After a long wait of ten years, she was finally on the verge of fulfilling her dream - the dream of meeting her father. Excited and anticipated as she was so close to reuniting with her beloved father whom she had not seen or heard from for such a l...
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J E R E M Y
The footstep halted behind me when I got inside my house. I met my Ava, as my eyes landed on her, my lips parted in surprise at the unexpected sight, she was wearing my shirt and welcomed me with a bright smile.
Without a word, I walked closer and wrapped her in a tight hug, lifting her slightly off the floor.
It had become our usual routine-whoever got home first would greet the other with a warm embrace.
Ava had been living with me for a while now, ever since she opened up about part of her story. I couldn't bear the thought of her living alone after that.
I wanted her close, to make sure she was safe. I even brought all her things from her place. Today, I got home late. Usually, I was there first, but tonight, she was the one to welcome me.
It felt good to wake up next to her every day. Sometimes it felt like we were more than just what we were.
I kissed her goodbye in the morning, goodnight before bed, and even kissed her when I got home. I loved taking care of her, and I knew it helped swoosh away the sadness from her. Every morning, I'd wake her up for school, sometimes dropping her off and picking her up. I'd comb her hair and tie her shoes for her, make our meals, and we'd sit together for breakfast. Lunch and dinner were the same-we shared everything.
When she had nightmares, I'd hold her close and comfort her. I'd never say no to anything she wanted to do, and every night, we'd watch a movie together. I'd pull her into my arms and provide her the comfort she deserve.
Every passing day I was falling for her more and more. But deep down, I could sense something was coming. Something bad. It was like a storm on the horizon, and no matter how much I wanted to keep her safe, I knew I couldn't stop it.
I didn't know what it was, but Ava was hiding something. I could feel it. And I hated that there was nothing I could do.
She was trying her best to convince me that everything was okay, that she was fine, but she didn't realize how deeply I could see into her. The smile she wore in front of me was a mask, and I knew it. She was hiding too much behind it. She thought I was smart enough to be distracted by the random conversations we had every day as if talking about anything else would keep me from noticing what was going on with her. She believed she could keep it hidden, but what she didn't know was that I could see how much she was struggling-how much she was going through, alone.
Even when she was with me, physically present, her mind was somewhere else. Her thoughts seemed to drift to another world, far from me, far from us. I could feel the distance between us growing, not because she wanted it, but because she couldn't bring herself to talk about what was weighing inside her.
