"Oh, good; you're up."
Trystan was sure she would never fully understand Peter's sleeping schedule. She would find him awake at awkward times of the day. Sometimes, she would arise early, barely past six in the morning, and when she would go in the kitchen to retrieve a cup of coffee, she would see him, already sitting at the table with his laptop and endless manila folders before him. Some nights, he would say he was going to bed, but Trystan would awaken at the quiet shuffling she heard—a skill acquired from having a baby to always listen out for—and from her open door, she would see the soft glow of the kitchen light on and the soft clacking of computer keys.
This morning did not fail to showcase his abnormal agenda. Still wearing the clothes he had gone to bed in, he glanced up from his laptop to look at her. "Oh, yeah; just thought I'd get some work in."
"Isn't it your day off?"
"Yeah, but y'know–," he lifted a heavy file with a playfully smug look, "–there's always something that has to be done."
"Damn," Trystan muttered as she went to sit across from him. She found their proximity easier to deal with after the evening spent with Raina doing her hair, but she was still cautious. He had yet to speak with her about the outburst at Dr. Chavez's office, so she operated around him with a prudence. "Had I known you'd been doing work today, I would've rescheduled."
"Rescheduled what?"
She offered him a small smile before relaying, "I'm going over to Lique's to get my hair done. It wasn't really planned, kind of an "in the moment" thing that happened last night. I texted her and she's graciously allowing me over."
Peter took a glimpse of her hair, piled high into a puffy mound, wondering for a moment what she was getting done to it before meeting her eyes again. "'Graciously'? I thought you already apologized."
"Yeah, well, if there's anything to know about Angelique, it's that an apology isn't an apology until it's said to her face. But it's cool; I've got a few tricks up my sleeve to win her over. But if you want to get your work done, I can tell her I'll stop by another day. I know Dew can be a handful–,"
"No, it's all right," Peter assured. "Go ahead. I can multitask."
Trystan gave him an, No, you probably can't multitask with a near-four-year-old in your wake look, and Peter caught on and chuckled lightly.
"Seriously, I'll be fine. We'll have a daddy-daughter day and I'll be able finish up these briefings for next week."
Trystan held up her hands and snickered. "Okay. I'll hold you to it." She stood and grabbed her purse from off the table top. Swinging it onto her shoulder, she advised she did not know when she would be back. "It'll definitely be later tonight, but if you need anything, just call me. Her favorite snacks and games, I'm just a text away."
"Trystan," Peter chortled, "I got it. Go and reacquaint with your best friend. Dew won't be any trouble at all."
"All right, all right," she finally let it go, though she was sure he would not be able to keep to his word.
"Give Dew a good morning kiss for me," she said over her shoulder before quietly escaping out the door.
Trystan would live for the day when she was able to drive herself around again. It must have been torture for Oliver to show up at the condo's front entrance every time she needed to go out somewhere that would be too far to walk to, no matter how early or late. But still, he greeted her with his typical smile and "Where to, Ms. Wildes?"
She arrived on Angelique's doorstep, a paper bag of breakfast and two coffees in hand. She used her foot to knock on the door, a secret tactic they used to use when they were younger that came in hand now since Trystan's fists were occupied.
Angelique appeared seconds later, clothed in a tank top and shorts appropriate for the warm Los Angeles winters. Her dreadlocks were longer than Trystan remembered, nearly reaching her backside. They were they same deep blonde, clad in gold and silver accessories that emphasized their length. Even though she was one the shorter side, she still stood with that same authoritativeness that yielded anyone's attention, a hand on her hip and a dark brow risen high on her forehead as she looked back at her friend.
"Well, look who it is that decided on a whim to show up on my doorstep at seven in the morning," she snapped, her eyes squinting.
The taller woman surmised, "I know, I know. You know how impulsive I can be sometimes."
Angelique snorted, "Do I."
"But, I have something that will make up for it," Trystan taunted, holding up the bag of food and coffee.
Angelique scrutinized Trystan for a moment before divulging, "You know I'm a vegan now, right? I can smell those sausage and egg sandwiches."
