What Happens in the Dark

Chapter 40

I woke up around 3 AM with my arms still wrapped tightly around Monroe. I looked up at him as he looked down at me and gave a faint smile.

"You're still here." I smiled.

"I told you I'm not leaving you." He said. I turned my head up towards him as he pressed a kiss on my lips. His hand brushed the side of my face lightly stroking my cheek.

"I need a cigarette." I sighed untangling myself out of the sheets. I reached into my bedside table and grabbed my pack then walked out onto the balcony. The sky was a navy blue that was lit up by the moonlight. Stars illuminated the sky and all I could see in the distance was the silhouettes of the trees. Monroe wrapped his arms around my waist kissing the side of my cheek.

"How do you feel?" He asked sitting in the lawn chair.

"I don't know honestly. I'm sad of course, but I'm also numb in a way, like he's already been dead most of my life." I said looking out at the trees to keep myself from crying, "but then I think about the good memories we had, and it hurts."

"Of course it does, and it will, but you will be okay, I just hope you know that." He said sternly. I nodded my head taking a drag of my cigarette.

"If you weren't here I'd probably lose my shit." I laughed.

"Same." He smiled.

****************

I went back to sleep at around four and woke up at 11 AM. Monroe is still here which meant the world to me. I felt a little better, but a sadness accompanied me, that felt as if it's weighing down on my chest.

"I could watch you sleep for hours." He smirked.

"Weirdo." I yawned stretching my arms up. He chuckled.

"Your Aunt is coming up."

A few seconds later there was a knock at the door on cue. I sighed bracing myself.

"Come in." I called.

My aunt entered with a medium sized cardboard box in her hands. She swallowed before she spoke.

"Your mother wanted me to give this to you, I think it will help." She smiled faintly. I looked at the box in confusion taking it from her. I pulled off the top of the box slowly seeing hundreds of photographs. My chest tightened and I quickly closed the box.

"Thank you, Aunt Dana, but can I have a moment?" I asked her. Aunt Dana nodded her head giving me a warm yet sad smile before walking away.

"What's in the box?" Monroe asked me concerned. I then inhaled and exhaled before opening the box again. I grabbed a handful of pictures and looked at them. There were pictures of me as a baby and pictures of my mom and dad as teenagers looking so happy and in love. I never got the chance to see them like that. There was a picture of my dad holding me as a baby. His skin was a dark tan, he had a muscular build, not like he looked when he left. The drugs made him lose so much weight. He was smiling so big holding me in the air with his tattooed arms. My eyes started to fill with tears again and Monroe put his hand on my back.

I looked through all the pictures laughing at some and crying over others. Then there was a few birthday cards. I reached to the bottom of the box and pulled out a few pieces of loose leaf with pen ink scribbled across the lines.

My baby Seven,

I know I've caused you so much pain. I know I've hurt your mom, but one thing will never change. I love you more than anything and I can't wait until I can make it up to you one day. Right now things are so complicated and im sorry because you're just a kid. You don't deserve any of this. Your mom and I fell in love so young, and had you on top of it all. I hope you forgive me for the choices I've made. Happy birthday baby girl.

December 16th, 2016. Dad.

He reached out? My eyes scanned through each letter. All dated on my birthday, every year, since my eighth.

"What's wrong love?" Monroe asked.

"My dad reached out to me every year of my birthday since the day he left and my mom never told me." Tears started to fill my eyes. "I can't believe this, I've hated him for leaving me and never making any attempts to reach out, but he did."

"I'm sorry Seven." He said hugging me. I cried into his shoulder. I was so pissed. I jumped up and immediately grabbed my phone and walked to the balcony dialing my mom's number.

"Seven I don't know if this is the best idea, you're mad right no-"

"Fuck that and fuck her." I said putting the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" She answered in a groggy voice as if she'd been crying.

"How dare you." I said with my voice cracking.

"I guess you got the box." She sighed.

"You're fucking right I got the box, you selfish bitch." I yelled, "Why would you watch me cry myself to sleep for years and never felt the need to tell me that my dad had been sending me letters that YOU opened. Not me, but YOU."

"Seven he wasn't good for either of us I didn't want him in and out of your life. He was in and out of jail so much." She protested.

"That wasn't your decision to make!" I screamed, "You should have put your relationship with him aside and thought about me, for once! You never ever thought about me. You leaned on me, and I was too fucking young. How dare you. I want nothing to do with you." I hung up the phone still clenching my fists. I opened my hand looking at the blood surfacing on my palm from my fingernails digging into it.

"Baby, come inside please." Monroe called out to me. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed.

"I just can't believe this. I didn't even think she could go that low."

"It was wrong of her, but she was also on drugs and drunk all that time, those things make you extremely selfish, you know?" He spoke calmly. His deep voice was like a calm during the storm, even if I didn't like what he was saying.

"It still doesn't make it okay." I said sternly. He nodded his head, "You're right. but I want you to come back in here and look at these pictures, because those actually made you smile."

I looked at him for a second in silence wanting to protest, but couldn't. I walked inside with him and sat back on my bed picking up the picture of my dad holding me as a baby. I ran my finger lightly across it. Suddenly my necklace started to glow red.

"Monroe-"

"He's trying to tell you something."