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"That I cannot answer for you. It will be fine, Josephine. You need to relax," Stefan said soothingly.
His cell phone rang, shrill and loud. He glanced at the screen and frowned. "This will just take a minute. "
He left the room, muttering softly into the phone. I heard him go into his office and I didn't think. I just reacted. I bent down to grab my boots and moved silently up the hallway. Grabbing my purse, I inched the door open and quietly stepped out into the hallway. As I closed the door, I ran for the elevator, jabbing the down button repeatedly.
"C'mon, c'mon," I grumbled, shooting an anxious look back at the apartment door, praying that it didn't open. When the elevator finally arrived, I let out a sigh of relief.
And for the second time today, I ran.
* * *
I ended up at a coffee shop in Chelsea Market, finishing my third cup of espresso. It had done n
othing to calm my nerves, only making me jittery and adding to my paranoia. Stefan had called my cell phone at least 20 times in the last hour, my phone chiming after receiving yet another voice mail message from him. I was sure he was furious with me.
I was furious with me.
I hadn't listened to any of his messages. I couldn't tolerate hearing the disappointment and fear in his voice right now. My life had turned on its axis, spinning out of control, my mind was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I couldn't stop the barrage of thoughts: my possibly dangerous and evil father, my missing mother, the knowledge that I had some sort of immortality, changing, Stefan, moving and leaving behind two of my only friends. . . I was scared to death, feeling like I was only holding on to the remnants of my old life by a thin thread. And instead of relying on the one person that loved me the most, I chose to run.
Pushing aside my cup with a sigh, I felt extremely silly and stupid.
My phone rang again and I closed my eyes. I'd been waiting on this phone call.
With shaking hands, I answered the phone. "Anna?"
"Josie! Thank god!" Anna yelled out in relief. "Lukas just called me. Stefan is going crazy looking for you. "
"Yeah. I figured as much. "
"Ok, let me sit down for this. What exactly happened? You need to tell me what's going on. "
Running my hands through my hair, I rested my forehead in the palm of my hand. "Where do I start? There's a lot I can't talk about over the phone, Anna. Everything is out of control. Imagine finding out everything you thought you knew about your life has been a big fucking lie. "
"I can't imagine what that would be like. Josie, did you ever think Stefan might want to help you with this instead of me calling you to discuss your drama?" Anna asked pointedly. "If you're going to be with him in a relationship, you can't take off running every time you get stressed out about something. "
"I didn't think Anna. I just ran. "
"Hmm. How's New York?" Anna changed the subject abruptly.
"Loud. " I turned my head to the side as I shifted in my chair. "I thought I'd hate being in the crowds, but it hasn't been so bad. "
There was silence on the line and I could hear the crackle of the long-distance connection. "What are you going to do now?"
"Oh Anna, I don't know," I whispered. "He's probably going to be so pissed that he's changed all the locks and my suitcase will be sitting by the door. "
"Bitch, please. That man loves you. I've seen it firsthand. Quit being melodramatic and get your ass in a cab and go home. Talk to him. " Anna urged. "I'm pissed that you left Bali without saying goodbye, but we'll talk about that later. Right now I want to you to fix the mess you just made, Josie. Don't make me come to New York. "
Laughing weakly, I fiddled with a spoon on the table. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry about Lukas calling and putting you in the middle of this. "
"That bitchy queen means well," Anna snickered for a second and her voice became serious again. "I swear to god Josie, if you screw this up with Stefan I'll kick your ass. Remember what it was like when you had your misunderstanding and you were apart? Both of you were miserable without each other. "
"I know," I paused. "Thanks, Anna. I'll see you soon. "
"Bye, girlfriend. "
Dropping my phone in my purse, I stared at the table. Anna was right, I needed to find a way to fix this. Pushing my chair away from the table, I hurried through the glass door and out onto the chilly night air. Hailing a cab, I slid inside.
"261 W. 28th Street, please," I said loudly over the sound of the cab driver's radio.
