarcastic, but overall a decent guy underneath everything."

Our friendship truly has grown and blossomed since the night of our failed one night stand. He never tried to make a move on me again. Though, I believe it was due to his complete and utter shame of his drunken actions that night. We have grown closer, even going out to lunch and setting up a weekly tradition of him buying Lillian and I donuts and coffee.