Page 97 of Caleb
— “I love you too, Ma. Tell Dad I love him, will ya?”
— “I will.”
— “How’s Yael? She called me earlier, but I couldn’t pick up. I’ll call her tomorrow.”
— “She’s pregnant! But don’t tell her I told you.”
— “What! Oh, my God. That is such wonderful news!”
— “I’m sure she’ll let you know when you talk to her.”
— “No worries. I’ll wait for her to tell me.”
Aaron knocks on my door, but it’s already slightly open. He peeks through the door, and I lift a finger, asking him to give me a second.
— “Ma, I need to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
— “I love you, son.”
— “Love you too.”
“Hey.” I toss my phone on the bed.
“I ordered some pizza earlier, and it just got here,” he says. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
I follow Aaron to the kitchen and sit on a stool next to him. “Ah! Mushrooms.” I lean in to smell it. It’s my favorite.
“You seem … weird,” Aaron says. “I don’t know what it is. But you’re smiling too much. It’s creeping me out.”
We laugh.
“And why is that concerning?”
“No, I’m not concerned.” He takes a huge bite of his pizza. “Mmm … it’s just that you’ve been miserable for a while. You know, ever since we arrived in New York and with you wanting to leave a few months ago and all. But you seem different now.”
“Yeah, I don’t know.” I stare at my pizza. “Something clicked. I don’t know what it is, but I just had a great conversation with Red, and I feel like we’ve finally reached this place where I can finally feel like everything’s okay, you know?”
This is about me enjoying the way she makes me feel without her even knowing it.
“I get it,” he says, wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “And I’m glad.”
We keep the conversation going in the usual comfortable way. After telling Aaron about my sister Yael being pregnant, I reach out for another slice of pizza when his phone starts ringing on the countertop.
“It’s the foyer alarm,” he says, dropping his slice of pizza on the plate and putting his phone away. “Shoes. Gun. Now!”
Confused, I run to my bedroom, slip into my shoes, and grab my gun. I don’t understand why Red would trigger the alarm. I just saw her a few minutes ago, and I don’t think anything could’ve happened with William. Maybe she’s just joking around. That should be it. Or perhaps she pressed it by mistake. I can’t wrap my mind around this being a legit warning.
When I get to the door, Aaron’s already waiting for the elevator to arrive.
“When I left earlier, William was outside her door wanting to talk to her,” I say, stepping inside the elevator. “I’m sure it’s a mistake.”
Aaron’s silence is unsettling.
When the elevator doors open on the ninth floor, Aaron looks at me and places his finger on his lips, asking me to keep quiet.
“William!” Red screams in between heavy sobs. Her apartment door is wide open. William is lying on the floor, a puddle of blood flowing underneath him. And my worst fears come to life when I realize Thomas is standing behind her and has a fucking gun to her head.
