Open Your Arms

Chapter 82

August 22, 2006

I grip the mug tighter and closer to my body as I stare out of the backdoor. 

"How did you sleep?" Naomi appears beside me. 

I didn't mean to fall asleep last night. We were watching a movie and it was too boring for me, so I accidentally dosed off on the couch. "I slept good. Sorry, I didn't mean to crash your guys' night."

"Oh, Larissa, don't apologize. You're always welcome here." She says it as if this house is her home, too. That would bother me if anyone else did that, but I know that she was speaking on Axl's behalf. 

I smile. "Thanks for letting me borrow your robe; this is so comfortable."

"Right?!" She exclaims. "I'll have to take you to the store where I got it." Her face lights up. "What if we just go now?!"

I want to say no. I don't want to go out right now, especially because I've been wearing the same clothes since yesterday. "I don't have any new clothes."

She pouts out her bottom lip and then laughs. "We're going to go to the store, you can just get something there."

As much as I want to keep protesting, I know that this would mean a lot to her and Axl. "Okay, yes, let's do it."

"Great!" She cheers. "Is it alright if it's just us two girls? I would love to have some one-on-one time with you."

"Sure."

She gets ready quicker than Janette used to. I approximate ten minutes. We say goodbye to Axl and rush out of the house into her car. 

She talks the whole car ride, which I don't mind. I wouldn't want any awkward silence. I go along with it and say "yeah" every once in a while to let her know I'm still listening. 

When we arrive at the mall, she assures me that it's okay that I'm dressed in the clothes that I wore yesterday because the other people there won't even be able to tell and I don't smell bad. She's great at comforting. 

"Axl's daughter is precious, isn't she?" Naomi asks as we walk through the doors. "I've never met her personally but I've seen her before and she's so adorable."

I nod. "Yeah, she's truly amazing. Her and I are really close to each other. I actually lived with Axl after Ville and I broke up, so she and I were able to get closer due to being around each other everyday."

"That makes me so happy. Kids make me so happy. They're just so innocent and I love when they run and their feet make little pitter patters against the floor."

"Do you have any kids yourself?"

She shakes her head as I go into an aisle and look for a shirt and pants--nothing special. "No, not yet. I was in a couple of relationships before your brother and we never settled down." She pauses. "Don't tell your brother, but before I met him, I didn't want to commit to anything. He changed my mind. I knew that he's the one that I've been waiting for that I know that I am ready to be with. I just have a feeling about him."

I pick out a shirt and pants and nod. But then I remember Jake and how he didn't want to commit to anything. He's Naomi. One day he'll find a girl that'll be good enough for him. 

Although I'm over him, it still hurts that I wasn't good enough for him. 

I pay for the clothes and change into them, shoving the other clothes in Naomi's gigantic purse that she brought--thank you, Naomi. Then, we go to the robes.