forty

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☾

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IVAN WALKED into the apartment and ran a hand through his hair. He bought food. He bought a lot of food. He knew she loved food—who doesn't? So he walks into the kitchen and was shocked to not see her there.

     She hadn't left, because her shoes had been on the shoe rack and her coat was also still there. The keycard and extra spare keys were also here, she wouldn't have left without them.

     He starts looking around and notices a door to a room opened. He had never been in there, he was curious about it, but never bothered to set foot in there since he didn't want to invade her privacy.

     He walked closer and noticed Gen sitting there sifting through a box of what seemed to be polaroids. He walks in and sits down next to her.

     Gen knows he's there but stays quiet for a while, while she randomly moves her hand through the box of polaroids.

     She grabs one, and her beat-up heart clenches, causing phantom pain to swim everywhere throughout her body and crash violently against her mind and soul like they were strong ocean waves in a dark and thunderous storm.

     It was a picture of her father. He was smiling and holding her tightly to his body. Her mother had taken this picture, she was ten years old in that photo. She didn't know why it happened now, but tears started sliding down her cheeks, then a choked sob escaped her lips, and Ivan immediately wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close into his warm embrace.

     She cried, and he hugged her, whispering soft and reassuring affirmations to help her calm down a little.

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