10 HOURS AWAY | A Novel

chapter 45 - empty space

10 Hours Away

"How is Noah doing?" Isaac asked.

"He's holding himself together, I think." I said while I was seated on the balcony, which was attached to Noah's apartment. Even though the chilly temperature surrounded me, I desperately wanted to have fresh air. "I told him to take a shower and get some rest. When I saw him at the airport, he seemed exhausted. But once we got to his place, he looked drowsy, Isaac." I vocalized.

"He's going through a lot." he stated. "I bet he's feeling a lot of pain."

"It wouldn't surprise me. His grandfather means everything to him."

"Has he talked about it yet?"

"He hasn't." I confessed. "His silence causes me to stress out even more."

"I get where you're coming from, Liz. Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do right now except to be present. In my opinion, you're already a great support by staying over and helping him whenever he needs you."

"It doesn't feel like I'm actually helping him." I came forward. "I'm just staying at his apartment, moving around while waiting for him to appear from his room."

"Didn't you bring your laptop?"

"Nope. That wasn't necessarily the first thing on my mind."

"Do you want me to drop it off? I could hail a cab and be there within twenty minutes."

"You don't have a key, silly." I revealed.

"Ah, yes, that's true. How could I forget?" Isaac responded. "Well if there's something I can do, let me know immediately, okay?"

"I will, Isaac." I said.

"And will you call me tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Goodnight, Liz." he spoke lightly.

"Bye, Isaac."

I pressed the call away and locked my phone. I didn't stay outside for long because I wanted to check in on Noah seeing that he had been asleep in his bed for the past four hours.

"What are you making?" I questioned Dylan when I stepped inside. The smell of food filled my nostrils.

"Chicken soup." he replied.

"Since when have you turned into a chef?"

"I have always been a brilliant chef."

"The last time I checked, you are brilliant at exaggeration, Dylan." I commented.

"Am not! I'm just stating the facts." he said. "All jokes aside, I thought Noah could use a home-cooked meal. He is not in the mood to stand behind a stove and prepare something himself."

"That's nice of you, Dylan." I spoke up truthfully while I smiled happily at him. "You're a great friend."

"I know." he responded and shot me a wink.

"Let me wake him up so he can have a bowl." I announced.

As I made my way to his bedroom, I saw the entrance was still shut and there was no light peeking underneath the door. Unfortunately, that didn't automatically mean he was sleeping deeply. Perhaps Noah had been awake this whole time and therefore hardly slept at all..

I opened his door and made my way over to his nightstand. Carefully, I turned the light on – thankfully I could adjust the intensity of the light instead of having to deal with the abnormal brightness.