Author's note: Sorry for the long wait guys! I was so happy to see you were happy with my version of Alicia leaving the firm. Now, back to 'now'. Updates will still come slow. My job is asking a lot, and on top of that I recently moved. Still I really enjoy writing story and have many, many plans.
Summary: orce ma·jeure noun \ˌfo rs-mä-ˈzhər, -mə-\ 1: superior or irresistible force. 2: an event or effect that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled. Alicia & Will, 7 months after she left L/G: "Ms. Loy," I politely reply and reach out to shake her hand. "I'm sorry to come here unannounced, I was just about to leave." "No, you were just talking to my granddaughter," she smiles. "Red wine?" She holds the bottle up to me. "Or did you come all this way to stand in a doorway?"
Thanks: to Jen, as always. For proof reading the chapter, pointing out details, fixing commas and coming up with fresh ideas. And a huge thanks to all the reviewers, please keep them coming! It's inspiring and keeps me going.
Force Majeure
Chapter 13 – Little Miss Loy
"I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited. But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it."
- Adele (Someone Like You)
Monday, 05:40 PM
I glance at the blue bag in my hand as the elevator takes me up to her floor. It sat on my couch the whole weekend until I decided to take it back to work this morning and return it at the end of the day.
I let out a deep sigh and shake my head as I realize how returning a blood stained blouse is more so traumatizing than a nice gesture.
Is this another one of my actions I'm going to regret later? One that's going to hunt me down for days, weeks or years to come? It wouldn't be the first time.
I like to think that deep down inside, I'm still a good person. She's my competition after all, but she isn't my enemy. No matter how much we played each other in court these past few months, no matter how I told her never come back to me, and no matter how I brushed her off after we did end up all over each other in my office… It seemed irrelevant as soon as I saw her collapsed on the concrete like that.
It doesn't mean we're all good. Because we're not. And I don't want us to be. Still, the normal, civil, thing to do is to return her belongings.
I shouldn't be overthinking this.
Drop off the bag, and keep the same distance as that Friday morning. Most will probably come naturally. And after that, things will go back to normal.
For a brief moment, I stand in front of her doorpost, debating whether or not to ring the door bell. Just do it already.
Finally, I ring her doorbell.
The door opens, and I look in a pair of dark brown eyes that, I never noticed until now, look so much like Alicia's.
"Will?"
Grace. I realize I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding. I was expecting to see Alicia. The tension building up inside of me was because I was anticipating… well, Alicia. Not her daughter.
"Hi," I reply, slightly uncomfortable. See, I should have thought through every possible scenario because I did not prepare for her daughter to open the door.
The surprised look on her face quickly shifts into a smile. "How are you?" She opens the door a bit further.
"Great." I reply bluntly, entirely unsure of what to say next. I immediately begin to wonder what she knows and doesn't know about what happened to her mother that Thursday night, and who was with her.
"You?" I return the question.
"I'm fine."
"How's school?" I ask, trying to act casual by leaning with one hand against the doorway. Really Will?
"It's fine." She smirks at me.
Right. This small talk is not going anywhere.
"You're here to see Mom?"
Not exactly. Or, yes, in a way. But I wasn't intending to come see her as in paying a visit.
"How is she doing?" I decide to ask.
"Better." She's gestures inside. "She's taking a nap right now. I could wake her up if you want me to?"
"No, no, it's not important." This is going great. Talking to her daughter while she's asleep.
"Ok…" She gives me a questioning look. "So, why are you here?"
Good point. I hint at the bag in my hand. "I just came by to return this."
"What is that?"
"It's her personal things. The bag, I forgot to take it out of my car." Now, I'm really hoping this isn't news to her. "Here."
She squints her eyes at me, and then reluctantly takes the bag from my hand in hers. "Thanks…"
"No problem."
She seems unsure what to do next. She isn't the only one.
Suddenly, a sharp "Who's at the door?" brings an end to our awkward conversation.
Veronica. Unmistakeably, Veronica.
"It's Will," Grace replies. She gives me an apologetic smile as she says my name. "Will Gardner," she turns around. "From Mom's old work."
"Yes, I know about Will Gardner." The way she pronounces my name doesn't tell me whether that's a positive or a negative association.
"I really should get going," I mutter to Grace, hoping to find an opportunity to get back in the elevator before Veronica shows up.
"Let me say hello!" Veronica's voice comes closer, and before I know it, she walks straight up to me. Too late to turn around now.
"What a wonderful surprise to see you here," she says right as she sees me. Grace leaves us.
