❝exam (pronounced iɡˈzam or ig-zam), noun
an examination in school.❞
"You want the truth?"
She nodded silently.
"I did. For a long time, I did."
Her heart sunk. "O-Oh."
"I don't anymore, but..."
She stayed silent, staring at her notes. Hunter sighed, moving closer. "Honey? Let me explain, please."
She made no indication that she had heard him, but he spoke anyway. "Yes. For a long time, I resented you. I hated that you left me like that, like it was the easiest thing you had ever done. I hated how eager you were. I hated that you left me with three kids, and that you took just one of them with you. I'm not gonna say I didn't, because I want to think that our relationship is built on trust, not lies."
"It was never ea-"
"Hold on. You didn't let me finish. I started to see changes in you, my dove. I started seeing that familiar spark in your eye, the spark I hadn't seen for a long, long time. I started noticing how you seemed to be smiling more often than not, and that you were... happy. You were happy, my dove. And honestly, I couldn't have been happier that you were finally smiling again."
Her eyes flickered up to look at his, and he smiled gently. "I promise. I pinky promise, with all my heart, that I love you more than life itself. You're everything to me. And whether we're together or apart, that won't change."
She nodded, and he picked her up again, setting her down on the couch. "My darling, it's late, and you're tired. You need rest. Studying won't help if you haven't slept all night."
"I know. But I don't know how well I'll be able to sleep."
He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."
"No, you're right. It was stupid of me, to think that my dyslexia isn't enough of an issue that it would affect me on my exam. This counts for so much of the grade, Hunt. I should have-"
"Should have, could have, would have, but there's nothing we can do about it now. So, let's drop it, and we can rest. How about that?"
"I suppose."
Hunter smiled, moving her woollen wrap to the side to reveal the tank top she was wearing underneath, and touching her tattoo. "I love you."
"I love you, too. I'm sorry-"
"Don't apologise, my dove. I know. I understand you better than you think I do."
She looked up at him and smiled slightly, and he chuckled, his hand moving to the space on her back right between her shoulder blades. "You're so beautiful."
She nuzzled her face into his chest, and he sighed. "Let's go to bed. Rest up."
"You know, there's a strange sense of charm about sleeping on the couch. A sense of home."
"Are you insinuating that you want to sleep on the couch?"
"Big words, Hunt. I don't recommend that you use your entire vocabulary in one sentence."
"You wanna say that again?" he said jokingly, kissing her. "I could totally take you down in a fight."
"As if," she scoffed, laughing. "You'd fall over if I breathed on you."
He began tickling her, and she squirmed, trying not to laugh. "Get off!"
"Only when you admit I'm smarter than you!"
"Thought you said our relationship was built on trust, not lies?"
"Oh, that does it!" He pinned her to the couch, still tickling her, and they both began laughing loudly.
"For God's sake, you two," yelled Elle from a bedroom. "You're not nearly loud enough, the people on Mars can't freaking hear you!"
"We're trying to sleep," added Phoenix.
Hunter chuckled, kissing Ryan once. "Sorry, kids," he called, looking down at Ryan. "We'll keep it down."
"We ought to sleep," said Ryan softly, though she was still breathless from laughing.
"I have a better idea," he said, kissing her deeply. She shuddered, and he pressed slow kisses down her neck. "We can be quiet."
"I don't want to be tired," she said quietly. "I'm sorry, but-"
"That's fine, we have another night all to ourselves," he said, giving her a quick kiss and getting up so that she could sit up. "Do you want to stay here, or go to bed?"
"Bed would be better, wouldn't it? In order to get some proper rest, I mean?"
"Yeah, I guess. Let's go to bed." He picked her up bridal style, making her laugh, before he carried her to her bedroom. He lay her down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Sleep well, my dove," he breathed, before Ryan drifted off.
<><><><><><><><>
Ryan walked out of the examination hall feeling defeated. Her brain was hurting from all the complex things she had written, and all of the musical notation she had needed to read.
Becca ran up behind her. "Hey, how did you go?"
"Don't think I passed," she said tiredly.
"Aww, don't say that. I'm sure you did just fine!"
She sighed. "I dunno. So much of it was stuff I feel like I just didn't answer properly."
"I-" She stopped, staring. "Hey, isn't that Spencer over there with that man?"
Ryan glanced up. Sure enough, Spencer was waving excitedly, with Elle, Phoenix and Robin all standing beside Hunter, who was holding a bunch of-
"Hydrangeas," she said softly, smiling. "You hopeless romantic, Hunter."
Becca's eyes widened, and she looked again. "Wait, is that Hunter?! He's here?!"
