‼️TRIGGER WARNING: Chapter 63-74 (the end) of this book will include highly sensitive and emotional topics. Viewer discretion is advised‼️
"Good morning, my love."
"God, I hate waking up."
Cleo kissed the top of my head, "But I bought you something."
"You said it was March."
"It...it is March, babydoll."
"Whatever," I muttered, trying to rub the sleep from my eyes. "What is it?"
Cleo lifted a large bag from the floor and set it on my lap, which was more my stomach because apparently, she didn't know the way around my anatomy when I was lying down.
The bag was heavy and it winded me, "Sh-shit, Cleo."
It was certainly a way to wake up.
"Oops, sorry," she picked it off of me with ease, giving me a small, apologetic smile.
She made it impossible to stay mad at her for long.
I looked back at the bag and read the label. "You got me a weighted blanket? Holy shit, I'm in love with you."
She laughed and began to unzip the airtight bag for me, and once she'd unfolded it, next came wrapping me in it.
"I feel like a caterpillar." It was indeed heavy on top of me, but the compression felt nice.
Cleo laughed again, a sound I could never get tired of. "I'm glad you like it."
"Hey, Cleo."
"Yes?" She sunk further into the covers and I held her hand.
"Do you think you could wear sunscreen?"
She snorted, "I'm not sure sunscreen would help my skin from melting off my bones, babydoll."
"Aw, lame, okay."
"Are you that upset about it?"
"I mean, I don't think the whole skin melting-off thing is that cute."
"Ah, I see. You just want me to be as cute as possible."
I hummed, "Yeah. We should go buy more books."
"You have tons of books you haven't read, Marine."
"You sound like my mom," I grumbled. "That's not the point. The point is the hope I have in the store when I think I'll read them. I like buying them. Don't you want me to be hopeful?"
"I see. Are you trying to guilt trip me?" she scoffed.
"Besides, we're millionaires, so..."
She glanced at me, "Interesting analysis."
"Then I can buy you a little pink dress, too," I told her.
She laughed, "Is that your dream?"
"I mean...if you're going to fulfill it..."
She sighed, "I don't really like dresses all that much, babydoll."
"Yeah, I've noticed that. It'd be cool if you did, though."
She just gave a weak smile.
"You wanna watch a movie?" I asked.
Cleo smiled and kissed my cheek, "Sure."
Then she handed me the remote, because she still had yet to learn how to use it.
Once the movie was on, I could barely pay attention to it. My eyes kept getting drawn to Cleo, her face. She was next to me, and I knew she knew I was staring at her, even though her eyes were stuck to the TV.
I liked watching how her chest rose and fell, how her lips pursed, and how her eyebrows twitched in reaction to every little thing on the screen.
Without thinking, I reached out and gently ran my fingers across her jaw. She glanced down but didn't turn me away.
To touch her was to touch a blooming flower, with feelings of excellence and safety. I could never get tired of her.
"Sorry," I whispered. It sounded like one of those dumb apologies you did when you were newly dating, the things that didn't need apologizing for.
She took my hand from off her jaw and set it on her lap, compressing it by the chilliness of her skin, combated with the warmth of the blanket.
My fingers curled in between hers, slipping together like smooth ice and hooking like a needle through water.
"Cleo?"
"Yes?"
"Did Namara ever tell you how pretty you are?" I asked softly.
Cleo paused, then looked back down at me. "I...don't recall her ever going into detail."
She smiled, "Not like you, babydoll."
"God, you're perfect. I want to look at you forever," I whispered. I would've written an essay about her every feature if I had the motivation to, with scribbles in the margins.
"I suppose you're competing with my ex now?" she asked me, looking back at the TV.
"I would in a second."
"No need, babydoll. You're so clearly the love of my life."
Cleo turned back to me and lifted my chin until our lips met. She still tasted the same, no matter how many years passed. She tasted the same as kissing in a field in the middle of winter, but the sun still shone and the flowers still rose above the fluffy white snow.
And tinges of blood, sweet and metallic every now and then. It was something I'd gotten so used to, I'd feel upset if I didn't taste it every time we kissed.
