I feel good in my decision as I walk away. I know it’ll be a fun night tonight, the Las Vegas strip is absolutely buzzing, but I need to get home to rest. I have a bath at home that’s waiting to be filled with bubbles for me to climb my aching weary body into it. I can almost feel the bubbles around me now and it’s awesome.
“Excuse me.” I try to gently move people out the way. “Excuse me, I’m just trying to get past…”
No one wants to let me get past, they crowd jealously around the bar entrances as if I want to get inside. That’s the last thing I want, I can’t imagine anything worse right now.
“I don’t want to go in, I just… No, I’m not trying to jump the queue, I just need…”
In the end, I give up and fall into an alleyway. I don’t know where it will take me but I need to get away from the balling crowds of people. As I walk down the strange pathway, I rub my medal happily. I’m still proud of myself, I still cannot believe that I achieved this. It’s awesome. I really can take on the world now.
Actually, I kind of want to turn around to visit Mom’s grave, to show her. If I wasn’t so tired and the crowds weren’t so intense, I might turn around and go back. But I can visit her tomorrow after work.
The sad thing is there isn’t really anyone else that I want to share the information with. I don’t have anyone close enough to me to care. I suppose I do have a little urge to tell Noah but I shut that down.
He’s a part of my past, I remind myself. Purged and gone forever. Never to think of again.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” The gruff male voice shocks me. “Fucking hell, fuck.”
Whoever it is sounds furious, and now as I look around I can’t see any other person. I followed this alleyway to get away from people, but now I desperately wish there was someone else around. I’m so scared.
“I will fucking kill someone, this is nuts, it’s insane. How could she do this?”
The idea of someone on a murderous rampage terrifies me. I need to turn, to run away, to escape this hell, but my body is frozen, I can’t do anything but stand here and wait for death. Even as I hear foot steps…
“Noah?” The iciness flows away as I see who the voice belongs to. “Is that you?”
The cold becomes burning heat, a redness rushes all the way through me. He doesn’t really look at me, he’s more staring through me while rage circles all the way through his body. I’ve never seen him like this.
“What’s going on, Noah? You seem really…”
“It’s fucking her. That fucking bitch. I will kill her, how can she do this to me?”
“Erm… who?” I shouldn’t be here, I know I shouldn’t be here. “Who has done what to you?”
“Fucking Hayley, she’s fucking stolen him.” He grips onto my shoulders and looks at me desperately. “She has stolen my son, Mia, she’s taken him and she won’t give him back.”
His son… the child I saw him with. It’s all starting to piece together now…
“The nanny?” She doesn’t look like the type, but I might be wrong. “Has she stolen him?”
“No, not the nanny. His fucking mother. That fucking bitch has just… just taken him.”
Okay, now this has taken another complicated turn. I don’t understand what to think about it. “His mom?”
He snatches away from me and punches the wall again and again. Unbridled terror encases me, freaking me the hell out. The urge to run is still there, very powerfully within me, but I don’t give in to it. I can’t stop myself from still wanting to help him because we did have good times together.
I step closer and gently touch his arm. He snatches away and I see a fire in his eyes which scares me. I don’t think the punches are going to start coming my way all of a sudden, but the yelling might.
“Don’t hurt yourself, Noah,” I say quietly. “If you’re injured, you can’t help anyone.”
He crumples, the angry mask on his face slides away and he falls towards me. I catch him in my arms, hugging him, helping him through all of this. I don’t have a clue what’s going on, but it’s got to be bad to take this strong and powerful man down. I suppose someone taking his son is as bad as it gets.
“Noah, you need to tell me what’s going on so I can help you. Please. I know it isn’t easy because we aren’t… well, you know, close anymore, but I need to know what’s going on with you.”
He pulls back and stares at me desperately. “It’s a mess, Mia, I don’t know what to do.”
“Start from the beginning. Tell me everything, please. However bad it is. Whatever it is. Tell me.”
He nods slowly, the cogs ticking in his brain as he tries to organize his thoughts. “Me and Hayley were together years ago, we were in a long term relationship which resulted in us having a son. Only Hayley didn’t really care about him. I didn’t know it at the time, but looking back, it’s obvious.”