scars

05

The words from yesterday still ring in my ears.

He walks in again today.

Except he's not alone.

There's a girl.

Same brown hair and big eyes.

She looks like a younger version of him.

He holds her hand and takes her to the counter, to order.

His head turns around to look for me.

His head nods at me as soon as he finds me.

I nod back.

They carry there lunch back to where I'm sitting.

He has his coffee and bagel.

She has a big chocolate ice cream cone.

The little girl starts jumping around, and tugging on his arm.

"Right here?" she asks in an adorable voice

He lifts her over his head and puts her in the seat right next to him.

Across from me.

The little girl digs into her ice cream.

I stare outside at the plants planted outside of the building.

Arrays of red rose bushes.

Lined up from end to end.

A small touch on the arm startles me.

"You okay?"

His fingers brush my wrist.

Right where the scars are marked.

"Yeah"

I sigh looking up at the girl.

"This is Nikki."

"My little sis."

He glances up at me and then looks back down at my hands.

"You never told me your name." I say

 looking at where his hands have touched my skin.

"Neither did you."

A smile erupts from his face.

A contagious smile.

A smile that would make anybody want to smile.

I haven't smiled in a long time.

There's not much to smile about.

Anymore.

"Caleb."

He brings his hand out to shake.

I shake it.

"Abigail."

"But I go by Abby."