"Yes, but I also know that when Melissa's not looking, you sneak in meat here and there and hope she doesn't find out. Plus, the coffee is mixed with a coconut creamer and raw sugar, so it's not completely against your "diet"," Trystan assured, and with another moment of analytical silence between them, Angelique broke hers with a laugh and reached out for Trystan.
"Come here, girl." She wrapped her arms around her in a hug before allowing Trystan entry into her home.
"You know I'm still waiting to hear the apology," Angelique quipped as she led her down the short hallway. Much of the home was accentuated in black and white, Melissa's favorite interior colors. Trystan remembered Angelique did not mind the lack of color, figuring that as long as Melissa was a great girlfriend and cooked, she could do what she wanted with the home.
"The breakfast doesn't qualify as an apology?" Trystan teased, and Angelique promptly replied with a "Nope!"
"Fine," Trystan playfully moaned as she sat the bag and cup holder on the coffee table in the living room, "I apologize for everything I said to you in the past. You didn't deserve it. You were just trying to be a good friend. To make up for it, I have a bunch of pictures of Dew for you to gush over for two hours and a bunch to talk to you about me and Bruno."
"That!" Angelique whipped around, "Is what I like to hear!"
The two women giggled, and Trystan was relieved that Angelique no longer held a grudge against her. Trystan had shut her off for years, only intermittently showing her attention, and yet the dreadlocked woman still opened her home to her. Angelique was a saint if she was not anything else.
Trystan sat in the chair Angelique already had stationed for her. "Let's get started first, because I promise you, if I eat now, I'll fall right back asleep," Angelique warned as she got her hands prepared in Trystan's hair.
"Fine by me," Trystan replied. She had not much of an appetite, her mind still swirling around Peter and the inevitable conversation they were going to have sooner or later.
"Okay, first things first," Angelique spoke after freeing Trystan's hair from the bondage of a hair tie. "What's the latest with you and Mr. Hernandez?"
Peter had only gotten finished one of the five meeting briefings he was working on when his ear picked up the patter of bare feet against wood, and then marble. Raina appeared seconds later, wearing one of Trystan's college T-shirts. She yawned and rubbed at her eye as she ventured closer to Peter.
Squinting against the easing sunlight of day, Raina greeted tiredly, "Hi, Daddy. Where's Mommy?"
"Hey, sweetie." Peter saved his work and closed his laptop before beckoning her over. "Mommy's not here. She went to see one of her friends."
"So it's just you and me?" she asked as he lifted her into his lap. Jewel perked up at the sound of her voice and hastily made her way over from her bed, gently nipping at both she and Peter's legs.
"Yeah. I think it'd be cool to have a daddy-daughter day," he explained, bouncing his leg lightly to entice her. "How's that sound?"
Raina grinned. "I think that sounds good."
"Okay, then. First things first." He settled her back onto the ground. "Brush your teeth and then some breakfast."
She had heard the instructions, but only continued to stand there, peering at him expectantly.
Peter chuckled, "What?"
"I need help with the toothpaste," she explained. "Mommy does it for me 'cause every time I try to do it by myself, I squeeze out too much."
"Oh." Peter inwardly chastised himself. He thought he had finally gotten a good handle on the whole parenting thing, but ever so often was reminded that he did not have it all figured out. Raina was able to many things by herself, so he had not even thought she would need help for something as easy as toothpaste.
"It's okay, Bruno. Being a parent, you figure out something new almost every single day. She's fine, I promise," he remembered Trystan's words when Peter had nearly mistakenly given the child too many dosages of her inhaler. Trystan had stopped him before he could give Raina too much medicine, and he felt badly the entire day because of the possible danger he could have put their daughter in had Trystan not been there.
It's only toothpaste, Hernandez, relax, Peter calmed himself after the aberration in judgement and followed Raina to the bathroom in the guest room.
"I just copy how Mommy does it. But I can do it all by myself now," Raina edified as Peter sat her on the counter.
