Angel's Secret ✔️

[FORTY-FIVE]

[UNEDITED]
•AVIANA•

~Three weeks later~

"Thank you for shopping at Boscov's have a nice day," I smiled at the mother and daughter. The blonde haired girl was gleaming with glee as she kept looking at the clothes her mother had brought her. I smiled imagining myself as a mother.

A saw a small bundle of joy in my arms.  Either a boy or girl they were mine.  And I saw them in my arms as I held them like they were my lifeline, and next to me was Angel.  Who'd be the father and we'd have a small wonderful family where he and I raised children of our own in a big house instead of my small apartment.

But the vision faded.  It just disappeared even when I didn't want it to.  I was too young for children anyway. Angel and I weren't ready, and they could wait.

"Your shift is done, Aviana.  Have a good day," my boss, Gia, smiled.  I returned the expression and thanked her, grabbing my pocketbook and walking out the store.  On my way out I looked at myself in the mirror.

I ditched my curls for box braids that fell past my shoulders to my hips. I did it all of a sudden. I just needed to get out of my own skin, and feel different. Yet, I didn't want it to be too drastic. Angel got a tattoo, I got new hair.

Speaking of the Angel, I've been speaking to him a lot. He told me everything. His mom reappearing, and how she wants to see me.  When I first heard him say that I was shivering with hatred remembering how nasty she was to me.  How she'd treat me like I wasn't someone else's daughter, like I wasn't human.  But what Angel told me stuck with me, voicing from the back of my mind.

"Hey," I smiled when he'd called three weeks ago.  I had the same coffee mug in my hands that helped me stay awake for the rest of night before.  In all, I had three hours of sleep but I'd manage.

"Hey, Baby.  How is everything?"  he was wearing a dark blue shirt with white basketball shorts.  His hair was the same, ruffled and blonde on top of his head, but his eyes looked weary.  He looked absolutely exhausted.

I frowned playing, observing him. "I'm fine. How about you? You look like sleep is running away from you and you're having a hard time catching it."

I was such a hypocrite.

He ran a quick hand through his hair biting those fresh pink lips. "Yeah, I didn't get much sleep last night.  Stuff just came crashing down." 

I put down my mug and brought the phone closer to me.  My stern face was on display as I raised an eyebrow.

"Talk to me."

He sighed opening his mouth and then closing it.  Already by observing his demeanor, I began to panic and the worst thoughts came into my mind.

Something happened to Aislin? Or Gabe? Or Lil?

Is Dom there?

Did he confront his parents?

Only one of them was half right.

"My mother came over today. She told me... some things I didn't know," he saw the disgusted frown on my face. "I know you don't want to hear this, and you're probably blocking me out, but listen to me, Avi. She's really sorry for what happened. I know sorry is the most wrong word for this, but that's all she is. And she doesn't want me to tell you because she wants to talk to you herself."

I became rigid, frozen in my spot. My stomach had turned like I'd ate the wrong breakfast even though I didn't eat anything at all. The saliva in my mouth seemed to dry up like I'd been talking. I took a breath in and a breath out.