In Your Custody

•TWENTY-FIVE•

Vera sat at the round kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal with a frown set upon her lips. It was Thursday morning around 10 and she had been rudely awakened by Axel shaking her and telling her to get up. He hadn't done this before in the few days they had been living together and she worried if she had done something wrong.

Did she hog the blankets at night?

Did she snore?

Was he growing tired of her presence?

Her eyelids still felt heavy and goosebumps covered her bare pale arms making her shiver as she lifted another spoonful to her mouth.

Axel stormed out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, a hand raking through his wet curly hair, "Do you work?" He asked the only other words he had said to her all morning.

Vera shook her head and quickly swallowed, "No, sir." She answered him trying to be as polite as she could in case he was upset with her, "It's Thanksgiving, we're closed."

He nodded, standing in the middle of the kitchen for a split second longer thinking before he went into the room they now shared. He left the door open as he got dressed, making her focus on the floating circles in her bowl, "We are leaving in less than an hour, so get ready." He called out to her.

That woke her up a little. Her bun flopped back loosely on her head as she quickly stood up, the chair tipping back at the abrupt movement, "What? Where are we going?" She asked, finishing off the last of her cereal and tossing the bowl in the sink, not worrying about washing it right now.

She stood in the threshold of the bedroom, holding onto the frame, waiting for an answer as Axel was pulling on a pair of dress pants. He sighed annoyed and looked up at her, his wet hair sticking to his forehead, "My mom's. Get dressed." He instructed, tilting his head to the floor where her things were. He wasn't angry with her, but he had yet to learn how to control and channel his emotions any differently than how he had been handling them for the last 28 years.

"An hour isn't a lot of time-"

"Vera I'm not asking." He said sternly and emotionless, turning his back to her once more.

Her pale pink lips parted and she blinked, her chest burning with embarrassment at being reprimanded. She hated when he was upset, especially if it was with her. Her heart sunk like a rock, lying heavy in her chest, each beat sending a spike of pain through her. It wasn't anything to get overly worked up about and yet she was upset. Pushing it aside as best as she could, and not wanting to cause any more problems she set her duffle bag on the bed and began to paw through the items trying to find something nice to wear.

Luckily, Axel had taken her back to her apartment over the weekend, under heavy supervision, and let her grab a few more things she would be needing during her stay with him. This thankfully gave her the opportunity to pack at least one nice shirt she could use to dress up a pair of skinny jeans. 

She took out the clothes from her bag and hurried to the cramped bathroom, not bothering to argue for more time, knowing it was futile. Axel liked to keep his schedule and that would never change. He was punctual and precise... most of the time.

She undid her bun and brushed out her messy hair, which was a task in itself, then braiding back a small front section leaving baby curls framing her face. She had never been the best at doing hair and it took up a lot more time than she was proud to admit. She hurriedly slipped on her black top with long lace sleeves that would billow anytime she moved her arms. It always made her smile and feel like she was more regal than she truly was, but now was not the time to admire herself and play around.

As she was trying to put on a bit of makeup, despite time running short, Axel knocked on the door, "Come on, we gotta leave in 10." He said, a bit calmer now.