"Oh, yeah?" Peter squeezed toothpaste onto her Tinker Bell toothbrush. "Show me." He handed the utensil to her, and she carefully turned around and got onto her knees, brushing her teeth as her mother showed her how to do.
It was amusing to Peter how willing the small child was to prove herself, and then shocking when she could do almost anything she said she could. He admired that kind of aptitude and competence, and thought she could have only learned it from Trystan.
"Your mom teaches you a lot of stuff, huh?" he asked her, and she nodded, her mouth frothy with toothpaste.
"Uh huh!"
When she finished, Peter cleansed her face with a washcloth, teasing her about drool which she found great joy in. Though he had already shaved and washed his, he allowed her to clean at his cheeks, wanting to be of help to him, too.
"I'm not as great as a cook as your mom, but I'm an expert at the microwave," Peter announced as he headed back into the kitchen, Raina trailing behind him. Jewel sauntered over to them both, her tail wagging as she awaited for her breakfast.
"What's a 'expert'?" Her head cocked to the side, the small child wondered as she looked up at her father for an explanation.
Digging around the freezer, he edified, "Someone who's really good at what they do." He pulled out a box of frozen waffles.
"So would I be a expert at coloring? 'Cause I think I'm good at that."
Peter chuckled. "Sure, kid. If you work hard at it, you can be an expert at just about anything."
Raina quieted, gently patting Jewel's head as she mulled over his words. Peter noticed she did that quite often. When she was not being chatty, she would sit in silence, sometimes with Jewel and sometimes by herself with a toy. He always wondered what it was she was thinking about, and then presumed that was probably why she was so good at many things at her age. Thinking, practice, thinking, practice, and repeat.
"You know, she's a lot like you in some ways," Trystan told him one night as she cleaned up some of Raina's toys in the living room.
"Yeah?" Peter cocked a brow. "How?"
Trystan snickered, "When she's not talking someone's ear off, she's quiet like you, in her own head a lot. When I ask her what she's thinking about, she always shrugs and says "nothing," but I know a lot's gotta be going on up there. She's too smart for her own good sometimes."
"You're saying I'm too smart for my own good?" Peter jested.
Trystan rolled her eyes and laughed, "No, just that she picks up on things pretty quickly. She didn't used to do that before she met you. I see how she watches you, tries to be like you in some ways. It's cute."
Peter had not realized the young girl had been analyzing him so closely. He knew how kids could pick up traits from their parents, but he still felt their relationship was so new that Raina would not see him as an objective goal. There was still so much more to learn about the little girl, and for one of the rare moments when he thought about how much time he had missed with her, he instead desired what the future held.
With Jewel's bowl full of her favorite meats and Peter and Raina's plates filled with cinnamon waffles, the morning was going pretty smoothly.
This is a piece of cake. I don't know what Trystan was talking about, Peter thought to himself as he held a youthful conversation with the girl, who ate with manners and did not mess with the syrup even though Peter knew her fingers were probably itchy to tease the sticky substance. The only happenstance that has not gone evenly was when her face soured and her nearly spit out the black coffee Peter let her try after she saw him sipping on it. He could only laugh as she forced the clearly-disgusting liquid down.
It was not until noon hit and the child had grown bored with her crayons that she chose to fin great adventure in riding on Jewel's back as she skipped through the condo. Peter had gone to the bathroom for a split second and had to come rushing out when he heard sudden squealing. He was nearly knocked over when Jewel zipped passed him, Raina clutching onto her collar for dear life.
He shouted for the large dog to stop, and when she came to a sliding halt, he saw that his daughter was not screaming out of fear, but delight. She began laughing so hard that she doubled over, gasping for air.
"That was fun!" she exclaimed, and without a glance in Peter's direction, she urged the pet to go again. Ignoring her master, Jewel set out running again, but Peter caught Raina beneath her arms and lifted her off the dog before they could get too far.
How the hell did she even get her to do that? Peter thought incredulously as he set the girl down onto her feet, trying to get her to concentrate.
"You can't ride on Jewel like that, especially not inside and especially when no one's watching you," he chastised.
