As Lucy sat in the cab on her way to Tom's house, different thoughts ran through her mind. What was going on? Why was Tom being so cold all of a sudden? Even if her action earlier had upset him, wasn't he taking things too far?
He had not even given her a chance to tell him about her decision to go for therapy before blowing her off. Was he getting tired of her already? If he was behaving this way over the phone, how was he going to act towards her at home? She wrung her hands in distress as she thought about all of this.
She wasn't sure what was going on with Tom, but she figured that maybe he was acting this way towards her because he needed space. Perhaps that was what she should do. Give him space. She couldn't stand the tension between them or the cold treatment.
If he didn't want her to be present at the dinner with his grandfather, then she wouldn't go there. If he didn't want to see her, then she would stay out of his sight.
Without wasting much time thinking about it, she asked the driver to make a U-turn and headed for her apartment instead. She took out her phone and dialled Sonia's line.
It took a while, but Sonia received the call just before it disconnected, "Hey!" Sonia greeted, trying to sound cheerful.
"I'm not coming over to Tom's house tonight. I'm just going to stay over at mine," Lucy said, and Sonia's brows pulled together as she sat up on the bed.
She had told the others that she wasn't feeling too well and had decided to stay in her room while Jade and Bryan discussed the dinner details with their parents.
"Why?"
"Why? Because it's my apartment," Lucy said, and Sonia shook her head.
"You didn't listen to anything I told you?" Sonia asked incredulously.
"I did! I did, okay? I even went as far as going to the company doctor to get the details of some top therapists. I went to Tom's office to talk things out with him, and guess what? He wasn't there. He left the company without telling me. If I were the one who did the same thing, he would be mad, but he left without telling me when he knew full well that I would have been waiting for him in my office. I think he needs space. I should give him that," Lucy said, feeling both angry and frustrated.
Sonia sighed, "Maybe you're right, and he needs space, but I don't think it's a good idea. Didn't you say he accused you of keeping your apartment handy because of times like this?" Sonia asked reasonably.
"Isn't it obvious that I need my apartment at times like this? That is his house! This is my apartment! He can as well move into my apartment with me if he wants to. No one said it has to be the lady leaving her place," Lucy said, and Sonia shook her head.
"You both shouldn't be mad at the same time. You got mad, and then Tom got mad, and now you're mad because he is mad, and then he will get even madder knowing you are mad again. Do you see where this is going? It's pointless. Tom might be taking things too far, but you started it, so you should apologise for reacting the way you did when he was only trying to point out reason with you," Sonia said, and Lucy sighed.
"I would have apologised if he stayed long enough on the phone to hear me out," Lucy hissed.
"You can send him a text. Let him know you are sorry and that you are going to start therapy. I'm sure that's a good start," Sonia offered and then remembered something.
"By the way, aren't you supposed to join them for dinner? Didn't you say his grandfather said something about getting to know you better during dinner?" Sonia reminded her.
"I don't think Tom wants me there. He said I don't have to join them if I don't want to," Lucy said, and Sonia raised a brow.
"He said that?"
"Yes! Does that sound like something he would have said if he wanted me there?" Lucy asked, and Sonia sighed.
"Maybe you are reading too much meaning into his words. I'm sure Tom would love you to have dinner with his family. He probably said that because he assumed you didn't want to," Sonia said, and Lucy looked out the window.
"I don't know...."
"Come back, Lu. Even if you think you both need a break, this is not the time for it. At least resolve whatever it is first, and then you can go to your apartment," Sonia said patiently, and Lucy sighed.
"Alright. I'm close to my apartment now. I will stop by and see how the place is and then come back home," Lucy said, and before she could hang up, Sonia stopped her.
"Since you're there, I will need you to help me get something from Mia," Sonia said, and once Lucy agreed, Sonia hung up the call and dialled Mia's line to instruct her to give the pregnancy test kit to Lucy.
Inside the apartment which Mia shared with Jeff, Mia hurriedly dressed up in an oversized polo t-shirt as she hurried out of her bedroom to answer the door.
Jeff, who had also heard the doorbell stepped out of his bedroom, and his gaze followed Mia as she moved from the door to the living room, carrying two boxes of pizza which had just been delivered with two cans of coke.
