"Baby, what is it?" I whispered, moving my hand to run it through her hair.
"I'm so sorry, Ma'am," I heard the voice speak. Due to my closer proximity to the telephone, I could make out the words that were being said. Y/N adjusted her hand over her face, preventing me from seeing her facial expression. However, by the way she was hunched over and hiccuping gently, I could tell that she was crying.
My heart felt as if it had shattered into a million pieces. There was nothing I hated more than seeing my baby cry. "Baby, hey . . ." I spoke softly, never ceasing from rubbing her head, "What happened?"
"O-Okay, thank you," she said, nearly choking over her words, "Have a good night."
I watched as she hung up the phone, feeling anxiety grow within me as I took in her heartbroken expression. Scooting even closer, I leaned forward to get a closer look at her.
Like I'd expected, her cheeks were wet. My eyes softened as I reached out with my other hand, preparing to pull her into my arms. Before I could reach her, though, she shook her head and pulled away from my grip. My confusion grew as she stood up and walked towards the bathroom. I tried to reach out to her, but she moved quickly, seeming to be purposely dodging my grabs.
"Baby, wha—" I began, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, "What's going on? What's wrong?"
I stood up as I watched her disappear into the bathroom. My concern continued to grow as I followed after her, picking up speed as she prepared to close the door.
"Hey," I said, placing my hand on the door to block her from closing it, "Now, don't be like that. What's the matter? Please, baby."
She released her grip on the door, allowing me to push it open and let myself in. I watched as she moved to the middle of the bathroom, continuing to run her hand through her hair. She'd turned herself away from me, still trying to prevent me from seeing her tear-stained cheeks. I reached out and gently grabbed her waist.
"Y/N . . ." I whispered, trying to turn her around.
After fighting me briefly, she finally decided to oblige and allow me to see her. As she let me spin her body around, she kept her gaze on the floor, letting her hair hang over her face. I sighed before reaching out to tilt her head up. And once she allowed me to, at last, I was able to see her beautiful eyes.
"What is it?" I finally asked, keeping one hand gripping her chin while the other rubbed her back.
She stared up at me, not saying a word, at first. Then, her bottom lip began to quiver and her eyes refilled with tears.
"You um . . ." She rasped softly, "you know my brother, right?"
I nodded, feeling my confusion grow. "He's in the Air Force, right?" I asked, trying to think about what she'd told me about him.
Y/N didn't speak about her family often, but I was aware that she had a brother. She didn't seem him often, however, because he decided to join the Air Force as soon as he graduated high school. I wasn't sure what her relationship was like with him, but I remembered her telling me that the two of them had an altercation before he left, leaving her heartbroken in her Los Angeles childhood home.
"Mhm," She hummed, "he was."
I quickly caught her last word. My chest tightened as I painfully spoke. "Was?" I whispered.
The Midnight Call
Start from the beginning