"Why?" Raina questioned, finding nothing wrong with what she did.
"Because you could get hurt."
"But I didn't get hurt."
"But you could. Why don't you go play with some of your toys?"
"I already played with them. I just wanna play with you and Jewel."
"Well, all right, but no more riding on her. It's dangerous."
Peter assumed that quick fiasco was the worst of it all, that everything back beneath his control, until he thought it was a perfectly good idea to give an already-hyper, puppy-dog eyed three-year-old ice cream.
"Girl, I can't believe you slept with him before telling him the truth!" Angelique tapped Trystan's partially done head with the comb she was using.
"Ow! Lique!" Trystan rubbed at the tender spot.
"'Lique' nothing!" The shorter woman laughed and began braiding another section of her hair. "I know you're impulsive, but not that impulsive. Why didn't you tell him sooner?"
" . . . I don't know," Trystan sighed and shrugged. "I guess I was just so caught up in us than the whole picture. I knew I had to tell him but then we . . ." she trailed off.
Angelique stopped working and deadpanned, "What, fell back in love?"
"Yeah, that. And it made everything that much harder."
"God," Angelique droned, "you're such a sap."
Trystan made a noise of offense. "Says the woman who still cries at The Lion King."
"Mufasa deserved better!"
The two women giggled and Angelique queried, "Well, what are you guys doing now? I definitely didn't expect for you to tell me you were staying with him."
"Not permanently, just for a month. We want Raina to grow up in a stable household, so I agreed to come out here for a while so she could see him and he would still be able to go to work."
"And what about you two?" Angelique inquired. "What do you two want out of it?"
"I just told you."
"Girl, you know what I mean. Don't try to sit there and act like you guys don't want each other."
God, I do want him, Trystan kept herself from being so transparent, and configured her words to sound less foolishly enamored, "I mean, if things go well, I could see us getting back into a relationship, but with Bruno . . . you know how hard it is to get a read out of him sometimes. He talks when he wants to, but I notice when he goes quiet and won't tell me something."
"Mm," Angelique hummed, sympathizing as best as she could. "You just gotta give it more time. This is all still pretty new to him. I'm honestly surprised he's been taking it as well as his. I thought he was ready to kill someone the way he came at me about it."
Trystan cringed. "I'm sorry for that again. You shouldn't've had to deal with that." Angelique had relayed to her how Peter practically crashed a small get together, eyes ablaze and demanding to know more of the truth from her best friend.
"For the thousandth time, I accept the apology," Angelique's lips lifted in a small grin. "I figured that was gonna happen sooner or later, so I was prepared. And I wasn't scared if that's what you''re worried about. I may be small but I can stand up to a lion if need be."
Trystan knew that as fact; Angelique was a fiery woman, she knew that even if Peter was angry at her for keeping the secret, too, she would not let him talk down to her.
"We've been going to this family therapist, and I think it's been working. Bruno doesn't mind sitting next to me anymore, we talk more, smiles a lot more often. But . . ."
"But what?"
"I still think he's hiding something from me. He had a little episode at one of the meetings. I was with Dew in a separate room so I couldn't hear what happened, but I saw it. He didn't tell me anything about it, though, and it's kinda bothering me."
"I'm sure he'll open up to you when he's ready."
"It's gotta be something serious if he can't even talk about it."
"Yeah, that may be true, but he won't keep it from you forever. Don't worry, Tree; when the time is right, he'll let you know what's up."
"He used to tell me everything . . ."
"You weren't in the same circumstance back then that you're in now; you know that." Angelique leaned to Trystan's side to give her a knowing look. The taller woman chuckled and shooed her away. She was aware she was just being selfish, but she could not help it. It was tough for him having been an open book to a safe with the key thrown somewhere she could not find. She did not like not knowing if something was hurting him when she could possibly help.
"I know things are going better now, but sometimes there'll be stuff that can't be rushed; no changing that."
"Yeah, you're right."
"I'm always right."
