My dancing slowly comes to an end as I start to lose my energy and breath. For what feels like the thousandth time, I feel my pocket to make sure that the box with Noah's ring is still there.
It's gone.
"Shit," I mutter. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"
"What's wrong?" Addie asks, no longer dancing.
"I lost Noah's ring!" I drop to the floor, scanning the LED-lit tiles for the black, gold-rimmed box. Tears burn my eyes as I bite back a sob. "How did I lose it?! I had it safely tucked in my pocket!"
"What did he say was wrong?" Allison asks her sister.
"He lost his engagement ring for Pa," Addie tells her siblings. "We have to help him look for it!"
"Because we have to or because we want to?"
"Want to--duh!" EC exclaims. "Even if we didn't, we should. I don't think he can see anything through his tears."
"Shut up," I grumble. Though he is right. I can barely see anything.
"I found its box," Addie says. "Unfortunately, the ring itself isn't in here."
A sob forces itself out of me and I cover my mouth.
"Keep looking!" Allison demands. "We have to help Daddy find it."
"Al, if it's not in the box, it's gone," I mumble. "Somebody probably took it."
"I'm so sorry, Daddy," Addie says quietly. She comes over to me and hugs me. "That's so sad."
"It's okay," I assure her. "It's not your fault. I'm just disappointed in myself." I chuckle and hug her back. "All of you, thanks for trying to help me find it."
"You're welcome, Daddy," Allison says as she and EC come to join the hug. "We're sorry that you lost it. We know that it probably meant a lot to you."
"What... What's going on?" Noah asks as he comes over to us. "Did you lose something? You looked like you were searching for something."
"I just lost something important to me. It doesn't matter, though. Don't worry about it," I assure him.
He pulls something out of his pocket. "This fell out of your pocket earlier. Is this what you were looking for?" He hands it out for me to see.
It's his ring.
Crap.
He knows. Doesn't he? He probably knows that this isn't my ring from Marilyn. They look sorta similar, but they're not the same.
He shouldn't know.
He can't know!
But he does know.
I snatch the ring from his hand as politely as I can and rush to my feet, then sprint off of the dance floor. I can feel tears pouring from my eyes--jeez, why am I pushed to tears so easily? I know I was sensitive as a kid, but it's only gotten worse over the years. How did that even happen?
I can hear my kids running after me, shouting my name. But I ignore them. I just want to be alone.
YOU ARE READING
Happier (Michael x Noah)
FanfictionThis was originally going to be a skit for Afton Family Skits, but it's too long. Way too long. And it's got a plot that would be fun for a book! So, that's what I did! I made it a book. It's a very dramatic book, though, so be warned. This story ta...
