"No, you don't get it," Nora pushed away and sat back on her legs.
Hayden watched her place her hands on her lap as if she was getting ready to pray. Her head hung and her glossy brown hair swayed over her shoulders. She pressed the wad of tissues she held to her eyes but they did nothing to soak up her tears.
"Lidia was the only family I had," Nora's voice was so low Hayden barely heard her. "First my mom, and then my dad, and now Lidia."
"But your dad..." Hayden began slowly. "He's not dead."
Nora suddenly laughed in between her sobs, "He might as well be! I haven't seen him in years!"
"I'm sorry," Hayden frowned. "But you're not alone."
Nora lifted her brown eyes as Hayden began to reach out for her. He wanted to tell her he would never leave her side but when a loud knock at the door rang out through the apartment, Nora jumped, shattering the moment that was building.
"I'll get it," Hayden sighed, curing under his breath and rising to his feet.
He walked over to the door and swung it open to find the guy from the hospital standing outside.
"Is Nora here?" Dev asked, holding yet another bouquet of ugly flowers.
Hayden was tempted to say no when Nora's voice stopped him.
"Dev?" she called to the boy, leaning around Hayden's body to get a better look at the doorway.
"Nora?" Dev stepped into the apartment, being careful to avoid bumping into Hayden.
"Hey," Nora tried for a smile but it just looked awkward.
"Hey," Dev walked farther into the room as Nora began to rise.
Hayden shut the door and turned around as the two embraced in the middle of the living room. His face darkened and his mood went sour as he stood back watching them.
"I'm so happy you're okay," Dev said as the two pulled apart. "I'm so sorry to hear about Lidia. God, I can't believe it. It's still so shocking."
Nora didn't have a response. She had heard the speech a million times that day from all of Lidia's friends and co-workers. Not once did she know how to respond.
"How are you doing?" Dev asked, adjusting the dark framed glasses on his face.
"I'm....okay," Nora shrugged.
"Oh, these are for you," Dev looked down at the flowers and forwarded them to the girl.
"Thank you," Nora said as she took the bundle and held it close to herself.
The sudden strong scent of the roses and lilies made her nose begin to itch before she took a step back and sneezed into her elbow.
"Pollen allergies," Hayden muttered as he stepped forward and tried to take the flowers from Nora.
"No, I'm okay," Nora tried to say as she sneezed again.
"Give me the flowers," Hayden held out his hand.
The sudden coldness in his voice caught Nora off guard. She looked up at him and blinked in surprise as he stepped forward and took the flowers out of her hand. She could feel Dev watching them as Hayden snapped in fingers and the flowers ended up on a vase on the kitchen island.
"Neat trick," he said, before turning to Nora. "Can I get you anything? Why didn't you call? I would have helped you with the funeral arrangements."
"I..." Nora's eyes bounced to Hayden, who stood behind Dev with a deep scowl on his face. "Thank you, but Hayden took care of everything."
"Oh," Dev looked over his shoulder to the guy standing behind him. "That's very nice of you."
Ch. 37 Time out
Start from the beginning