Trystan playfully rolled her eyes and chortled. "Thanks, girl. I've been needing to get that off my chest. I don't have a lot of other people to talk to about this. I would go to my mom, but you know how she goes into "mother mode" and start worrying to death."
Angelique laughed. "Yeah, I know Momma Vonne would've made you feel like you were in an interrogation. But you know it doesn't have to be this way—the friend thing I mean. The old gang would love to see you, Dew, too."
"Bruno tells me the same thing."
"And you don't believe him?"
"I do, it's just that I haven't seen them in years and I don't know how they'll take me after so much has changed. I'm not the Trystan they used to know."
"Girl, everybody changes. They've all changed, too. And they don't hate you, Tree. They know about what happened, but shit, life happens. They understand that."
"I don't know . . . it'll just feel weird."
"Well, no matter how "weird" it feels, you should still drop by to see them before you go. I know you want to have more friends than just me and your daughter."
Trystan could not pretend she had not craved being around more people her age; she had just gotten so used to it being mostly herself and Raina that she felt she did not even know how to make friends anymore.
"You know what? I'll set up a little dinner party here," Angelique offered. "That way, you won't have to go out of your way finding everyone. We can have some fun, listen to music, and they can meet Dew. How's that sound?"
"I didn't expect to be going to any "parties" so I don't have anything to wear."
"Girl, what's a shopping trip? I know some boutiques around the way that have the best clothes. And don't worry–it's not in the center of L.A., so you don't have to worry about getting caught by any annoying ass paparazzi."
Trystan doubted now that anyone would truly recognize her if she were to walk down the street in the popular city, but she appreciated her friend's looking out.
"Okay, but if anything goes wrong with this, I'm never speaking to you again."
"Didn't you already kinda do that?"
"Ouch!"
"Too soon?"
Trystan and Angelique finished up near six in the evening, the process taking longer than usual because Angelique would have to stop and sit directly in front of Trystan when she was telling a particularly good story. They ended their reconnecting with the promise of a shopping and lunch date the following weekend, and Oliver, prompt as usual, was there to retrieve her when she exited her friend's home.
"And send me those pictures of Dew! She's so cute I can't stand it!" Angelique called from the porch. Trystan assured she would from the window before rolling it back up, the dark tint obscuring her once again. She sat back in her seat, feeling much better about herself after being able to restore one of her best relationships.
Oliver dropped her off at the condo and did not pull off until she was safely inside the building. She went up the elevator, anticipating her child's hug when she entered Peter's door, but was instead greeted by a sight that was both equally surprising and amusing.
The place looked as if an entire daycare had taken place. Toys, crayons, and pictures of drawings littered the family room. What looked like paint was spilled over on the kitchen table, dangerously close to Peter's laptop and files, and upon further inspection, it looked as if someone had drawn on one of the walls.
"What in the world . . ." Trystan muttered as she set her purse down on the part of the kitchen table that was not messy with any of Raina's things, and went in search for she and Peter. They were not in the guest room or any other room on the main level. She doubted they would have been upstairs--Trystan herself had not even gone up there yet.
She found herself heading back to the living room, and she nearly aww'ed aloud when she finally found the two.
The end credits to what she knew was Mulan was playing on the T.V., and beside the coffee table, which was laden with more crayons, markers and a half-eaten, open box of pizza, was Peter and Raina on the floor, fast asleep. She lied on top of his chest, resting just as fitfully as he was. Trystan shook her head and bit her lip to keep from laughing. Raina had worn him out, just as she knew she would.
Grabbing the remote, she turned off the T.V., and the sudden cut of sound was enough to awaken the both of them. They opened their eyes to see Trystan, a hand on her hip and a smirk on her face. "Did you two have fun?"
"Mommy, you're home," Raina announced sleepily, yawning as she dragged herself off of Peter to stand and go over to her mother. She wrapped her arms around Trystan's leg and then leaned her head back, awaiting a kiss that Trystan granted her with a laugh.
She then turned to Peter, who had slowly sat up and was leaning back against the couch. "Get any work done?" Her eyes flicked to the kitchen table before going back to him.
