Separately Together

Chapter Three: 2/2

I clocked out and went to my vehicle, which Finnic had taken me back to get the next day. The locks were changed today so I was going to go get my stuff from Finnic's and I guess go out to eat with them then go home.

A normal person would be relieved to have their space back, but I was dreading it because I knew the apartment wouldn't feel homey like it did before he was there. It would feel empty and filled with fear of his return.

I need to get my phone fixed, I haven't heard from Mama in a few days which was really unlike her, I'm going to go to her house and do a wellness check.

~.~.~.~.~

My family house was still just as homey feeling as always, the yard was kept in perfect condition thanks to my brother, and my mother's fascination with lawn ornaments gives the place character. Everything seemed to be in order other than the big red truck parked behind her small SUV.

Has she been seeing someone? It seems unlikely, Mama was still hung up over our father.

Hopefully, she was seeing someone, finally moving on. Part of me wonders why she wouldn't have told us; she knows me, and Finnic has encouraged her to date for years now.

She was a big romantic, so when she fell for our father, she fell all the way and wasn't able to properly get back up again.

She's have only been on one date since he left, from what I've heard of anyways. We had convinced her that our principal was into her, and she was flattered and agreed to go on a date with the handsome man, but she had come home crying. She felt like she was doing something wrong because she wasn't over our father.

Before I even fully knock the door swings open, and my mother looks up at me. She's wearing a robe and socks, and her hair is a curly mess. Shock grabs a hold of her facial features, and she closes the door behind her quickly. She wasn't dressed for the casual company to be over; she has been hooking up with someone, and the question was with who.

"I wasn't expecting company, Maddie." I bite back a smile. It was good she was moving on, she deserved to be happy.

"I can see that. You have abandoned me so I figured I would stop by and see what had captivated your attention so fully."

Her smile turns into a gasp, and her hand smacks my shoulder, scolding me.

"I have not abandoned you; I've just been ... busy." She raises her eyebrows slightly. I hold in the gag.

"Yeah, busy doing nastiness." She chuckles a deep laugh that has her tilting her head back and I see the youth still in her.

"Maddie. I am a grown woman if I want to have s-"

"Stop! Right there!" I put my fingers in my ears and back away from the doorsteps heading back to my car. My curiosity and worry were satisfied I didn't need to know the details, she could keep them for herself. With my fingers still in my ears, I scream, "Love you!"

~.~.~.~.~

I slide my tennis shoes off by the door and stretch a little as I walk into Finns. The only good aspect of this week was my brother's house. It was so homey and filled with noise that I felt like I was living again. Not just surviving and occupying my time with my writing that no one would ever see.

I've been sharing a room with Harley. The bed in the other room just wasn't as comfy and lacked his smell. It worked out because he was never home when I was.

That man worked all the time. He hasn't complained and I knew he knew I was staying in there because my stuff was right next to his in the corner, he even laid out my clothes for me one morning with a note.