Aiden talks to his mom on the phone

Aiden sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his phone. He’d scrolled past her name three times before finally pressing it. The ring seemed to go on forever before Lisa’s voice answered, sounding a little surprised to see him calling.

“Hey, honey. How are you doing?”

“I’m good,” he said quickly, lying back. “I just figured I hadn’t talked to you for a few, so I thought I’d check in.”

There was a pause, then a lift in her tone. “Well that’s a nice surprise. What’s up?”

“Nothing really. Just… how are you?”

“I’m good. Busy. The usual. How’s it going out there? Everything going good living with Natalie these days?”

He hesitated, scratching lightly at his leg. “Fine. She’s… she’s been cool about everything. Why? Have you talked to her much lately?

“Here and there,” Lisa said. “Something going on?”

“No. No reason,” he replied, shifting nervously and tugging at the blanket that was bunched near his hip. “Just wondering if she’s mentioned anything. You know… about me being around.”

Lisa’s voice changed a little, carrying an edge of uncertainty. “Not really. She said she was glad to have the company. Is there anything you’re not telling me? Did something happen?”

“No,” he said quickly, before trying to recover and start over. “I mean,” he cleared his throat, “I don’t think so. She hasn’t said anything to me, and if she hasn’t said anything to you, then I guess everything’s still fine, right?”

“Aiden, are you sure you’re okay?” she asked after listening to the silence for a few seconds.

“Yeah,” he said through a **** chuckle. “Totally. I just wanted to hear your voice, that’s it.”

He could tell his mom wasn’t convinced, but she didn’t push it any further. “All right. Well, I’m glad you called. You know you can tell me if something’s wrong, right?”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Good,” she said softly. “Then I’ll let you go. We’ll talk soon, okay?”

“Okay. Love you, Mom.”

“Love you too, honey.”

They hung up, and he set the phone on his chest, staring up at the ceiling. At least now he knew Natalie hadn’t been so freaked out she’d run to tell his mom. Hopefully that’s a good sign, he thought. He reached over to set his phone on the nightstand, lying in the silence.

Natalie turned her car into the parking lot and pulled into her space. She sat there watching the darkened stairwell, not particularly wanting to rush inside. Her eyes drifted upward, tracing the row of windows until she found the one that would be his bedroom. Based on the light coming through the blinds, it appeared he was still awake.

She couldn’t help that it wasn’t Matt on her mind, but the sound she’d heard from across the hall, and the image of Aiden on the couch that she couldn’t shake even while she was in Matt’s bed. The fact that he was awake now, between her room and the front door, made the walk to the apartment seem impossible. She wasn’t ready to face him yet with all of that still in her head.

She reached for her phone in the passenger seat and slipped it into her clutch before placing it under her arm, gripping the strap in her fingers for something to hold onto. When she finally pushed the door open, she locked the car behind her and started toward the stairs.

She climbed them, dreading each step as she approached the front door. She couldn’t help but wonder why he wasn’t asleep already. At the top landing, she slipped out of her heels and hooked two fingers through the straps, holding them loosely at her side in the hopes of making as little noise as possible when she entered. The cool concrete under her bare feet helped to ground her as she crossed to the door.

The apartment was quiet when she unlocked it and slipped inside. Even though his bedroom light was on, the hum of the fridge was the only sound that greeted her.

Natalie closed the door gently behind her and paused in the entryway, giving her eyes a second to adjust. A faint line of light glowed at the base of Aiden’s door, stretching out across the hall floor. She stared at it for a moment without realizing it, trying to evade her own thoughts. Gripping her keys tightly so they didn’t jingle as she walked, she finally approached his door, sneaking past toward her own room.

Inside, she let the heels drop with a muted thud beside the dresser. The clutch followed, landing flat on the wood. She slipped out of her dress and sat at the edge of the bed, placing her elbows on her knees, her mind swirled around the idea that she just snuck into her own apartment, like some kid sneaking into her parents’ house after curfew.

Across the hall, Aiden sat at his desk with an open textbook in front of him, idly spinning a pen in his hand. He’d been staring at the same page for half an hour, unable to focus on the blurring words every time his mind drifted back to the phone call, the couch, or especially to her. He leaned back, rubbing his eyes, and that’s when he thought he heard the faint scrape of a key in the lock.

He lifted his head, and for a moment, he just listened. Maybe he heard the sound of the door closing, but it seemed too quiet to be Natalie. Silence. He pushed his chair back, half-ready to step into the hall if he could only figure out what to say once he got there.

But the follow-up never came. There was no hard click of her heels on the floor, and no sounds to indicate that she was crossing to her room. After several seconds of listening, he exhaled and shook his head. Must’ve been one of the neighbors coming home and making noise.

He pulled the book a little back in front of him and tried to study yet again, though he wasn’t absorbing a word of it.

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