Pleasure & Pain [d.m]

𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕

"Three knocks means it's me and four knocks means it's your father. We've gone over this plenty of times already, Cora. Do you have it memorized?" Cora's mother, Kate, asked as she bent down to be at her five year old's level.

"Three knocks means it's you and four knocks means it's dad." A younger Cora repeated, making her mother smile as she placed strands of her daughter's hair behind her ear. "How many knocks do I get?"

"Two knocks." Sam, her father, said as he leaned on the wall.

Cora nod her head before walking over to the door and knocking. Two times.

"What if somebody knocks the same amount as one of you do? How will I know it's either of you?"

Kate arched her brows, Cora's question had never crossed her mind, "Well, we'll pause in between every two knocks. Does that sound good?"

"It sounds good." The small brunette smiled before walking over with her father to the leather sofa and sitting down beside him, resting her head on his chest before shutting her eyes and dozing off, feeling safe in his arms.

Cora sighed shortly before knocking firmly, two times. Anxiously waiting for her mother to open the door, she knocked two times again.

This time, the door swings open, revealing a wide eyed, nicely dressed woman opening the door — her eyes slowly narrow back to normal at the sight of her daughter, expecting for it to be someone else.

"You knocked four times, Cora. You're only supposed to knock twice." She took a step back before turning, leaving the door open as she walks back to her room.

Cora silently cursed at herself for making it seem as if it were her father knocking. She was so overwhelmed of anxiousness that she had forgotten about the knocks — and also that Finn was right behind her.

"Go ahead." Cora offered Finn to go first to which he politely declined, making her sigh. "Stop acting like a gentleman and just step inside, Finn." She chuckled, pulling his arm and pushing him inside the house.

Once she stepped inside, the door behind her closed with a small push and her eyes wandered throughout the house — everything was squeaky clean.

It made her face drop at the meaning behind it.

Her mother grew into a bad habit of cleaning until her body couldn't function, physically not allowing herself to continue.

She would over work herself and Cora at times just in case someday her husband ever came back from that long trip he took and would find everything organized and clean.

It was difficult growing with her mother after her father left. She used to be caring and gentle with her, but she turned into a different person once she refused to accept her husband wasn't coming back.

At first, they thought he was dead. Sam Boswell wasn't the type of guy who left with the intention to never come back.

He always came back.

Until that day.

"I'm going to check on my mother. I'll be right back." She leaves her coat hanging on the seat and walked through the hall, reaching the end of it. Tilting her body, she knocked softly before seconds later opening the door at the lack of words from her mother. "May I come in?"

Kate turned to look at her daughter, whom she had not seen in months, and nod her head — giving her permission to step inside, which Cora does.

"How have you been?" Cora asked softly, her voice wavering in slight fright as she took small steps forward.