Belladonna | 18 +

Seventy three | Distance & focus

✺ Kira's POV ✺

Over the last month, a lot has happened. Some good, some bad. I've started working for my family's estate full time and honestly, it feels more rewarding to me in a way. But I do miss being a professor.

I've attended meetings and taken on a larger role within the company. I enjoy it but I miss the freedom I had away from the business.

But taking all the things that have happened over the month into consideration, it's as good as it can be.

Another thing that's shifted over the last month is that Birdie has been coming over every day. I'd even say at this point, she's moved in with me.

It's somehow a good thing but on a much larger scale, it's not as good as it seems. She started to put everything else last and us first.

She's over every day between and after classes, she's gone from hanging out with her friends four times a week to being lucky if she sees them for two hours a week. She's put us and our relationship above everything else and in turn, I know that everything else is failing.

I hate knowing that she's letting everything else fail just because we have more time together.

I've tried to tell her in the most polite and non-harsh way that she needs to spread her time evenly. It seemed to get through to her for a few days but after that, she went right back.

I need her to recenter her focus and spread it evenly, at least until she's graduated. Deep down I feel like she has a fear that just because I'm no longer her professor we'll no longer be together when that couldn't be further from the truth.

She'd gone to her first lecture of the day earlier while I stayed home working. I had one meeting that went relatively well before I took Loki on a walk.

After a moment, I got a phone call from Stella. It was surprising for a moment, but once I realized that she actually was calling, I picked up.

"Hello," I said in a firm tone.

"Hi Kira, how are you?" She responded in the same tone.

"I'm good thanks, how are you?" I asked her in a much calmer tone this time.

"I'm doing good, I wanted to know when you're able to come to New York again. A business trip if nothing more," She asked.

"I've got nothing going right now, I'm sure I can book a flight over there," I responded.

"That would be great, does next week work for you? Stay about a week or two, give or take the time on a project." Stella said.

"Sure, I'll see you next week then," I said kindly and Stella responded in the same way before we said goodbye to each other.

I walked back home just in time to see my girlfriend come home too.

I smiled gently at her as she walked up to me with a smile on her face. "I thought you were in all day?" She asked softly as I placed a kiss on her cheek.

"I was but now I've got nothing much left for the rest of the day," I said as we went inside.

"What if we do something? We could go to the beach since it's getting warmer or we could do something tonight," She suggested with a smile.

"We could but what if you go spend some time with Ivan and Ava? It's been a while since you've seen them," I said to her. Gently bringing it up once again.

She went quiet for a moment and seemed like she was thinking about it but then shook her head. "Maybe another time. I saw them on the way to school," she shrugged.