Chapter 9

Nox

The damn pinging of my iPad brought me back to reality. I ran my hand through my hair as I tried to make sense of the sound. It was dark, the middle of the night, yet the sound wouldn't stop.

Ping.

Ping.

I'd finally fallen asleep after a few too many fingers of whiskey. It didn't seem to matter how much alcohol I consumed—it wasn't enough to wash away my guilt at not being able to help Charli. I should be with her. She should be with me.

Her crumpled letter, the one that both Deloris and I knew wasn't from her, lay on the bedside stand beside my bed. Though she hadn't been the one to write it, its presence gave me a sense of connection. Next to the letter was my phone. I'd sent her multiple text messages and even left a couple of voicemails. My mind told me it was useless, but I couldn't seem to stop.

I continued to reason that when she finally turned on her phone, she'd see that I'd tried, that despite the roadblocks, I'd done my best to reach her and wouldn’t stop.