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19:24
THURSDAY
SANTA CARLA
DATE NIGHT
My eyes begin to adjust to the deep red wrapped around Lucy's petit figure; her face is dancing with excitement as she trots over to the dresser in her floral heals, fitting a pair of golden studs into her ear lobes. She looks incredibly desirable and I'm practically certain that Max will have a rather blatant shock when he first sees her. Her cheeks are a shade of lighter pink as she presses the hue from the pallet, into the feathered brush, and spreads it across her glassy skin.
"He'll be here any minute." She finishes up and takes a black clutch between her upper arm and rib cage, "But before I go, I wondered whether I could have a word?"
She looks at me with hopeful eyes and I begin to suspect that whatever she has to say, is going to be something that I won't like very much. I nod.
"I just wondered about you, is all. I notice that bag you always have with you. Do you have a place to stay?"
My previous allegation is correct and I can't help myself when I begin to avoid her gaze, "Yeah."
"Yeah, as in you have a safe place to stay?" She pauses, "Or yeah. as in you aren't sure?"
I inhale through my nose and my chest raises when it reaches my smoker's lungs; I'm beginning to grow defensive and my teeth grit together. I don't want to upset Lucy, there is something about her that is keeping me grounded, yet I still can't seem to settle my temper, "It's not a big deal."
"It's a big deal to me." She says and I find myself looking up at her in shock, her hands are on her ups, and mine loosened the fists that they begin to form.
"Why?" The words fall from my mouth before I can stop them and I instantly feel shame in them.
I'm curious about what she has to say despite the discomfort that comes to me in such a foreign language. Lucy inches closer to my sitting form and carefully places her hands on either side of my upper arms, "Just a concerned mother. You know, we have a spare room if you'd like?"
My eyes shift over to the ground and they narrow down to a crack in the floorboards. I have a hatred for feeling vulnerable, though it pricks at my skin at this moment and I find myself growing accustomed to it, "I can take care of myself."
"I don't doubt that one bit. But at least take my offer." She removes her hold of me and adjusts her cardigan, "At least that way, you could get back on your feet without worrying about sleeping at night."
"I couldn't just intrude like that." - I suck up my pride and bite down on the inside of my lip.
"Oh, darling, don't worry about that." She smiles down at me, "Dad loves the company, even if he doesn't show it."
