Treat You Better

Chapter Thirty-five: Going 360°.

Mom's eyebrows crashed down. "Keith does not tell me what to do. No one tells me what to do."

"Whatever you say, Princess Olivia." Dad said, unfolding his arms just to pick up the cupcake in front of him, look at it and put it down. "You have what you always wanted..."

Mom smirked, resting an elbow on the table and supporting her chin with her hand.
She was so effortlessly beautiful, I'd almost forgotten.

"You have what you always wanted too, Jimmy." She said looking around the place. "Your own restaurant? You followed your dream, I'm... proud of you."

"Thanks, that means so much." Dad said dryly.

Mom's smirk only expanded. "Sarcasm? Wow, someone's tougher than I remember."

More leg bouncing on Dad's part. He was trying to play the tough guy but unfortunately for him, that wasn't his forte. Mom was the tough one and he was the pushover.

"Okay, jeez I was just trying to know what else I missed." She said leaning back into her seat. "Do you work out now?"

She was having a laugh.

"Technically, that's not really your business."

"Technically, I'm still your wife."

I did not know that. Was that what those papers were then? Divorce papers?

"Doesn't mean you can walk into my life anytime you want, you need to stop doing that. You need to make up your mind so you don't have me watching out or something, okay? You're not some kind of boss lady anymore."

"I'm not?" Mom asked, going to rest her elbow on the table again, this time 'accidentally' knocking her cupcake to the ground.
"Oops."

Almost without thinking twice, Dad stood up and went to it, bending down to pick it up before he realized what he was doing.

I face-palmed with a quiet sigh. This guy.

Mom looked down at his position on the floor, raising up her sunshades to reveal a victorious look in her eye for a second before it softened to something else.

Dad sighed in resignation and looked up at her, the smudged cupcake between his fingers. With one hand, Mom reached out and brushed back some of his hair that had fallen out of place.

Absently, I tried to remember when they stopped looking at each other like that.

"Here, I'll throw the stupid cupcake away." Dad said, sighing again. "It has raisins anyway."

"I hate raisins" Mom said, watching as he made to rise.

"I know... OW!" He'd slammed a shoulder into the underside of the table with a bang as he stood.

I hid my snort behind my hands.

"Jimmy!" Mom said, immediately getting up to rub his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Ouch, yeah, yeah I'm fine...." Dad said, laughing lightly at himself, "I'm such a...mess..."

"You hit yourself pretty hard."

"It happens!"

"Didn't break anything?"

"No, but I'll bruise for sure..."

They were both laughing now and Dad had his hand on her elbow.

I chuckled a little too, but got a hold of myself before I started longing for something that wasn't certain.

But they clearly weren't over each other yet, it was obvious since they were still holding each other despite their laughter having died out.

"Jimmy." Mom said.