Wake Up ||ONC 2021|| GxG

5. Delete Today

Nevaeh had sounded frantic on the phone. That had only made Esme's heart shoot into her throat. Now she was shaking in the cold, gripping her hands together till her fingers went numb. Her thoughts hadn't stopped racing since she'd stopped moving. Even now her feet tapped the pavement restlessly, waiting to dash away at a moment's notice.

Who were those men in the bar anyway? The way they'd looked at her made her skin crawl. They wanted something from her, and she had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't her salsa recipe.

A car skidded to a halt at the end of the side street Esme had been loitering in. She ducked back into the nook made from two shop corners. Only the top of her head was visible where she was peeking out at the newcomer. There were three ways out; down the alley away from the car, up the fire escaped across from her, and straight past the waiting car. The fire escape was ideal since they wouldn't be able to follow with the car. But could she get up there fast enough?

"Esme?" Nevaeh called out.

Esme heaved a sigh of relief and scurried out of hiding towards her. The smell radiating off her clothes wafted up to her as she started walking. It seemed to reach Nevaeh at the same time because the young woman scrunched up her nose. Despite that, she still rushed forward to take Esme's hands. "Thanks for coming to get me."

"I wouldn't have had to come get you if you hadn't run off like that? What were you thinking Esmerelda?" she snapped. Nevaeh squeezed her eyes shut and opened them slowly, keeping her gaze locked on Esme's forehead. "Sorry. Are you ok?"

"I think so," Esme answered. Okay may have been stretching it. Muscles she hadn't even been aware of were making their presence known with screams. Who knew a middle toe could be in such agony? But focusing on the muscles took her mind off the questions and that was by far the biggest upside.

"Come on, I'll take you home," Nevaeh let go of her hands in favor of wrapping an arm over her shoulders. Esme could feel the way Nevaeh's forearm hovered just out of reach of any suspicious stains.

"I should probably go to my house, but thank you," Esme sighed.

"I am taking you to your house." Nevaeh tilted her head to eye the taller woman. "Did you want to stay with me? You can, it's just sort of a mess..." she trailed off.

"No! Not that I- what I mean is... home?" Esme sputtered, her face lighting up like a stop light. She gratefully climbed into the quiet car, using it as an excuse to become busy on her phone. The red circle of notifications grew bigger and bigger as messages swarmed in. Before she silenced them, she noticed Agent 23 flash across the top of her screen a few times. Esme shook her head before the sickening swirl of a black hole could pull her in again.

"I could always stay with you. I'm a bit worried about you being on your own," Nevaeh offered as she started the car.

"It's alright, I think I may drive to my parents, they're only a few blocks away," Esme said. She shot off a quick text to her parents just to be sure they would know to expect her. Their response was immediate, and her panic subsided completely for the first time that night.

"By the way, the bar was not pleased about the chair you broke," Nevaeh chided. She tapped her thumb on the steering wheel in time with the turn signal. "I paid for it."

"I'm so sorry about that, I swear I... I don't normally go around breaking chairs on people."

"It's alright, you can pay me back. Lunch, is an acceptable form of payment." The headlights lit up the front of Esme's house, Teebs sitting in the window as usual. "Oh, you've got a cat?"

"No, I've got a spoiled prince disguised as a cat," Esme groaned.

"So, a cat," Nevaeh clarified. Both women laughed as they reached for their doors.

"You don't have to walk me in, I promise I'm alright," Esme assured her as she stepped out. She winced when her stiff legs were forced into movement. The blood had made her pants stiff, and she could practically hear the fabric shattering like glass.

"I want to meet the cat," Nevaeh chuckled. She followed behind Esme but dodged around her the second they were inside.

"Be careful, he ... bites," Esme trailed off seeing Teebs curl into the woman's chest, his head pushing under her chin. "Are you serious?" She rolled her eyes. "Fine, you two have fun, I need a shower."

"Take your time," Nevaeh called after her. She went on muttering praises to Teebs but was curled up on the couch when Esme returned.

"Did he run off?" Esme sat on the other end of the couch, holding a pillow to her chest. She'd braided her wet hair back, but it still dripped lazily down her back.

"Just like a man," Nevaeh joked. "Do you need a ride to your parents' place?"

"Nah, I feel ok to drive." She picked at the frayed seems of the pillow. It had been a while since she'd had anyone over. How exactly did she gracefully ask her to leave now? Esme cleared her throat at the same time Nevaeh did. They laughed.

"I like your cameras," Nevaeh motioned to the wooden case across the room.

Esme twisted in her seat and smiled fondly at the antique cameras placed behind the double glass doors. She'd been collecting them for as long as she could remember. "Thanks, my parents gave them to me."

Nevaeh moved across the room for a better look, bending forward so that she was eye level with the middle row of lenses. "Do you ever use them?"

"No, I don't think they even work anymore," Esme rested an arm against the back of the couch, nestling her hand on her palm. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked over her collection. While she wasn't the tidiest person, she at least kept things in their proper places. The cameras were especially a priority in her weekly cleaning. They were always returned to the same places, but somehow a few from the middle row had been shifted ever so slightly. Esme glanced at Teebs suspiciously.

Nevaeh clapped her hands suddenly, startling Esme and bringing her back to the present. "I'll get out of your hair. Text me when you get there so I know you haven't run off to destroy more chairs," she teased, grinning when Esme blushed.

"I swear I'm going to make that up to you," Esme groaned. She walked her to the front door, stopping at the edge of the porch. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure will," Nevaeh said. Her hand found Esme's again, rubbing a thumb over the back. "If you need anything, call me. Anytime."

"Thanks Nevaeh." Esme watched her taillights fade off before going back in to pack a small bag. Teebs was nowhere to be found but she filled his water bowl anyway and left a treat on the sofa where he was sure to find it.

Her mother greeted her at the door, patting her cheek gently. "Your room is all made up, go get some rest. Waffles in the morning?"

"That would be amazing," Esme sighed. She hugged her father on her way up the stairs. He pat her back, but there was something stiff in the familiar motion. "Night dad, night mom." As the door to her old room closed, Esme heard a quiet question from her mother float up the stairs. At least, she assumed it was a question and not gibberish.

Her phone vibrated from the depths of her bag; a cold sweat covered her body. When she finally looked, she was relieved to see it was just Nevaeh checking in. She deleted the unopened messages from the unknown number with a fast swipe of her finger. In an instant, it was like they never existed. By tomorrow it would all seem like a wild dream. Hopefully.