They both woke up in the exact same position they fell asleep in. As Charlotte slowly opened her eyes, she woke to see Mia staring at her lovingly.
"Good morning sweetheart how are you feeling?"
she did not break her gaze for a single moment.
"I think I'm okay although my head is pounding" she squinted her eyes and scrunched her face as the pain gradually grew worse.
"Would you like me to run and get some painkillers?" Mia hoped that the pain was just a normal headache and not a repercussion from Theo's past few fits of rage.
"If you wouldn't mind. There's some in the kitchen, I do need to get ready for work though" she giggled as Mia nuzzled her nose against Charlottes face. She didn't want to ruin this moment of peace, something she had not experienced in a long time, but she had to pull away eventually. As she got off the bed their fingertips brushed against each other when she walked towards her bathroom.
Charlotte stared into the mirror ahead of her with her hands firmly placed on the sink. She had never felt such warmth and comfort before in her life and Mia was the last person who she had expected to make her feel this way. It felt strange to her to be in love with a woman and it scared her too. The unknown terrified her but the way just the sight of Mia could instantly calm her and the way the butterflies she got when they were in close proximity fluttered aggressively, clouded any feelings of doubt gave her hope.
As she stared at her face head on in the mirror she began to take inventory of the injuries covering her face. The swelling from her black eye had gone down slightly and the gash across her head was beginning to heal. She was not going to let him break her no matter what, she had children who needed her and she had... Mia. Beautiful, gentle, loving Mia with whom she cherished with her whole being. They had only known each other a couple of months but that didn't matter. It was like something out of a fairytale. Love at first sight. She never even truly hated Mia before she knew the whole story, she felt bad for her and empathised. She knew that deep down Mia could be a wonderful person if she tried but nobody had given her the opportunity. Roger had ruined her chances of that ever happening. Until she met Charlotte.
~ in the kitchen ~
Mia rummaged around in the cupboards trying to find the pills for Charlotte. She looked all around but she could not seem to find them anywhere. She did not want to come back to her empty handed but there wasn't much she could do. She was about to give up when she finally found them.
As she went to walk upstairs something caught her eye. Stuck to the fridge with a small magnet was a picture of Charlotte and her daughters. Mia could not help but notice Theo's absence and as her eyes trailed all over the fridge she noticed that this was not uncommon. There was not one photo there that Theo was in. Every single photo had just Charlotte and her daughters: at the hospital, at the park, at a restaurant, even at home. Theo was nowhere to be seen. It hurt Mia's heart to see, it reminded her of her childhood. Even before her father abandoned her, he was barely ever present and her mum really did try her best but eventually she gave up. Leaving Mia to fend for herself. She held a strong hatred for her father because of this. These events were what eventually led her to being manipulated and used by Roger. She didn't know any better she was just trying to survive. Mia was so happy that Charlotte was able to get away before that happened to her. She knew the immense emotional toll it would've taken on both her and her children, she would never wish that pain on anybody.
Once she was finished examining the photos, she sped upstairs with the pills. She was still getting used to where everything was so it took her a moment to find the bathroom. When she arrived she noticed Charlotte desperately trying to cover up her black eye. Aggressively smacking the beauty blender against her skin she let out a long sigh and dropped her head. She hadn't heard Mia come upstairs as she was so trapped in her own thoughts.