"Ms. Loy," I politely reply and reach out to shake her hand. "I'm sorry to come here, unannounced. I was just about to leave."
"No, you were just talking to my granddaughter," she smiles.
"Yes. Well, I only came by to return the bag from the hospital."
"Right." She leaves the door open and walks into the kitchen. I'm still standing in the doorway intending to stay there or at least, not get in any further. "Red wine?" She holds the bottle up to me.
I open my mouth, but don't reply immediately.
"Or did you come all this way to stand in a doorpost?" She shouts jovially from the kitchen.
I swallow hard, thinking about what to do. I really shouldn't go inside. Alicia is going to hate me for doing that. And I'm going to hate myself for doing that. This definitely wasn't part of the plan.
But Veronica quickly pours in two glasses of wine and walks back to me. "Now, come on in so I can close the door." She hands me a glass that I reluctantly accept.
"Why so hesitant?"
"Alicia and I are not on the best of terms," I say quietly. Understatement of the century.
She raises her brow at me. "Right. Well, she's asleep. But as her mother, I'd like to invite you in and hear about what happened."
I nod. I get that. She wants to know what happened to her daughter. I probably shouldn't leave like this.
"Ok." I finally step in the hallway, and she closes the door behind me.
Monday, 05:55 PM
"How is she doing?" I ask as I sit down on one of the bar stools.
"Oh, God, I don't know," Veronica sighs. "She doesn't talk about it. Her face looks much more painful than she'll ever admit," she raises her hands in the air in frustration. "She sleeps half the day, and I just don't know…" She shakes her head and pauses. "I don't how to make it better."
Did her voice just crack? I realize she's almost getting emotional talking about it.
"It was really bad when I found her," I say, staring to the ground in an attempt to avoid eye contact.
She moves closer to me and places her hand on my wrist. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter."
Reluctantly, I look up. "You're welcome."
She nods, then pulls back her hand. "I know, you two… Well, it's complicated."
I don't really respond.
"Or maybe Alicia is just making things complicated," she sighs. "She's awfully good at that."
I stay quiet once more.
Then, a phone starts ringing.
"One second," Veronica says before she hurries into the living room.
I look around the kitchen. Here I am again, unplanned. How is this happening?
"Will?"
I turn around at the sound of my name. It's Grace again, now wearing a coat and scarf, obviously on her way out.
"Thank you," she says.
"For what?" I ask, unsure of what she's getting at.
"For taking care of my mom the other night."
"Oh, you don't need to thank me."
"I know. Still," she shrugs and offers me a smile.
I smile back. "You're welcome."
She turns around to head out, but stops in her steps and looks back to me once more.
"Mom never wanted us to know you used to come over… But I know she was, you know, happy back then."
Happy.
There's something about how she says that word that silences all other noises in the apartment. It's a word I haven't heard or used in months. And the way Grace says it reminds me of how Alicia once whispered that in my ear. "This is the happiest I've ever been." The memory hurts.
The muscles in my face seem to freeze and I don't know how to respond to Grace.
"Anyways, I'm going to the movies," she continues casually. "Good night."
"Good night, Grace," I reply with hoarse throat.
I turn back to my glass of wine and let the words of this young adult sink in. A few years ago, I spent hours thinking how it would be to start an actual life with her and her children. How we could make it work. How I would get rid of all the doubt she had about the two of us. But that's passed.
"Grace left?" Veronica asks as she walks back from the living room.
"Yes, you just missed her."
"Oh, well." She gets her glass of wine and takes one more sip. "Now, tell me what happened that night."
But before I can open my mouth, we hear a door open. We both turn around at the sound.
As I do, I look straight into the dark and tired eyes of Alicia.
"Hi." Her voice is hoarse. She crosses her arms in front of her body.
"Hi," I reply, with almost less volume than she used. My heart sinks as I look at her face.
The side where he hit her is definitely less swollen, but dark purple and black bruises give away what happened. On top of that, it seems as if she lost weight. The dark circles under her eyes give away that she hasn't slept at all since I left that morning. She looks pale, much worse than the night I found her. That is what shocks me the most.
She just stands there, arms crossed in front of her body, a cardigan wrapped around her body. The silence is unbearable.
Veronica clears her throat and grabs her glass from the counter top. "I'll be in the other room."
I have no idea what to say next.
Thank you for reading, please review!
Preview for next chapter: Continues exactly where I left you guys hanging, from Alicia's point of view. Alicia and Will, once more.