Nicholas came home feeling completely drained and exhausted. It had been one of those endless days full of talks about money and his father's plans to boost the company's image and influence. The meetings dragged on forever, and Nicholas's patience was wearing thin.
The house was eerily quiet. He figured Lily must be asleep in their bedroom. He opened the door only to find the room empty. The bed was neatly made, and everything was in its place, as if no one had been there for a while.
"She should be out more often," he muttered to himself. "Just let me have some peace."
He said this as though Lily's presence alone was a burden. He took off his clothes and went to the bathroom to freshen up. His stomach growled, reminding him he needed to eat. Nicholas wasn't much of a cook, but he had some basic knowledge regarding cooking. He whipped up some pancakes and ate them with a glass of milk. Feeling too tired to go out, he plopped down on the sofa and fell asleep almost immediately.
The loud rumble of thunder woke him up. He opened the living room window and saw that it was pouring rain. Night was quickly closing in.
"Where is she?" he wondered aloud. He picked up his phone and then remembered he didn't have Lily's number.
"Great! How am I supposed to reach her?" he said in frustration, tossing the phone aside.
Meanwhile, Lily's phone was buzzing nonstop with calls from an unknown number. She wasn't in the mood to answer, but the calls kept coming.
"Lily, dear," her grandmother, Old Bloom, said gently. "You should answer the phone."
Lily had come to her grandmother's house for some comfort after a rough day. She hoped being with Old Bloom would help her feel better.
Reluctantly, Lily answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Where are you?" Nicholas's voice came through, sounding frustrated.
Before she could reply, Lily hung up, confused. "How did he get my number?" she wondered aloud.
"Who was that, dear?" Old Bloom asked.
"It was Nicholas," Lily said, clearly irritated. "He's so annoying!"
"Why did you hang up on him...it's not right child, call him back."
"I know Gran... I'm not in the mood to talk nor listen to his ranting."
"You know I'm not in support of this, regardless of whatever your intentions are, it doesn't justify what you just did, so call him back before this escalates into something else." Old bloom said her voice firm but cold.
"Why are you supporting him Gran, you're making me feel bad."
"I'm not child, I just want you to see things from my own perspective... hanging up on him was and is not the right thing to do. After all he was the one that called to confirm where you're."
"He doesn't understand me Gran, he doesn't even appreciate what I do."
Old Bloom nodded in understanding. "Men can be like that sometimes. They might not always see things from our side. But they might just need a little nudge."
Lily's phone rang again with Nicholas's number. She groaned and handed it to her grandmother. "I don't want to talk to him," she said.
"This child."
Old Bloom took the call. "Hello, Nicholas... Yes, she's here... No, she can't talk to you right now... Goodbye."
Lily felt relieved. "Thanks, Grandma. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Old Bloom smiled warmly. "You'll always have me. Now, it's time for you to head home."
Lily nodded, knowing her grandmother was right. She packed her things and hugged Old Bloom tightly. "Thanks, Grandma. You always know what to say."
Old Bloom hugged her back. "That's what grandmas do. Now go home and talk to him. You two need to figure things out."
Lily took a deep breath and stepped out into the rainy evening. The rain seemed to match her mood as she walked slowly towards direction leading home. When she got there, she found Nicholas pacing in the living room, looking agitated.
"Hey," he said as he saw her.
Lily tried to stay firm, hoping her grandmother's advice had helped, but she could see it hadn't.
"Yeah?" Lily replied.
Nicholas's tone was harsh. "I called you—"
"How did you get my number?" Lily cut him off.
Nicholas hesitated. He had found her number in a diary she left on the bedroom table.
"Is that really what matters right now?" he avoided the question.
"So what should matter?" Lily asked, raising her voice.
"Hold on, we're doing this now?" Nicholas said, clearly annoyed. "Why did you hang up on me?"
"I didn't want to talk to you," Lily answered firmly.
"I didn't want to either, but you need to let me know where you're going and how long you'll be out!"
"So now my plans are your business, but my calls aren't?" Lily shot back.
"Don't get any ideas. Nothing about you concerns me," Nicholas retorted.
"So this conversation shouldn't even be happening?" Lily asked, frustrated.
"I'm your protector!" Nicholas said with conviction.
"And Who made you that?" Lily questioned.
"Unfortunately, that's not what we're discussing, but I won't be held responsible if something happens to you because of your attitude!" Nicholas's anger was clear.
"Do you ever tell me where you're going?"
"You're not protecting me!" Lily's frustration was evident.
"Great. So you don't understand that I could be blamed if something happens to you? That people might think my husband disappeared during our honeymoon?"
"I'm not your husband!" Nicholas snapped.
"Oh, how I wish that were true," Lily said bitterly.
Nicholas's face turned red with anger. "So now you've finally found your voice?"
"You thought I was dumb? Interesting. But here's a newsflash: you've picked the wrong person if your only goal is to make my life miserable!"
Nicholas's anger flared. "I get it now. I see why you go to your grandma's—to learn how to talk back to your husband. I always knew your family was full of rude people with bad manners, and your grandma is no exception."
Lily's anger exploded. Without hesitation, she slapped Nicholas across the face.
"Don't you ever talk about my family like that!" she yelled, her voice shaking with rage.
The room fell silent, the storm outside now echoing the storm within.