"Dinner is ready!" Mia announced with a cheerful smile as she set down the box of pizza and can coke on the table and went into the kitchen to get two plates.
"Do you know for every box of pizza you order, you get a free can of coke? So I bought two boxes of pizza. That way, we can get two free cans of coke," she said with a pleased smile that made Jeff want to laugh.
"You bought an extra box of pizza that we don't need so that we can get a free can of coke when we have a pack of can coke in the refrigerator?" Jeff asked incredulously.
"Don't tell me you don't know that free and stolen stuff tastes better," Mia said, not letting Jeff's tone affect her glee at getting two free cans of coke.
"And what is going to happen to the extra box of pizza?" Jeff asked, and she shrugged as she opened the box and tore out a piece of pizza which she stuffed into her mouth before taking the twin sofa across from Jeff and turning on the television.
"I could leave it in the refrigerator so you can have it in the morning or whenever you please. Or I could give it to Alicia and Jasmine. I'm sure they will appreciate it," Mia said with her mouth full, and Jeff shook his head.
"Do you always waste money this way?" He asked, wondering why she lived and acted like some rich kid who had too much money to throw around.
"Waste? How?" Mia asked in honest confusion.
"You don't cook. You claim you don't enjoy stale food, so you buy food daily. And now you bought an extra box of pizza just to get a free can of coke. That is pretty wasteful, don't you think?" Jeff asked, and Mia shook her head.
"I don't think so. I can't cook. As I've told you a couple of times already, we all don't have to cook or learn to cook. I buy food daily because I don't enjoy refrigerated food. And I already told you free stuff tastes better. So, no. I'm not wasting money. You should eat," Mia said and smiled happily as she chewed.
"How is your head?" He asked, and Mia looked at him with a puzzled frown for a moment and flashed him a smile when she remembered the reason for his question.
"I feel much better now. Thanks," Mia said, but Jeff only gave her a nod as he picked a piece of pizza.
Was she in a relationship now? Who was responsible for her pregnancy if truly she was pregnant? Was she going to tell him about it? He mused as he watched her from under his lid while they ate.
They weren't exactly close friends that discussed the personal details of their lives, but right now he was curious about a lot of things.
"Your family is in Sogal, right?" Jeff asked suddenly, and Mia stiffened for a moment.
"What?" She asked with a confused smile.
"Your family. Are they aware that you moved? Do they know you are sharing an apartment with a single man?" Jeff asked, and Mia grinned.
"Why? Are you scared that you will be harassed for cohabiting with me? Don't worry. No one is going to harass you," Mia said dismissively.
"That doesn't answer my questions," Jeff pointed out, and Mia rolled her eyes.
"In case you didn't notice, I'm an adult, and they don't need to know anything about me or my living arrangements. Now if you don't mind, can we drop the subject?" Mia asked, and Jeff shrugged.
It seemed to him like she wasn't on good terms with her family, and even though he was curious to know why he let it go.
Mia on the other hand suddenly lost interest in the pizza as she wondered what could have prompted Jeff to ask about her family. Did she do or say something to make him think she was hiding something? Perhaps she could have answered his question without sounding so defensive? It was bad enough that Harry seemed suspicious of her. What if they decided to look into her? She liked her life as it was, and she didn't need anything to upset it.
"Mia? Your phone is ringing," Jeff said, cutting into her thought when he noticed that she seemed distracted.
She rose from her seat immediately and went into her bedroom to get it, "Hey! Is everything alright?" She asked the moment she received Sonia's call.
"Yeah. Were you able to get the kit?" Sonia asked hopefully.
The kit. Mia thought with a slight frown when she realised she had forgotten about it. She glanced at her handbag when she remembered Jeff had brought it in. Did Jeff see it? She hoped not.
"Yeah. I go it."
"Thanks. Lucy will be stopping over soon. Could you help me give it to her?"
"Sure. What's going on? Are you alright?" Mia asked in concern.
"Yes, I am. My period is running late, so I need to confirm that everything is okay. You can't tell Bryan about this, promise?" Sonia said, and once Mia promised her, she hung up.