𝐚𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐚 [𝟏𝟖+]

Chapter 7

𝐃𝐚𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐚 stares at herself in the mirror, her eyes red and puffy and snot dripping down her nose in an unattractive manner. She grabs her phone, and throws it against the mirror, successfully shattering both the objects. Pieces of broken glass fall at her feet as she sobs silently, and she runs out of the bathroom, stabbing her feet in the process. She winces in pain, and releases another choked sob as she sits on the edge of her bed and begins to pick glass out of the skin between her toes. All the memories of her relationship flash through her head as tears cloud her vision again, this time she bites them back angrily and wipes her eyes. Deciding that enough is enough, she rises out of bed and puts her shoes back on. She picks up her broken phone, and struggles to call Oliver.

After pushing random buttons trying to reach him, they finally make a connection and Dahlia sighs in relief. "Hey, everything's fine, no one's here. I guess it was just a stupid prank." Dahlia forces a dry laugh, coughing from dehydration. After hanging up, she decides that the best way to relieve her thirst is by going back to the bar. She calls an uber, and sits in the back staring out the window, her bottom lip quivering and her gaze cold. After a quiet ten minutes, they arrive. She lazily stumbles into the bar, and slams herself down onto a stool. It's late, extremely late, and the only person there is Mike, who is cleaning glasses. 

Mike looks at her, confused, but decides not to say anything because the look in her eyes could kill. "What's the strongest thing you have?" Dahlia asks, her voice raspy and broken from screaming and sobbing. Mike pours her a quick drink, and she instantly pours the hot liquid down her throat, not bothering to ask what it is. She demands another one, and after about three of these mystery drinks, she's began to ramble endlessly. She leans her head against her sprawled out arms, and stammers about her boyfriend and her best friend. Mike down at her, concern evident on his face, and he decides to give her a water instead this time. As she sips the refreshing beverage, someone sits next to her.

Dahlia lazily turns her head towards the person, and her greying black hair and glasses reveal their identity. "Selma!" Dahlia greets, as Selma orders a whiskey sour and begins sipping on it slowly. The women greet each other, yet Selma's eyes linger on Dahlia's puffy face a bit longer. "Why are you crying?" The older woman's course voice asks, and Dahlia scoffs. "My boyfriend cheated on me, in my bed, with my best friend, on the biggest day of my l-life." The hammered girl speaks through gritted teeth, combing a bruised hand through her messy brown hair. Selma smiles sympathetically at her, and rubs her wrinkled hand down her back. Dahlia looks at her, tears brimming in her eyes, "And you know what, It's not Finn that hurt me the most. I can live without him, I can't without her. She's the only person-" Dahlia continues, but breaks down into broken sobs, "She's the only person that gets me, y'know? She- she- Why would she do that to me?" The brunette stares at Selma with pleading eyes, expecting her to have an answer.

Selma breathes in sharply, contemplating a response. Finally, she says, "Love is tricky. It hurts, and the messed up part is that it's supposed to hurt. Relationships have to come to an end, and it hurts the most when a good friendship ends at the same time. But, when those things end, it makes room for better relationships and friendships to form." Selma smiles warmly at Dahlia, and Dahlia cries out and holds the woman. She sniffles, "You're so wise. You remind me of my mom, a little bit.". Selma chuckles at the girl, and tucks her hair behind her ear. "You remind me of my daughter, too." The older woman smiles sadly, and Dahlia's eyes widen at the mention of her daughter. "Can you tell me about her?" Dahlia asks in a quiet voice, looking at Selma as she begins to sober up. 

"My daughter? She was amazing. So smart, so beautiful, so uniquely herself. When she fell in love with that creature, I warned her about the dangers. I told her what would happen, but she never liked to listen to me. She had your eyes, almost always sad. Always sparkling, but always sad." Selma laughed sadly, and swirled her drink around in her glass. Dahlia smiled, and listened to the woman politely. "When she died, I couldn't bring myself to believe it. I-I never imagined her dying, and when I heard the news, I wanted to run into her arms and just bawl my eyes out like I'd always done. But then I realized, there was no longer anyone's arms for me to run into." Selma's eyes water slightly, and she chugs down her drink as tears run down her cheeks. Dahlia frowns, and pulls her into a tight embrace. Selma rests her head on her shoulder as she cries, soaking Dahlia's shirt in tears. 

"You can run into my arms." Dahlia suggests, smiling gently. Selma smiles back sadly, and laughs through her tears. As they pull away from each other, Dahlia decides she has something important to do. "Selma, I have to go home. I have to call someone." Dahlia gets up, picking up her bag and Selma nods, gripping her hand one last time before letting her go. As Dahlia begins to walk off, Selma calls from behind her, "Please, be safe." The older woman smiles, and Dahlia smiles and waves back. The brunette decides to walk home and clear her head, and she enjoys the peaceful sound of trees rustling and the autumn leaves crunching beneath her feet.

As she finally makes it back to her dorm, she lets out a deep breath and reaches out for her phone, ignoring the small pieces of glass cutting her fingers as she tries to make a call. After three rings, a voice appears on the other end of the line. Dahlia lets out a shaky breath. "Mom?" She calls out, desperate for the warm and loving voice of her mother. "Hi, honey! It's been so long since I've heard from you, how have you been? How's Finn?" The maternal voice radiates from her screen, and Dahlia laughs, choking down a sob. She contemplates telling her mom about what happened, but she decides against it. "Everything's great, mom, I just wanted to call and check up on you. I started my internship today!" Dahlia smiles, imagining her mom on the other side sitting down at the table and listening patiently to her daughter. "That's spectacular! I know how badly you've been wanting that job, you've probably knocked them off their feet already." Her mom laughs, and Dahlia chuckles sadly, "Yeah, I've been a real treat." She hums, and her mom gasps over the line.

"I've got an idea, why don't you come down and visit me soon? It's been lonely in this big house all by myself. I'll even make your favorite, chicken parm!" Her mom speaks, her happiness rubbing off on Dahlia as the younger woman starts feeling better. "I'd love to, mom. I've got to go now, but I love you, and I'll talk to you soon, okay?" Dahlia explains, a slight twange of pain in her chest as she ends the short contact with her mother. Her mom sighs on the other line, "Oh, Okay, honey. I love you too, see you soon!" Her cheery voice slowly fades as Dahlia presses the red button, and falls back on her bed. She weeps into her pillow, not bothering to change or to even go to the bathroom, and she slowly falls asleep.