A Distant Memory

Chapter 32 - Chocolate and vanilla

"But what about daddy?" Rose asked, confused. "Listen, Rose. Even though daddy didn't meet you, he loved you. Daddy's gone, sweetheart. He's not coming back. We can't live in the past, we have to live in the present. We have to accept, but never  forget"

"Okay" she nodded slowly. "Will Eve and me become sisters?" she followed up, I laughed. "Not for the moment, no. You will if me and Anderson get married" my smile would not leave my face. 

"Will you get married?" she rose her brow, I pecked the top of her head and placed her on a stool. "Marriage is a very serious thing, sweetheart. It's way too soon for that" I sighed.

"Okay!" she smiled, I handed her the chicken that we ordered from KFC.

"Eat your food, Rosie. You have to go to bed"

-

I checked my phone, it was one in the morning. "Fuck's sakes" I muttered.

Throughout the whole night I kept tossing and turning. I had put Rose to bed a while ago and I couldn't sleep. I picked up my phone and dialed Anderson, maybe his voice would help me to drift off to sleep.

As soon as it started ringing, I realized how dumb I was. Calling him at one in the morning? Am I that needy?

When I went to end the call, he answered. "Is something wrong?" His voice was groggy, as if he had just woken up. "Did I wake you?" I asked, "Yeah, did something happen?" he sounded half-asleep and worried.

"I'm sorry,  everything's fine. I couldn't sleep and I thought that hearing you talk to me would help me a bit, forget it" I chuckled at the last bit. "No, wait-" I cut him off.

"Good night, Anderson" I hung up before he could reply.

I decided to make myself some tea, it would relax me more and maybe help to kick some sleep in. Just when twenty minutes passed and I was about to go to bed, my doorbell ringed.

I grabbed my gun and when I checked the peephole, it was no less than my boyfriend.

I had given Anderson full access to my apartment meaning that security didn't notify me anymore when he would enter the building. All of Anderson's actions showed me that he deserved that and more. "What are you doing here?" I asked, confused. "You said that you couldn't sleep, so I'm here" he said, he put his defenses down when with me, I could tell.

I chuckled and moved aside so he could come in. "For you" He handed me a massive box of chocolates , I locked the door and then took it. 

"You're insane" I laughed, he just stared at me dumbly. "Stop looking at me like that" I was still smiling, I jokingly slapped his face in a gentle manner.

"I can not believe that I got this lucky" he chuckled in disbelief. "you're being a bit extra right now, don't you think?" I grabbed one of the chocolates from the box. "You need a reality check, hermosa."

He took a step towards me and I bumped into the counter. "You are absolutely perfect, you bright up every room that you walk into, someone smells vanilla and they think of you. You're not only flawless on the outside, but also here" he put his index finger were my heart would be, I pouted in adoration.

"You even make me smile. I've been through some tough stuff, and I forget about the world when I'm with you -- no, I can't forget about the world when I'm with you, because you are my world. We're infinity, I like to think"

"Oh Marko" I sighed and smiled, my heart beating faster by the minute. "And your laugh is just... mesmerizing" I chuckled and jumped up on the counter, he poked at my side, tickling me.

I'm very ticklish. And he knows it, the bastard knows it.

He started tickling every part of my body, and I tried to laugh quietly so I would not wake Rose. My stomach was hurting and there were tears in my eyes thanks to all the laughing. After a few minutes, he suddenly stopped, I regained my composure and shot him a questioning look.

"Why are you laughing quiet?" he complained like a baby.

"Rosie is sleeping, dipshit. If she doesn't sleep her full eight hours she'll be grumpy tomorrow."

He pouted, "you act more like a kid than the girls sometime" I chuckled and hopped off the counter, I grabbed the chocolates and headed to my room, he followed me like a lost puppy.

We entered the room, I sat on my bed and sighed, "Can you just... hold me? Until I fall asleep, that is".

"Only until you fall asleep?" 

I smiled unconsciously and went to turn off the lights. After I turned the lights off he tackled me to the bed with kisses and I giggled uncontrollably.

After a few minutes where we both calmed down, I lay on my side, his arm hugged my waist from underneath me and his other arm lay on my hip. I intertwined our fingers and he pecked the top of my head. Needless to say, that made my heart do cartwheels.

As soon as the dead, comfortable silence fell between us, his scent of cigarettes, sand and whiskey engulfed me. A sudden tiredness took me under and I wasn't able to escape from the tide.

I let myself surrender to the tiredness, I let myself fall asleep with Anderson holding me. I let myself be with who I wanted. 

Something I would've thought of outrageous just a couple months back.

-

"Why do you like daddy?" Eve asked, all four of us had gone to the park to celebrate the success of my fall fashion show, Anderson took Rose to buy ice cream for all of us. That meant that me and Eve were all alone.

Me and Evie got along really well. I could tell that she was somewhat shy towards adults, however, I could also tell that she had grown a liking to me.

"he makes me happy" I told her as I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Why?" she seemed disgusted at the idea and I chuckled.

"Your daddy does this little things to show me that he cares. He does not let me open a single door for myself, even though I perfectly can." I chuckled before continuing, "My heart is happy with him, and his with me." I explained. She tilted her head in confusion.

"I don't get it" she looked stressed, trying to figure it out. But you can't figure this type of attraction out, you just have to feel it to begin to comprehend.

"Someday, when you're older and find a boy that you really, really like... you'll understand" I explained. "Boy's are dirty and nasty and have lice and give me the cooties" Eve was truly disgusted at the idea, I tapped my thighs so she would sit on them and she did.

"Now they are, but one day... they just won't be. You will know when you feel it, honey"

"Here you go, pumpkin" Anderson came out of nowhere and handed Eve her strawberry ice cream. It was a pretty warm day considering that it was fall, that's why we decided on actually getting ice cream.

"For you, hermosa." he shot me a loving smile as he handed me my vanilla ice cream. Rosie plopped down next to me and rested her head on my side, of course that in that whole course of action she never stopped licking her ice cream.

My sweet babygirl had gotten cookies and cream, a flavor that I had loved when I was a little girl. Anderson sat next to me, he had gotten a chocolate ice cream. Opposites attract. 

I chuckled quietly at the thought. The girls saw a butterfly and ran off after it.

"I heard what you told Evie" he whispered to my ear, all while we were both watching the girls. "Really?" I questioned, a little ashamed. "Mhm" he hummed, I felt how his glare burned holes through my side, but I did not dare to move an inch.

He pecked my cheek and butterflies emerged from my stomach. "I like this us. I like how you are with Eve. She likes you, a lot. Maybe more than what she likes me" he chuckled, I sighed in relief. "You for real?" 

"Of course. I'd never lie to you, hermosa"

With that following breath I took, all my worries and pain left with because I knew, deep, deep within me, that I was safe. That I could finally sit down and relax after five really long years.