Five Years Ago | MILKCIIZE

Milk Anderson

Ciize

"You!?"

She thought it was the delivery guy, bringing her new paint brushes. But the one person in the world she hadn't expected was Milk Anderson. Her lying, treacherous, back-stabbing, no-good, son-of-a-bitch ex-wife.

Now, maybe people would pay attention when she talked about bad omens.

For one wild, weird moment, Ciize was twenty-two again. Pain glanced through her body like sunlight bouncing off a mirror. Her long brown hair brushed the top of her fancy casual dress. Her light blue eyes stared at her, and the mouth that used to smile at her was now just a serious line on her face.

She didn't look any happier to see her than Ciize was to see her. Small comfort.

So why was she here?

"A while?" Ciize echoed finally. "Not long enough."

"Good to see you, too," Milk said tightly.

Ciize still hadn't let go of the doorknob, and she thought about giving it a hard push, slamming the door in her face and pretending she'd never opened it. As if she could read her mind, Milk spoke up again quickly.

"We have to talk."

Ciize let out a short laugh, unable to help herself. It came out harsh and rough. "That's funny, coming from you."

When she'd tried to talk to her five years before, she hadn't even bothered to answer her messages. Now she wanted to talk. Ciize didn't think so.

Milk sighed, then folded her arms tightly across her chest in a lady-like manner. If she started tapping her fingers impatiently, Ciize just might hit her—not that she's violent but seeing her stature at the moment might be a different story.

"I don't like this anymore than you do," Milk said.

"Cel" Kush's voice came from the kitchen. "Who is it?"

Ciize tensed. Her siblings wouldn't be happy to see the woman still known in the Peranza household as The Bitch standing on the porch. It was best to remove her before things got ugly.

Goodness, how could a day turn from bad to worse just by opening a door?

"Nobody," Ciize called back, wishing she really meant it. But her day kept getting worse, like a rollercoaster racing down a hill, going faster and faster.

Stepping onto the porch, Ciize brushed past Milk, shutting the door firmly. It felt like the morning rain had vanished. The sky was crystal clear, almost too bright to stare at, and the wind carried the fresh scent of the sea. In the distance, children's laughter echoed from the park, and she caught a hint of barbecue smoke, signaling Kuya Paul was starting his grill nearby.

Everything was just right.

Normal.

Except for the fact that a woman from her past was suddenly in her face. It wasn't the time for distractions when dealing with someone like Milk. She needed to stay focused and handle things with this damn woman head-on.

All ready to confront her head-on.

Ciize walked across the porch and stomped down the five steps to the brick walkway leading to the street. She didn't bother to look behind her. She knew Milk was following her. Not only could she hear her footsteps on the worn brick, she felt her.

And how weird was that?

Milk reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her around to face her. Ciize felt a jolt of something intense and completely unexpected shoot through her, like lightning cutting through storm clouds. In that heart-stopping moment, she felt like she was twenty-two again, experiencing that electric charge that only Milk's touch could ignite.