Studio 22 | Mary-Kate Olsen

Chapter Sixty-Two

December 4th 2023 - New York City - Mary-Kate's and Blue's Brownstone

I woke up to an empty bed which wasn't completely unusual, normally Blue is downstairs making the morning coffee. But today was a rarity, she wasn't in the house at all. It was only 7:30 so I was surprised to see she had left so early, though I knew where she was.

Last night she told me she was going to visit Kacy, it's her birthday today. I was prepared to wake up to an empty house, that didn't mean I enjoyed it. The house felt cold without her warmth. It was too quiet without our morning murmurs as we tried to communicate with each other, both still hazed with sleep. She had placed my mug under the coffee machine ready for me to come downstairs. I smiled at the sweet gesture. Even on her toughest days she lets me know she's thinking about me.

I waited for my coffee to fill the mug, leaning against the counter playing with the dog tags that still hung proudly around my neck. I fiddled with them as I tried to figure out how to attack the day. I knew it was going to be hard on Blue. She had cried in the shower last night before pretending she was fine. She was snappy with Isobel on the phone too, which isn't like her. I was just glad she was out of bed and still trying to participate in the day.

I took my coffee upstairs and picked out an outfit, it was a Friday which meant an office day. I was hoping Blue would be home before I left so we could ride together but I didn't want to message her, pressuring her to come home. She should take as much time as she needs this morning. I did text her good morning, a simple text we used to send each other every day when we lived apart.

I took my time getting ready for the day, I called Ashley and we spoke about nonsense, nothing of substance I just needed the distraction. I hated how closed off Blue would get when she was struggling. Recently her life has just been a pure struggle but she does still let me in. When it comes to Kacy she completely shuts down, she slips under so quickly and it's hard to get a grasp on her to pull her back out of the guilt pool she drowns herself in.

"Tiny, I got you breakfast," She says as she hangs on the doorframe of the bathroom. I smiled at her looking over my shoulder. "Thank you, Baby." I pouted my lips and she came over pecking them shortly. The closer she got the more obvious it was she had spent her morning crying and her night wide awake. "You coming to the office today?" I asked her casually not mentioning her physical or emotional state. I turned back to the mirror as she lent on the counter a little away from me. Normally she'd stand behind me with her arms around my waist, her head resting on my head or shoulder as she looks at me through the mirror. But not today. "Yeah, I have a meeting with Sean in Soho at 11 so I was going to go straight there and then come to the office. Is that okay?" She asked. "Of course." I answered easily.

"I can drive you though, if you want." I nodded wanting to spend some time with her having missed morning coffee already. She showered whilst I ate alone in the kitchen. I was scrolling through emails when she appeared with her hair in a messy bun and sweats on. "I'll get ready later, don't look so horrified." She half chuckled though her heart wasn't in it. She was trying to put on a show for me. I hated when she did that. "You liked the food?" I nodded, cleaning away my rubbish. We were having guests over tonight so I was trying to keep the spaces they'd be in clean. "Good." She smiled pleased with herself.

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The drive to Studio 22 was longer than the walk due to the inner city traffic but I didn't mind. We got to be in our own little bubble. I could tell her mind was elsewhere though. I held her hand on her lap but she pulled away pretending to need both hands to steer the car. "You doing okay?" I asked her softly, not wanting to set her off. "Yeah." "You sure?" She nodded as she pushed her lips into a straight line refusing to move her eyes from the road. "The groceries for dinner are going to arrive at 4:30... So we can leave work early to get a start." "Sure, yeah." "Blue?" "I don't want to talk about it... I have a whole day to get through." "You can stay home." She ignored my offer and continued to drive, she even turned the music up telling me we were done talking about anything for the rest of the drive.