It was like Sylvie had dropped off the face of the earth. Loki thought surely she would respond to his text about the apology dinner he hosted for his parents and how everything was back on track with his family, but he heard nothing. No memes. No GIFs. Not a word.
Days of radio silence turned into a week. Loki had only texted once more, not wanting to come across as pushy. He asked if she wanted to meet for tea during what had become their normal hang out time. When she still didn't answer, Loki texted Mobius and the two of them met up on the High Line because Loki was too stressed to sit and talk.
"Is she okay?" Loki asked as soon as he saw Mobius walking toward him.
"Hello to you too," Mobius replied. "I'm fine, thanks for asking." He motioned for Loki to join him. "Let's walk it out. Come on. How are things with your folks?"
Loki shoved his hands in his pockets and fell in step next to Mobius. "Fine. Better? I was told I don't have to meet up with you anymore. I suppose my father has told you that as well?"
"He did. But I'm glad to hear it from you in person. I knew you didn't really need any help from me, but all the same I was glad to spend some time with you. Your dad's a good guy, Loki. You are too. Just in case anyone ever told you different. Sylvie had been in such a better mood these past few weeks and I know it was probably because of you."
It was a compliment Loki had rarely received, but he took it to heart. Sylvie had come to mean so much to him in such a short amount of time and to think that he might mean something to her made him feel hopeful. It also made him feel a bit lost, though.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do now, though, or if I'm allowed to do anything. She won't answer the few texts I sent her, but I didn't want to text her more or call her because she obviously wants privacy. And I want to help, but I don't want to force myself into her business because that might make things worse. And—"
"Slow down there, big guy," Mobius said, clapping Loki on the shoulder. "We'll figure this out. Now, walk me through the last time you saw her."
Loki exhaled loudly through his nose. "I mean… we were out together two Fridays ago and I thought we were having a good evening. We got ice cream for dinner. We laughed. Talked about some of our 'stuff,' as we keep calling it because of you. We nearly, uh… Well, she got several texts and then she left. Again. And I haven't heard from her since."
"Did you know…" Mobius started, but then rephrased his question. "Did she tell you where she went that night?"
Loki shook his head. "All she said was there was something she had to deal with on her own. I offered to get her a car, but she walked away from me." Loki took a hand out of his pocket and ran it through his hair. "That's twice she's done that now, Mobius. And if she doesn't want to see me anymore, fine. But I can't help but think something is really wrong and I need to know she's okay."
"Well, she's… not," Mobius said and then had to stop walking because Loki had stopped. "Look, what am I supposed to say? She's back to how she was when she first got to my place. Spends most of the day in her room sleeping. She keeps telling me she'll be fine, but there's obviously no timeline for that."
"Do you think it's something to do with Thomas? With her ex?" Loki asked, trying to connect whatever dots he could.
"I mean, maybe?" Mobius shrugged. "Did she say anything about him the last time you saw her?"
Loki frowned. "She told me something that she said she hadn't told you. But I can't break her trust like that."
Mobius nodded. "I respect that. But that does kind of leave us in a tight spot."
Loki chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Do you think I… could I come see her? Try to talk to her in person?"
"Like come to my place?" Loki nodded. "That could work."
"Do you think she'll see me?"
Mobius shrugged again. "I honestly don't know. But at this point, it can't hurt to try. The worst she could do is kick you out, I guess." Mobius sighed and nodded to himself. "You really like her, don't you?"
Loki's cheeks flushed. "But that doesn't matter if she won't talk to me, Mobius."
"You free tomorrow night around 8? I have a… a tutoring thing, so I'll be out of the apartment for a few hours. If she lets you stay, you can talk or whatever without me getting in the way."
"Tutoring? On a Sunday night?"
"More like a first date with the woman that runs the tutoring sessions. Ravonna." Loki's eyebrows slid up. "Oh, don't be so surprised. You kids aren't the only ones trying to figure stuff out."