"He came to visit on a whim," she said. "And the whole family came along."
"That's so sweet of him."
"I know."
"Mama!" Robin ran to Ryan and hugged her tightly, and she laughed softly, kissing the top of her head.
"Hey, petal."
"How did your exam go?" said Elle, quickly hugging her as well.
"Not bad," she lied. "Let's all of us go and grab some Nandos."
"Is it good there?" asked Phoenix, sounding slightly skeptical.
"It's great," said Spencer. "I like the hemon and lerb! It's yummy!"
"I think you mean lemon and herb, honey," said Hunter with a laugh. "Ry, how was it?"
"It wasn't too bad," said Ryan quietly. "Let's not talk about it now, okay?"
"Later?"
"Fine."
He handed her the flowers, and she smelled them. "They smell wonderful," she said, and he smiled, kissing her cheek, before noticing Becca. "Oh! I don't think we've met," he said, though Ryan could see that he was quite confused. "And you are...?"
"Becca Waterman," she said quickly, holding out her hand. "Sorry, I didn't even introduce myself, how silly of me."
"N-No, not at all," he said, analysing her face. There was something strangely familiar about her face, something that made her... almost like an old memory.
Ryan glanced at Hunter, and nodded, answering his unasked question. So, this woman was related to Mina somehow? He'd ask Ryan later. He gave her a quick kiss. "Let's get going. Are you hungry, kids?"
"Yeah, I am!" said Robin.
"Becca, would you like to join us?"
Her eyes widened. "Oh, no- really, I couldn't possibly-"
"Come along, Becca, you may as well," said Ryan with a smile.
"Thank you, but it's fine, really," she said, shrugging her bag onto her shoulder. "I really must get going. I'll see you soon, Ryan."
"Bye," she said, then turned to Hunter, who put an arm around her waist.
"You okay?"
"'Course. Just tired. The test took a lot out of me."
"You can take a nap when we get home, my dove."
She nodded slightly, and he kissed her cheek. "Let's get going, then. I'll drive us, shall I?"
"Yeah. We got here by taxi, but you've got your car here, right?"
"Yep. Let's go."
"Can it fit all of us?" asked Elle skeptically.
Ryan bit her lip. "Actually... no. It can't. Five seater."
"Oh!" Spencer tugged on Ryan's sleeve excitedly. "Can we go on the double buses, Mama?"
She sighed. "I suppose. Alright, let's go to the nearest bus stop, then."
"Are we getting there in a double-decker bus?" asked Elle. "I've never been on one before."
"Me, neither," said Phoenix. "They have one in Harry Potter, right?"
"No. Stan and Ernie have a triple decker, but that's not safe."
"Elle's right."
He shrugged. "Close enough. Double decker is still cool."
"Let's go, Mama, let's go!" said Spencer excitedly. "Papa, let's go!"
He laughed. "Alright. Let's go."
<><><><><><><><>
Ryan felt her eyes flutter open. She was lying in bed, feeling extremely tired, and she blinked, looking up. Hunter smiled at her gently, stroking her hair. "So, sleeping beauty finally awakes," he said softly.
"What happened?" she asked quietly.
"You fell asleep on the way home. I went and got your car back for you."
"Do you even have a license to drive here?"
"No, which is why I asked Jenny to bring it back for me. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. Have I been asleep for a long time?"
"A little while. I ordered in dinner, since-"
"Wait, what? What's the time?"
"Nearly eight. Are you hungry?"
"You're joking! Didn't we get home around four?"
"Yeah. The kids started watching movies, Elle's been practising her dances, and I came down here to stay with you. You didn't get nearly enough sleep last night, so I let you stay here." He chuckled slightly. "You still say adorable things in your sleep."
Her nose scrunched up, and she went red in the face, making him laugh. "Am I embarrassing you?"
"Not in the slightest," she said, though she was still blushing.
"'I love you so much, Hunt'," he teased, making the shade of red a steadily darker colour. "'You're so wonderful and perfect...'"
"Stop talking yourself up so much," she muttered, and he laughed, kissing her hair.
"Ah, I've missed you."
"I've missed you, too," she said, leaning up and kissing his nose.
They lay there for a while longer, until Hunter said, "So... we're leaving tomorrow."
She lowered her eyes. "Yes. You are."
"Are you... okay with that?"
"Of course I'm not."
"Oh. Uh..."
"You think I'm going to just be happy and smiling about this, Hunter? I'm legitimately upset. I love you. I've missed you four so much. I don't want you to leave." She smiled slightly, and kissed him. "But I understand that you need to go back home. This isn't where you belong. I know that."