He promptly shook his head and replied, "Nope."
"I know," Trystan responded teasingly and chuckled. "I'm gonna go get this rugrat ready for bed, then I'll come back out here and help you clean up."
"I can do it."
Trystan took a look around before raising her brow. "I'm helping."
She ushered Raina into the guest bathroom, where she prepared her bath and was entertained by their daughter's sleepy accounts of the day she had.
"I had so much fun with Daddy today. We colored and played with Jewel and watched movies and ate ice cream," she told her, picking up some of the bubbles of the bath and squeezing them into her hands. "I wish he could always stay home and we could do that all the time."
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, munchkin," Trystan smiled. "But you had so much fun, I think Daddy'll have to sleep for a week!"
"A whole week?" Raina's eyes widened even though she did not know how many days consisted of a week; it just sounded like a time too long to be away from her father.
"I'm just teasing, baby." Trystan kissed her forehead and finished washing her. When he teeth were brushed and she was draped in fresh pajamas and a headscarf, Raina fell asleep with no complaints of wanting to stay up longer, cuddled with her stuffed elephant named Harry.
When Trystan came back out to the main area, she saw Peter had managed to clean a quarter of the mess, and she could not help but to start laughing again.
"You gave her ice cream?"
Still in the living room gathering all the pictures they had drawn together, he chuckled himself, "I was not aware how hyper that little girl could get. That sugar rush lasted for hours. Do you know how fast that girl can run when she's high off some saccharine?"
"Yes, I do, and I probably should've warned you," Trystan chortled as she bent over to pick up some crayons off the floor. "But then again, I wanted to win the bet."
"So competitive."
They both laughed quietly and continued cleaning the living space. "I wish I had known what pizza and Disney movies could do. That's what finally calmed her down. She was getting sleepy half-way through The Princess and the Frog but insisted we watch one more movie. She fell asleep only five minutes into Mulan, and then I guess the bug caught me, too."
"Yeah, that's what running after a kid all day will do to you," Trystan surmised as she grabbed some Barbie dolls. "But she told me how much fun she had with you."
Peter snorted, "Despite me not knowing how the hell to calm her down for most of the day, I had fun with her, too."
They straightened up the remainder of the level with little conversation, but it was not as uncomfortable as Trystan would usually find it. She still found it difficult to know what to say next, but she did not scramble for the next set of words to avoid awkward silence. She let it fill in spaces where it needed to be and discourse come naturally.
"I saw that crayon on the wall." She nodded toward the light traces of green scribbles on the cream-colored structure. "She knows better than to do that. If you have to get firm with her, don't be afraid to. She'll get sad first, then pout, then find something else to distract her, then she'll come back to you when she's ready, which doesn't take long."
Peter had found it difficult to be strict with the small child, usually leaving most of the chastising up to Trystan. But, since she was giving him the okay to be more of the parent that he was, he would have to learn not to be swayed by the doe eyes that looked so much like Trystan's.
"All you have to do is use a hairdryer on the stain, wipe it down with some dish soap, and voila, it's gone," Trystan smiled, and Peter tried not to notice how much he liked her smile, loved it even. Behind the grin had held secrets that had hurt him, and he was waiting for the time where he felt it offered him nothing but joy.
He nodded, and Trystan noticed he had become quieter, no doubt thinking something he probably was not ready to say out loud. She did not want to become any kind of barrier, so she exhaled, looked around at their progress and noted that anything else could be dealt with in the morning before bidding, "Well, I'm gonna go get some sleep, too. Good night, Bruno."
"Good night."
She nodded curtly, offering a small grin before turning on her heel and heading toward the direction of the guest room.
"Trystan?" Peter called before she could go around the corner. She shifted around, a brow raised.
"Your hair, it looks great."
Trystan touched on the braids that glided passed her shoulders. Trying not to blush, she thanked him, aware but not speaking on the way his eyes lingered on her in a way that seemed almost foreign, before wishing him good night again and disappearing around the corner.
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Thanks for reading! ^_^