Silver Lining

Chapter Eighteen

Just as I sip my green tea, someone knocks on the door. I put the golden mug on the nightstand and opened the door. Alicia stands in the doorway, with guilt written all over her face. She bit her lip and crosses her arms. I secretly pinch myself. Nope. Not a dream.

"Did Cleo let you in?" I ask.

Alicia looks me in the eyes. "She's not home."

"Then, how did you get in here?"

"The door was unlocked, but that's not the point. I'm sorry for not believing you."

 I stay quiet for a minute. Alicia apologized sooner than I thought. What happened? In that moment, I notice her eyes welling up with tears. Her phone rings from inside her pocket, but she ignored it. I step into the hallway, and close the door behind me. Alicia backed up against the wall, trying to blink back her tears.

"Apology accepted. What changed your mind?" I say, looking at her glowing pocket.

She lets out a shaky breath. "It's a long story, but Sav tried to make me do something I didn't want to do."

"You want to sit down?"

"Yeah."

I open the door, and we walk into the guestroom. Alicia sits on the bed next to me, wiping her tears with her hand. My phone buzzes from the nightstand, but I ignore it. This is important. 

She leans on my shoulder. I wrap my arm around her shoulder. For now, the chaos is on pause. It's nice. 

 When Alicia's phone rings, she declines a call from a blocked number. I get up and walk to the kitchen. After grabbing an oatmeal raisin cookie from the cabinet, I return to the guestroom. She takes it off my hands.

She takes a bite of the cookie. "I'm going to be honest with you. But you have to promise you won't freak out."

"Fine. I promise," I say.

"I helped Sav get you fired."

"Why?"

 "Wait a minute."

She shows me a video of her and Sav in the break room. Right after kissing him, she morphed into me. I take a deep breath. That can't be real. Because if it is, I might break that promise.

Then, she puts her phone down, letting out a sob. I look up at the ceiling. How could Alicia do that?

"I turned into you, because I'm a fairy."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" I ask, rubbing my thighs.

"Fairies are known for perfection. I'm not perfect."

"What was in it for you?"

"Unbelievably great sex." 

 I stare at her incredulously. She got me fired for some dick? That's fucking ridiculous. I bounce my leg, trying to stay calm.

Alicia devours the rest of that cookie. Never mind the sexual trance she was probably under. Sav had a lot of damn nerve to pull some shit like this. I grab my phone off the nightstand. Two missed calls from Owen appear on the screen.

I check Instagram, and the first thing I see is photo of Sav and Orion. In that photo, they're kissing right on top of Alicia's bed. Sav moved on quickly for a guy who was apparently in love with my friend. She peeks at the photo, crying again.

"Wow. I can't believe he would do this." 

 "I can. But I'm sorry," I say, clicking on Orion's name.

 In the first photo on her page, she's puckering her lips at the camera and her eyes are closed. We both frown at it. To anyone else, this wouldn't be a big deal. Except in this case, when she resembles the statue of Justine. Wait. Why is Sav tagged in this photo?

For some reason, Alicia's mouth gapes open. I tap on her arm, but she doesn't move. At this point, it's like we're living in an alternate universe. I put my phone down and she's still frozen in that spot on the bed. Then, it rings. I reluctantly pick it back up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Onyx. Are you coming yet?" Orion says sweetly.

"Oh yeah. I am. Just give me twenty minutes."

"Alright. Text me when you get here. Bye."

 She hangs up. I groan out loud. Somehow, Alicia doesn't notice. How could I forget about our plans? We made them yesterday. This is apart of my next mission. 

I drop my phone on the bed and quickly put my green flats on. Alicia finally lifts her head up while I shove my phone in my purse. I head for the door in the living room. That's when I hear her call my name. 

 "I can drive you there," she offers, holding up her keys. 

 I smile. "Thank you, Alicia. You're the best." 

 "You're welcome. What does Rion want?" 

 "We're just going to have coffee." 

 "Oh. That sounds nice. Until she steals your boyfriend."

 "Did she steal him, or did he dump you?"

  I didn't mean to say that. It slipped out. An awkward silence passes between us as we leave the building. Especially when we get in her green Honda. 'Thank You, Next' plays on full volume as she drives out of the parking lot.

 The entire time, Alicia pouts behind the wheel. I scroll through videos of Owen having fun at the beach in Florida. The wind hit me on the side of my face. Until, we are finally parked in front of Starbucks in Alexandria.