The following morning, I woke up to the sll of coffee and the distant sound of Eric moving around the kitchen. Sunlight stread through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the living room where I had crashed for the night.
Stretching out on the couch, I let out a deep sigh. My mind felt clearer, but the weight of everything that had happened still lingered.
Eric walked in, holding two mugs of coffee. He handed one and sat across from . "You sleep okay?"
I took a sip, letting the warmth settle in. "Yeah... better than I expected."
He nodded, watching for a mont. "Today’s a big day. You ready?"
I exhaled, running a hand through my hair. "Not really... but I guess that doesn’t matter, does it?"
Eric smirked. "Nope. But you’re doing it anyway."
I took a deep breath. "This still doesn’t feel real," I muttered.
Eric chuckled. "Wait till you get to the airport."
As we talked, my phone buzzed on the table. I glanced down—Mom.
I hesitated, my fingers hovering over the screen. Did my uncle call her? Did he tell her I left already? My pulse quickened at the thought.
Eric noticed. "You good?"
"Uh... yeah." I turned the phone around to show him. "It’s my mom."
He raised an eyebrow. "You think Daniel called her?"
"I don’t know, man," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
Eric leaned back, nodding toward the phone. "Well? You gonna answer it?"
I exhaled sharply and answered the call.
"Hello, Mom."
"Hey, sweetheart. Just calling to check on you. How are you?"
Relief washed over , there was no sign of tension in her voice, no ntion of my uncle. It was just a normal call.
"I’m good, Mom. Everything’s fine."
We talked for a bit, nothing out of the ordinary—just her usual motherly concerns. Then she passed the phone to Dad, who asked about my plans and reminded to be careful.
After a few minutes, I wrapped up the call and set my phone down.
Eric’s eyes remained on , concern written all over his face. "So?"
I let out a small laugh, relief washing over . "Yeah... she was just calling to check on ."
Eric leaned back, rubbing his chin. "I suppose Daniel still thinks you’re coming back ho. That’s probably why he hasn’t called your parents yet."
"Yeah, that makes sense," I said, then paused. "Except I’m not going back there."
Eric shot a knowing look but said nothing.
A thought crossed my mind, and I frowned. "Why do I feel like he’s gonna co looking for here? He knows I don’t have a lot of friends. And I’ve been spending quite so ti with you. It’s either you or Asamoah."
Eric shrugged. "Hopefully, you’ll be out of here before that happens."
Just as he said that, the doorbell rang.
I shot Eric a look, raising an eyebrow as if to ask if he was expecting anyone. His gaze was already locked on the door, his expression making it clear that he wasn’t.
The doorbell rang again.
Slowly, he turned to . Without saying a word, he gestured toward the small utility closet near the living room. I didn’t argue. Moving as quietly as possible, I slipped inside, pressing my back against the shelves as I listened.
I heard the lock click, followed by the creak of the door opening.
Then ca the voices—familiar ones. Ones I could probably recognize in my sleep.
"Hey," Eric said.
"Good morning, Eric. How are you?"
That was Faith. And the other voice... Abby.
Eric hesitated. "I’m fine. I hope you guys are okay?" A pause. "You both don’t look so good."
"Yeah... mind if we co in?"
"Sure, co on in."
Shit. My coffee was still on the table.
I held my breath as I heard their footsteps enter the living room. The door shut behind them, and for a mont, all I could hear was the faint hum of the AC.
Then Faith spoke. "Eric, is anyone else here?"
My heart pounded.
Eric, to his credit, didn’t hesitate. "Nope, just ."
A beat of silence.
"Are you sure?" Abby asked. "There are two coffee mugs on the table."
Shit.
"Actually one of them is from last night," Eric said smoothly. "I didn’t bother taking it to the sink."
Another pause. Then the sound of soone sitting down.
"We need to talk," Faith said.
I shifted slightly in the cramped storage room, straining to hear.
"About what?" Eric asked, playing dumb.
"Ladi left ho on Wednesday," Abby said, her voice quieter now. "And we don’t know where he is. He’s been coming here a lot, so we thought you might know where he is."
I exhaled slowly. Tsk. Took them long enough to start looking for —after an entire day had passed.
"Wait, he left ho on Wednesday?" Eric asked, feigning surprise. "Did he say where he was going? And what happened? Why did he leave?" His questions ca rapid-fire, selling his act perfectly.
There was a brief pause before Faith spoke. "We... we don’t know exactly what happened. Daniel just said he left, and he didn’t seem too concerned about it."
"Yeah," Abby added. "But sothing feels off. Ladi wouldn’t just disappear like that without saying anything."
Eric let out a thoughtful hum. "And you guys ca all the way here because...?"
"Because you’re his closest friend," Faith said. "If anyone knows where he is, it’s you."
I could hear the tension in the silence that followed. Eric was good at playing it cool, but I knew he was thinking fast.
"Well," he finally said, "I haven’t seen him since the last ti we all hung out. He didn’t ntion anything to ."
Faith sighed. "Okay. If you do hear from him, please tell him to at least let soone know he’s safe."
"Yeah, of course," Eric replied smoothly.
I heard shuffling, then footsteps heading toward the door. Just when I thought they were about to leave, Faith’s voice stopped cold.
"Wait... is that his coffee?"
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