Disabled.

Forty-One

Forty-One

Nadia's physiotherapy appointment had just ended and she was making her way towards the door when it suddenly opened to reveal Mandy. She watched as Mandy walked in, wiping off some snow from her jacket and hat before she looked up to find Nadia looking at her.

"You made it," Nadia said, causing Mandy to smile.

"Of course, what kind of friend breaks their promises?" Mandy asked rhetorically, causing Nadia to smile back at her.

"So what's the plan, friend?" 

"I was thinking we could get something to eat and then decide what to do after?" Mandy suggested, causing Nadia to nod her head.

"Sounds like a plan."

"Great! Let's go, I know a great sushi place around here. I know you love sushi."

As she heard Mandy's words, she felt her eyes sting slightly as she looked back at her friend. For so long, she had been so angry at Mandy for not staying with her when she was going through the loss of Jackson as well as the loss of her mobility. But now as she looked at her, she felt as if Mandy was truly the only friend that she ever had. 

"Are you okay Nadia?" Mandy asked, a worried expression appearing on her face. Nadia smiled as she nodded her head. 

"Yeah, let's go." 

---

A few minutes later, they arrived at a sushi restaurant and entered just as it was beginning to snow once again. They were greeted by a petite woman who smiled at them as she asked,

"How many people?"

"Two please," Mandy said, causing the woman to nod before taking two menus from her stand.

"Please follow me."

They quietly followed her to a table close to the back of the restaurant, beside a large window. The hostess placed the menus on opposite sides of the table before taking a chair away for Nadia. Mandy took her seat and Nadia positioned herself across from her.

"Would you like something to drink?" the lady asked. 

"Do you have tea?" Nadia asked. The lady nodded before directing her attention to Mandy.

"I'll have the same thing," Mandy said before the lady left them. 

After several moments of looking through the menu, the lady returned with their tea and took their orders. And before long, they were able to eat.

And as they ate, they would occasionally stop to talk about something. And with each conversation they had, Nadia found herself feeling as if she and Mandy had never stopped being friends; it felt as if the days when Mandy had been spending time with Chris and Ashley had never happened at all. And with that realization, she couldn't help but to smile at her friend.

"I've noticed that you look happier lately, even with what recently happened," Mandy said, placing a piece of sushi in her mouth.

"You think so?" Nadia asked, genuinely surprised to hear that. Just earlier that day, she was crying in her room and now Mandy was saying she looks happier. Was Mandy saying that just to be nice or had she gotten better at hiding her feelings, Nadia wondered, a sad feeling overcoming her.

"I know that it's probably too soon but I've been wondering if you'd be interested in getting back to dating, I think that would really be good for you."

"Mandy," Nadia said as she heard her words,

"It's really nice of you to be worried about me but I don't think--"

"Why are you rejecting the idea so quickly?" Mandy asked. 

She was suddenly reminded of what happened with Mason during the Christmas party. Her grip on her chopsticks tightened as her eyes began to water.

"Are you okay Nadia?" Mandy asked.

"I'm sorry if my question made you feel bad, I didn't meant to do that. I just thought that--"

"No, it's okay. You were just looking out for me," Nadia managed to say as she wiped away the few tears that had managed to escape. 

There was an awkward moment of silence which surrounded them until they both heard the sound of heels hitting the floor which appeared to be getting closer. Nadia turned around slightly and felt her body freeze as she took in the image of Chris walking towards them, following the lady who had taken them to their seat. 

And behind her was Mason.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from him as she watched him walking behind Chris with a solemn expression on his face, almost as if he had been forced to leave the house.

Just like before, the lady placed their menus on the table before asking them if they wanted any drinks. And the moment that she left, Mason turned to look at Nadia's direction. A look of surprise came over his face before it was replaced with the same solemn expression.

Chris on the other hand looked at them with a sneer before turning her attention to Mason.

"What do you want to get babe?"

Babe? 

Were they dating now?

Nadia looked at Mason to see his reaction to Chris's words but he simply shrugged as he continued to look through the menu.

Nadia didn't notice that she had been staring at them for a long time until their waitress returned.

"Would you like some boxes for your food?" she asked as she looked at Nadia's half eaten food. She turned away from Mason and nodded her head.

After packing up their food and paying the bill, they left the restaurant and got onto a bus. As the bus pulled away from the stop, Nadia couldn't stop her mind from wandering back to the look on Mason's face as he spoke with Chris.

If he was now dating Chris, why did he look so solemn?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Mandy when she gently poked her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked, half-whispering.

Nadia forced a smile at her as she nodded her head.

But both of them could tell that she was far from feeling okay. After all, the guy that she had slowly allowed herself to open up to was now seeing the girl that turned her back on her as soon as she lost her mobility.

She looked down at her legs as she wondered how things would have been if she wasn't in a wheelchair.

Would Mason have tried to fight to stay beside her despite his family being sued by Jackson's?

* * *

A/N:

Hello everyone!

Thank you very much for checking out another chapter of this story! So what did you think about everything that happened in this chapter? Do you think it was too soon for Mandy to suggest to Nadia to get back to dating? What did you think about Chris and Mason going on a date at the same restaurant? Let me know you thoughts/comments/concerns in the comments! I'd really like to know.

Also, what do you think about the pace of this story? Does it feel too slow? Please let me know!

And I hope to see you in the next chapter!

~candysweet101

P.S. The song at the top was what I was listening to when I wrote this chapter and I felt that it fit the mood so I decided to add it.