Her lips were gentle against mine, soft with safety, the feeling of home.
My stomach flipped in delight. She made me feel like I was glowing.
"Can I strip naked?" I asked.
"Well, that was...wow," she scoffed. "If you want."
It had been on my mind.
"Only if you do too, of course."
"Oh, this is a couple thing, now?"
"I think your body is pretty," I said quietly.
As she pressed her lips to my cheek, I could feel her smile.
"Okay, babydoll. You've won me over, I suppose."
Her words floated so beautifully off her tongue, it made her irresistible.
In just a few movements, our clothes were on the floor, and our bodies were shoved against each other.
"If babies need skin-to-skin contact so do I."
"You are a baby," she said with a light huff.
"Breastfeed me."
She didn't say anything for a minute. "You...need to get out more."
I smiled and kissed her collarbone.
Our legs were tangled together under the covers as my head rested on her chest. Now I could feel just how soft her breaths were, how lightly she took each one in and out.
Her hands ran down my back, and her fingers glided up in gentle strokes. "You're gorgeous, Marine. I don't think I tell you that enough."
I giggled, "That's okay."
"You deserve it," she said. She'd said it almost accusatively, like I wouldn't believe it if she didn't use that tone.
Which, I guess was true.
Cleo buried her nose in my hair, kissing the top of my head. "You smell good, too. You always smell delightful."
I blushed, "Th-thanks, Cleo. I think you smell pretty good, yourself."
She snorted, "I know that. That's why you won't let me buy a new cologne."
"I like that one!" I cried, muffled.
"You've liked it for over the past decade, babydoll, I know."
There was a small knock on the door.
Cleo sighed, "Hide your tits."
"E-excuse me?" I tried to stifle a laugh. I never thought she'd say that.
I ended up laughing as she pulled the covers above my chest.
"Be quiet," she hissed. "Come in!"
Thank God we'd taught our kids to knock. Who knows what they could've seen by now.
The door slowly creaked open and Melanie poked her head in.
"Hey."
Cleo looked at me, then raised her eyebrows back at her, "Yes?"
Theo whispered from something behind Melanie, and she just slapped them off and whisper-yelled a faint, "I know!"
"Can we go to the mall?"
"There, now I can get you that little pink dress," I said quietly to Cleo.
She rolled her eyes and turned back to Melanie.
"Do you need anything in particular?"
She paused, "No. But does Theo need all their different Juicy Couture perfumes?"
Cleo didn't respond.
"So?" Melanie asked.
"It's fine scented fragrance mist!" they yelled from behind her.
"Shut up! It's the same thing," she hissed back.
"It is not!"
"Okay!" Cleo sighed, "Yes, we can go to the mall."
"Oh, okay cool," Melanie gave a thumbs up. "Hey, Mom, can we get food with high preservatives too?"
I scoffed, "Sure."
"Epic!"
"I remember when I used to get bullied for saying that word," I muttered to Cleo.
She snorted, then turned back to them.
"Just...let me and your mother get-"
"Okay bye!" She quickly closed the door. I could hear Theo groan.
"Thank God," I mumbled. "I guess we're going to the mall after all."
Once we all got in the car, it seemed there was a lot on Melanie's mind. A lot she needed to talk about.
"Do you think I look like Peppa the pig's cursed cousin, Mom?"
"Wh-what?"
"Yes! That ancient old cartoon. Theo says that's what I look like!"
"I didn't say it outright," he muttered.
"Did you ever watch Peppa Pig, Cleo?" I asked.
"Would've been better than Cocomelon," she shuddered, focusing on the road.
"You're avoiding the question! The animation looks like it was done in a microwave," Melanie whimpered, "I don't want to look like that."
"You overline your lips!" Theo cried.
"Obviously! Mom gave me horrible small lip genes."
Well that just made me feel attacked.
"Well-" Theo stammered, "Well, you gotta do it better than...whatever that is."
She scoffed. "You put your setting spray on after you do your mascara," she whispered, her tone evil.
Theo gasped, then smacked her arm, "Don't out me like that!"