"You know I'd stay longer if-"
"I know. I promise, I know." She stroked his cheek gently, kissing him again. "It's okay. Don't beat yourself up about this- it's not long. Three months is nothing."
"Exactly. Compared to three years..." He sighed, stroking her back. "You're so wonderful."
She smiled slightly. "Now, I know the jetlag's been hard on you, so why don't you rest up for tomorrow, and I'll go and grab myself some dinner, and make the kids some quick dessert?"
"Are you sure? I'm not that tired."
"You will be by the end of tonight, bluejay," she said, winking, and he snorted.
"Subtle."
"Like you ever have been," she retorted, though she laughed.
"Alright, get outta here."
"Will do." She kissed his nose once, making him smile, before leaving the room.
She went into the kitchen and took a bite of the now cold pizza, along with some nuggets. The kitchen was suspiciously empty. She decided to take a look around, to find the kids.
She found Elle, Spencer and Robin in the study room. Elle was on her computer, Robin was making some bracelets, and Spencer was cheerfully playing with his new truck. She left them be for the time being. She was still looking for Phoenix.
She eventually came across him sitting in the living room by himself, in the dark, with only the light of the TV for him to see. He was sketching quietly, concentrating so hard that he hadn't even noticed Ryan come in. She quietly sat down beside him, and he glanced to his left, then back down. She looked at what he was drawing. "Is that Nita?" she asked, suddenly surprised. The piece was amazingly drawn. Her fur had incredible detail, and her eyes caught light that didn't exist. Ryan had the urge to touch the soft looking fur, the wet looking nose.
"Yeah," said Phoenix very quietly.
"It's incredible."
He didn't respond, and Ryan sighed. "Why don't the two of us watch a movie?"
He shrugged. "'Kay."
"What do you want to watch?"
"I dunno."
"What about Zootopia? You like that movie, right?"
He nodded slightly, and Ryan turned on the movie. The movie began to play, and Phoenix seemed quiet, even at the parts he used to laugh until he cried. Eventually, she asked. "What's wrong, my darling?"
He looked down, and his lip trembled ever so slightly. "I miss Nita. That's all."
"Oh, honey," she said softly. "You're going back tomorrow. You'll see her then."
He sniffled. "I want her now. She's the only person who'll let me talk to her without ever being mean or saying mean things."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The kids don't like me. I don't like them. They're mean."
She pulled him into a hug gently, kissing the top of his head. "It's okay, my darling. You'll get to see her again soon."
He nodded slightly. "I always feel lonely, Mama."
"Don't you have anyone at school who you're friends with?" She was very careful to try and make it sound like she wasn't accusing him for not having any friends.
"No. They don't like me."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't play sports, or do anything boyish. I do... girly things."
"So what?"
"They call me gay."
"Who does?"
"The sixth graders."
"Why would they..."
"I don't know."
Ryan gently stroked his dark hair, kissing it. "Would you like Papa to come in and talk to your teacher?"
He shook his head. "Why not?"
"Because then they'll hate me even more."
"It's hard, honey. Going to school is a really tough thing to do. But I know you're gonna find a friend, or someone you like, and it'll be easier for you. Do you understand?"
He nodded slightly, then snuggled up closer to her. "I missed you, Mama."
"I've missed you, too, my darling."
"Why did you go?"
"I told you, remember? I needed time-"
"You're our mom."
"Yes, but-"
"It's like you don't even care about any of us except Spencer," said Phoenix. "You only took him. I don't care about school, neither does Robbie or Ellie. We just wanted to come with you. And Papa is always so sad without you, and you're just... you just... you..."
She felt like she had been punched in the stomach. "I..."
He wouldn't look at her. "I'm sorry, Mama. But it's the honest truth. I feel like you don't love us."
"I'm glad... that you told me the truth." She took a deep breath. "Okay. There's no way I can prove that I do love you, is there?"
"Come back with us."
"I can't. Not yet. In three months, I can come, but not yet."
"Why can't it be now?"
"I need to wait for the graduation ceremony, and I need to know if I got my certificate."
Phoenix's eyes went cold again, and he looked down. "Right."
"Honey, please-"
"No. This is more important to you than we are. It's okay." He stood and left the room.
Somehow, this hurt even more than Elle's loud and angry outburst on the first day. The way he said it, not angry, just... disappointed. It stung. Phoenix had always loved Ryan so much that to see him suddenly so quiet, and barely able to make friends, it was the worst feeling she had ever had.
And for the millionth time since she had moved to London, she felt regret.
*A/N: VOTE, COMMENT AND FOLLOW!!!!
Nethii <3*