HER | ✓

⍣Eleven⍣

It's strange how you know someone so well. Years pass until you meet them again, and it feels like everything you ever knew about them doesn't apply to who are they are today. You have to relearn who they are. What they like. What they're about. Everything. And you're left to wonder whether or not the whole thing is really worth it.

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Clayton and Farah drove back home with minimal words shared between them. For the majority of the drive she kept running circles in her mind, over and over again. Her head hurt and she felt nauseous. Why did it matter what happened to him? It wasn't her place to care or to know. Their fling ended years ago because that's all it was... right? Instead of fretting over it further she leaned her head against the cool window, and studied the way the sun shimmied across the snow covered horizon, creating a perfect reenactment of spilt glitter on her childhood desk.

The truck pulled into the drive and he threw it in park. He grabbed the bags before she could make a move for them. She stepped out and her hands went to the necklace around her neck. He offered her a smile to ease her nerves and jerked his head towards the house.

Inside they shed their jackets just as George padded downstairs. He approached Farah with a wide smile glistening from here to the Milky Way and back. He captured her in a hug and placed a welcoming kiss on her forehead. Although it wasn't an overly intimate move, Clayton averted his gaze. Never in his life did he think he would be jealous of his brother.

"How was it?" George looked upon her with tenderness.

"It was nice." She nodded, glancing at Clayton.

Clayton was retreating to the kitchen and stopped at the mention of his name.

"Clayton didn't make any moves on you did he?" George questioned her and threw a smirk in his direction. "If he did I suppose we'll have to fight it out like the old days."

Her eyes flitted to Clayton then back to George. "No. Your brother seems like a true gentleman. He wouldn't let me carry the basket. As you can see he didn't even let me carry anything inside." She smiled up at him, waving her arms.

"What a shame." George looked mildly disappointed. "I was looking forward to it."

Clayton wasn't sure why he still stood there and left them to put everything away in the kitchen. Everything except the box of tampons. He grabbed them off the counter and sashayed back to the hall to find George guiding Farah up the steps. To catch their attention he coughed loudly and raised the box in the air.

They turned around wearing opposite expressions. A true Kodak moment is was. One he would never forget. George's face depicted horror, disgust and confusion while hers depicted embarrassment and shock.

"Crap," she whispered, stumbling back down the stairs to retrieve the box from him. Her face blushed crimson red. He noted this happened often. The girl he knew characterized confidence, control and never showed vulnerability to anyone. He felt like someone took her eighteen year old self and crushed her until she no longer existed, leaving no hint of her in sight.

Snatching the box, she tucked it under her arm like it would make the situation disperse and fly away. "Thanks," she mumbled.

Like the crack of a whip he had an idea.

"Can I take Charlotte out sledding?" He stepped forward, looking between George and her.

"Uh..." She didn't expect this.

"It'll give you two some" –dare he say it– "personal time."

She was still recovering from shock when George answered for her. "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea, don't you think Farah?"

"Uh... yeah, great idea." She let out a breathless laugh, gathered herself and added, "But only for a couple hours."

"Sounds like a plan." He grinned at them. "Enjoy yourselves."

The latter of his statement he didn't mean. What he really wanted to tell them was to have the worst time of their lives and choke on soup, but instead he smiled one more time and looked for Charlotte.

He found her in the living room, laying on the floor, scribbling away at a piece of paper. A few feet away a blazing fire roared from the fireplace and it popped and crackled as it whipped up the chimney. Awkwardly, he approached and knelt down at her side, trying to peek at the drawing that was covered with her hand.

"What are you drawing?" He questioned.

She stopped and looked at him. "I'm drawing my mommy and daddy."

"Who's your dad?" He asked.

"I don't know." Her face fell to her drawing and that's when he saw it. The man's face was blackened. "My mommy says I don't have a dad." She continued to black out the stick man's face.

He stood. He felt dizzy. Farah told her she didn't have a dad. His heart thumped harder in his chest. She doesn't know the first thing about her dad, his name, nothing. It shouldn't have shocked him considering her mom was with his brother, but it did.

"Would you like to go sledding?"

The crayon dropped, her head flew up and she stared at him with excitement.

"Really?!"

"Yeah, really. Go get dressed and then we can go."

"Sweet!" She scrambled off the floor and ran for her things.

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They trudged through the thick snow in the backyard to reach the hill on the far end of the property. Clayton dragged the sleds behind him, making lines in the snow, as Charlotte struggled to keep up. The snow barely came to her knees each time her foot sank in.

He stopped walking.

"Here, climb on the sled. I'll give you a ride."

More than happy to hitch a ride, she jumped on the sled.

"I've never been sledding before," she mentioned as he began walking again.

"Really? Why's that?" A child that's never been sledding? This was unheard of!

She shrugged. "We live in the city. You can't sled in the city."

"Not even at a park?" He stopped and looked at her.

Shaking her head she wrapped the scarf tighter around the lower half of her face.

"Your ma never took you anywhere outside outside of the city?"

She shook her head again.

"That is unbelievable!" He exclaimed as if this was the worst sin someone could commit and went back to pulling the sled.

"She's always busy with work."

Clayton paused then started moving again. He thought over what she divulged, and made a decision to make this day, her best day ever. An undercover bonding mission it was going to be. This moment would be his to share, and one that would be close to his heart. He didn't know when he would be allowed to do it again. Making it the best for the both of them was the ultimate mission.

"Time to make your first sledding experience the best sledding experience," he vowed and walked faster. This time with a heart full of determination.

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