𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍

thirty five

『 thirty-five 』

One of her only free weekends of the month, and Natalie decided to spend it with Robby at the beach. It had been a while since either of them had spent more than ten minutes at the beach. It was a good opportunity to rest and take a breather. They both needed it. 

Repairing what was left after the Christmas party fight was easier said than done, Natalie discovered. They had reached an unspoken mutual agreement to leave it in the past. It was time for both of them to heal. 

But not two weeks ago the couple had not been on speaking terms. It was a rocky restart, to say the least. But Natalie was determined to hold together one of the best relationships she's had the blessing to experience in a long while. Who cared what Hawk, Miguel, or Sam thought? This was their life! And Natalie was tired of being bossed around by people who hadn't had jobs before. 

Once you hit rock bottom, the only direction to go is up. 

Natalie knew she had been unfair before. Robby knew he forced an impossible decision on her. They were tired of acting like karate affiliations needed to affect your personal life. 

It was all getting a little tedious. 

They brought take-out to her secret beach spot. The same dock she used to train with Miguel on before last year's All Valley. The same dock that held so many memories with her father. 

They were on the dock not an hour before her mind trailed back to her mother. It had been several weeks, but the news stung all the same. Natalie wondered if it would ever feel right. If she would ever settle with the acceptance that her mother was sick. People did it all the time all around the world. She could too. 

"Hey, you seem off," Robby nudged her with his knee. He gave her a warm, heartfelt smile. "Are you okay?"

Natalie didn't respond. She silently continued watching the seagulls fight over food on the shore. 

Robby's face fell. He gently rubbed her shoulder. "What's going on with you?" His voice softened. "Did I do something? Is this not working-"

"No, no. It's nothing about you," she muttered. Natalie looked up, but barely. 

There was no point trying to force a smile anymore. But she didn't want the bad news to ruin the rest of their afternoon. It was only natural their first real date had to be scheduled right after such a diagnosis like that. 

But they would have more. And Natalie trusted him. 

She placed her chin in the palm of her hand, which rested on her knee. "Mom was in the hospital," she told him. "She's back home now. But... uh... yeah. She was checked in for about three days."

"Oh, shit..." Robby scooted closer. "What happened?"

"Um, breast cancer," she explained with a large huff of a sigh. She stared out at the waves. "Stage two was their last diagnosis. But we have another appointment scheduled for next week. So I guess it could go either way from there."

Natalie laid back on the dock. Robby joined her. Together, they stared up at the cloudy sky, both contemplating what to say next. 

Natalie's head wasn't swimming. It was drowning. She had said Leila was the reason behind her tense mood change. And it was part of the reason. She couldn't place what the other part was. Maybe it was the thought of a private relationship. Fear of her brother's reaction. Fear of Sam and Miguel's reactions. Fear of what would happen with the three dojos if anyone discovered what was happening.