sirens - david dobrik

chapter thirty four

After an eventful few days, it was finally time to head back to LA. Sophia missed Apollo and being in her apartment with Marcie. She was happy that she'd be able to sleep in her own bed for the first time in a while. Her family was staying a few more days and going up to Miami to visit some friends. When she said goodbye, Lucí let it spill that her and Wyatt had made plans to see each other again. Sophie had asked Jason for more information, but he was pretty bland about it. Trisha on the other hand spilled all the tea. She said that Wyatt was head over heels for her, which Sophie found really cute.

All of the vlog squad was sitting at the gate waiting for the plane. Matt and Sophie were huddled around his computer as they watched BlacKkKlansman. David was trying and failing to film a bit with Jason and Wyatt. Everyone was just doing their own thing, but they were all relieved to be going home. After a long plane ride, they touched down at LAX. After a few fan encounters, David and Sophia made their way to her apartment. She screamed as Apollo jumped on her excitedly, practically knocking her down. They sat down on the floor and played with him for a bit before going upstairs to her room. Marcie wasn't home, which Sophia found a bit odd. She sent her a quick text checking up on her.

"I'm so fucking happy to be home." David sighed, laying back on her bed.

"Me too. I'm so tired."

"God this edit is gonna take forever." He groaned, yanking the laptop out of the bag.

"Put on headphones or I'm breaking up with you."

"Help me edit or I'm breaking up with you." He countered back, her smacking him playfully.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Tell me if it's funny."

"You always ignore me when I tell you it's not."

"Because you're wrong." He laughed, making her roll her eyes.

"Fine, I'll stay up to validate your hard work."

"Thank you."

—

A number of weeks had passed since New Years, and things were very different. Marcie had found a boyfriend while they were gone, a boyfriend who was ridiculously possessive. He was responsible for taking her out of Sophia's life. It was the day that Marcie was moving out of their apartment, and she didn't even come to say goodbye. It was just her boyfriend picking up her clothes and personal items. Amidst all the chaos, Sophia couldn't wrap her head around the fact that her best friend of practically a decade left her over a man that she had just started dating. She was also extremely worried for her safety. If this man was so possessive a this stage, she could only fear the worst for the future. She played back their argument in her head when Marcie finally admitted what was going on.

"Well, he wants me to move out because David's always here."

"I'm always at David's. He's slept over here maybe ten times in the past year. He's constantly working. Also, he's my fucking boyfriend."

"Listen, Cody means a lot to me and honestly I wouldn't mind moving. He's so right about you sometimes it's unbelievable." Marcie scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"What? Marcie, don't be like that. I'm just saying he has nothing to worry about is all."

"I go by Marcia now. It sounds less dumb. I'm moving out next week. Honestly, I think we should just both move on from this." She shrugged, turning on her heel and closing the door to her bedroom.

Sophia hugged herself as she watched Cody lug the suitcases downstairs. She sat on the couch with Apollo, who spent the entire time growling at her side. Cody approached her, Apollo jumping up and barking menacingly. He took a step back and laughed chillingly.

"Was the guard dog really necessary, sweetheart?"

"What do you need, Cody?"

"Oof, there's no need to be hostile babygirl." He smirked, shaking his head.

"Don't call me that."

"I always did like them feisty." He chuckled, biting his lip as he ate her up with his eyes.

"Get out of my apartment. You got everything you need."

"Not everything." He shook his head, approaching her in one swift motion and wrapping his hand around her throat.

He forcefully lifted her from the neck. Apollo jumped up and bit his arm, making him gasp in pain and hit him in retaliation. Sophie immediately punched him in the throat, knocking him back as she kicked him. David emerged from the front door, raising an eyebrow at the scene in front of him. Cody stood up from his place on the floor, grabbing the suitcases and exiting the apartment without another word. Sophia immediately crouched down and looked at Apollo, tears in her eyes as he rested his head on her lap. He seemed to be fine, but she still felt bad that he had been hit. She didn't even care about herself at the moment.

"What just happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Sophia, you're on the verge of tears. What did he say to you? Why was he on the floor?"

She turned to face him, shaking her head and covering her face with her hands.

"He grabbed me by the throat, David. He tried to drag me upstairs. I couldn't breathe. I was terrified."

"S-Should I call the police?"

"Just leave it. I already lost Marcie. I can't handle her hating me for the rest of our lives." Sophia sighed, crashing back down into the couch.

David hesitantly took a seat next to her, taking her hand in his.

"What if he comes back?"

"He probably won't."

"He might."

"Doubt it."

"Stop being so stubborn. It's not safe here. Move in with me." David suggested, taking his cheek in her hand and kissing the top of her head.

"Babe, this is my apartment. It's been my place for almost five years now."

"And all this place is gonna do is remind you of Marcie. It's not healthy for you, and it's not safe. Come live with me." David mumbled, squeezing her hand supportively.

"What about Apollo?"

"He's gonna love the backyard. Thank god he's hypoallergenic."

Sophia giggled, shaking her head as she smiled widely.

"Are we really doing this?"

"I think we are." David nodded, pressing his lips against hers.

______

Hey! I'm so sorry for the late update. I just moved back to school and I'm getting used to my new schedule and workload. I promise I'm working on posting more frequently. Right now I'm posting every few days but I think I might extend that to a chapter a week. Is that okay with you guys! What's a good day to upload? Let me know.