"Don't slap me!" She slapped them back.
"O-okay, no one smack each other," I shook my head.
Melanie scoffed, "Yeah, remember who saves your ugly ass when you get beat up at school."
"Here we go again," I mumbled.
"Put your ego away," they rolled their eyes, "no one beats me up. N-not psychically."
"But I will be there when they do," she said sternly.
She waved a hand by my face from the backseat. "Ooh, wait, turn this one up."
I wasn't exactly sure what song it was, but I could identify it as early rock, maybe from the 60's or 70's. However, I was sure to know the title after Melanie had screamed all the lyrics and the chorus a thousand times.
It gave me the good kind of headache, though.
"I raised her so well," Cleo said to me.
I just scoffed, "Eyes on the road."
When we got to the mall, it was incredibly crowded.
Melanie went up to Cleo and put her hand out, a look of desperation on her face.
"Pleaseeee?"
"Didn't you already spend your allowance?"
"Pleaseee, Mama, pleaseeee?" she begged.
Cleo just sighed and opened her wallet.
She dropped five twenty-dollar bills into her hand, along with a random fifty, "Just meet us back here in two hours, okay? And stay together, please. Beat up any assholes."
"Right, okay."
"Do you want my knife?"
"Wh-why do you have a knife?" Theo asked.
"I'm an attractive woman," Cleo answered confidently.
"O-okay, thanks Mama, we'll be going now." Melanie grabbed Theo's hand and they ran off.
"Well, hopefully they don't get kidnapped," I said, watching as they drifted farther into the distance.
Cleo took my hand and led me through the swarms of people, finding the nearest bench and sitting down.
"You're sitting me down so I don't buy you a pink dress, right?"
She snorted, "If that's what you'd like to believe."
"A skirt maybe?"
"Babydoll, it's fine. I...won't enjoy it, but it's fine."
She seemed too hesitant for my liking. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
"Okay, okay." I responded, settling into the wooden bench.
I closed my eyes, picking up small pieces of people's conversations.
"Don't kiss me, okay? I don't want to get hatecrimed."
She snorted again, "Got it."
Then she sighed, "It's 2041, we still have to worry about that?"
I wasn't sure if she was talking to me or more to herself, but regardless, I still responded. "I'd rather not find out."
When the children came back in two hours, Cleo was practically asleep. I was mindlessly running my fingers through her hair, scrolling through social media with my other hand.
"Mom!"
"Yeah?"
"Theo just got more Juicy Couture perfume!"
"Well...she can buy what she wants," I snorted.
"I know, it's just kinda dumb."
"You're dumb," Theo said, looking straight at her.
"You're stupid," she argued.
"You're ugly."
"Okay, God," I interjected. "That's good."
I don't know what possessed me to have babies so close together. Now I had two teenagers, who acted like teenagers, too.
"Ooh, by the way," Melanie started, "I met a cute guy."
"Do tell," I prompted.
Cleo grabbed my hand, her eyes still closed, and gave it a squeeze. I squeezed back, giving her a small kiss on the cheek.
"Um, okay, so, he checked us out and like totally smiled at me."
Cleo gave me a side-eye.
"I...that's great, lovely," I told her.
"Theo says I'm overreacting."
"No! No, I think that...it's great to be hopeful."
Her mouth fell open. "Mom!"
I quickly changed the subject. "Are you ready to go?"
"Fine, I guess."
She usually also did the talking for Theo, so I took it as an overall confirmation.
"You'll have to show me everything when we get home."
One of the few good memories I had with my parents was when me and my mother would get home from the mall and would give my father a little fashion show.
So when we got home, Melanie did just that, skirts and pants and everything. On top of that, Theo forced us to smell his new perfumes.
"Thanks, Mom, I mean for today," Melanie said as she put her clothes back into her bags.
I smiled, "Yeah, of course, lovely. Your mother is the one who gave you the money, though."
"Yeah, yeah."
She came over to hug me, and it was quite tight.
I let out a small laugh, "Okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. I love you, Mom."
I wrapped my arms around her.
"I love you too, Mel. Let's order that high preservatives food now, okay?"