Paper Folds | On Hold

Slate

Ray was staring at the door, unresponsive.

"You will talk to this person, and it will remain between you two, you know how this works. If you don't feel comfortable with me, this is a good alternative. It's been three months and more since that... incident. You need this. You get what I'm saying, right?"

Ray now looked back at Blue. 

Blue stared right back at Ray. If Ray would have seen herself in a mirror, she'd see that her hair was frizzy and somehow put in a bun on her head, a strand was stuck in the corner of her mouth. But Ray made no attempts to move it. 

Blue sighed.

"Ray?"

She simply blinked at Blue.

Blue stood up, took her things from the bed, and looked down at Ray for a moment. Ray was still staring where Blue had been sitting previously.

Blue walked towards the door, paused mid-stride, and turned to look back at Ray.

"I know you heard me. Happy twenty-sixth birthday, Ray. Hope you like my gift. Goodbye."

****

Ray closed the door behind her and walked up to the living room. She sat down on the couch facing the door, as she looked up at her mother.

Her mother had been cleaning up the counter in the attached kitchen when her eyes fell on Ray. April looked at her with a dumbfounded expression, and after a silent moment of staring, she seemed to collect herself.

"You alright?"

A nod in response.

"Mom?"

April kept the kitchen cloth aside and washed her hands, then absentmindedly wiping her wet hands on her skirt, she sat down opposite Ray.

"What is it, sweetie?"

A soft wry smile bloomed on her pale face, for the first time after a really long while, and April did a double-take. Ray was smiling. It was still less of a smile, but it was close to one.

"Hey, Mom?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not sweet anymore."

Ray still had that smile on her face, but now she had an eyebrow raised, and she was looking at her mother. April opened her mouth, but closed it after a second thought, then smiled at her, and sniffed loudly, trying to control her emotions. 

"Yeah. But you are to me. You were saying?"

Ray was struggling to speak, after all she hadn't been using her voice for a long while. And then there was a part of her that kept wanting to shut her up, to go back to being quiet. She wasn't very good at expressing herself. She rubbed her forehead with her fingers, massaging her skin, then looked down, mulling over what she wanted to say.

"Yes. So...I had a talk with Blue-"

She unknowingly winced while saying her ex-boss's name.

"- yesterday and I have decided to try a hand at talking to somebody else, if that's what's best."

Ray rubbed her palms together,and looked at her mother. April was looking at her with wide eyes, and immediately got up, nodding her head.

"Uh-yeah, whatever is best, yes of course. You want me to call Blue and tell her about your decision? She will arrange for someone, I think she had told us about this idea of hers about you talking to someone else. I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to hear you trying to work this out yourself, and yes, it will be great. Let me..."