Tino loved it. He giggled looking up at the ceiling, trying to touch some of the stars. He was still trembling from his crying, face still wet with tears.
"You babies find the littlest things amusing," Roman muttered, looking through his closet for a baby book.
"I'm pretty sure that's why they're called babies," Zadia said, walking into the room. She stood by the door awkwardly, a warm bottle in her hands. "You want the door shut or open?" She asked.
Roman frowned while in his closet. "What kind of question was that?" He had asked himself, before replying, "Closed, of course. When have you ever seen my room door open besides now?"
Zadia rolled her eyes, shutting the door. "It was just a question." She said lowly, before joining Tino on the floor. She propped herself on her side and playfully began to pinch his belly just how he liked.
"Mama." He said again, this time more clearly. He then proceeded to babble.
Heat rushed to Zadia's face as she looked at him nervously. She didn't know what to do. She wasn't experienced with this type of stuff. "I'm not the one that told him to call me that... by the way." She blurted out, so Roman could hear. "I know you probably think that seeing as I'm with him all the time... but I seriously wouldn't do that."
Roman walked out of the closet, two small books in his hand. He found himself frowning again, his eyebrows knitting together. "I wasn't thinking that... besides I was kinda expecting it. He's been watching those stupid baby nursery stuff and he's around you a lot so it wasn't rocket science." He laid on the other side of Tino, his arms propping him up as he laid on his stomach.
"How do I go about it?"
Roman shrugged. "I don't know, I've never been in a situation like this." He sighed, tiredly. "If you tell him to call you something else, he'll be confused and when his actual mom comes back, he'll also be confused. Everything's just a shit ton of confusion." He paused, letting a second of silence go by. He thought Zadia was going to correct him about his use of language, but when he saw that she didn't, his frown deepened.
Zadia caught the curse word the second it came out of his mouth, but she didn't bother saying anything because a part of her didn't want to. She was tired. "You suck at advice." She had said instead, handing Tino his bottle so he could feed himself. Zadia looked at the cat who was across the room, its yellow eyes watching her as though she was some type of food. "Does your cat need to watch me all the time?"
"She doesn't trust you."
"Damn, even the cat? Now that's just downright bogus."
"She just needs time, much like everyone else." He said, grabbing the ice-filled washcloth and placing it on his bed. He'd put it back in the kitchen later.
She sighed. "I screwed up, I know that... I just don't get why everyone's still mad about me screwing up. They screw up all the time, but they don't see me reacting the way they do."
"People take things in differently, Zadia. You of all people should know that. Besides, picture yourself in their shoes. I'm sure you'd be acting just like them."
She rolled her eyes and huffed. "I wouldn't."
"You would." He resorted, opening one of the books with an Elephant on the cover.
"You still mad at me?" She asked him, staring at the veins in his arms. "Because if you are, you do a good job at masking it."
The hair on his body stood as he watched her eyes drift from his face to arms. He shook his head. "Your decision to leave here was stupid, but you did it... life goes on and as you said, you learned your lesson. If I were still mad about your decision, that would mean I trust you, which I don't. The others do or did trust you, hence why they're still mad."
ChApTeR - 9
Start from the beginning
