Letting out a deep sigh, Miles glanced over at his sister with a weak set of blue eyes. "This really sucks, huh?" He mumbled, leaning back into the wall as they waited outside the door.
It had only been a couple of days since Lindsey had left home and even though their parents were trying their best to keep it from disrupting their lives, it really did feel like the world had flipped upside down for them... Nothing felt the same, not in the slightest.
Nodding her head lightly, she creased a brow as she brought her hand up to the wooden door to knock a couple of times. "It'll be okay." She had repeated that sentence more times than she could count in the last few days... She didn't even believe it herself anymore, but she had to say something to make everyone around her feel a little bit better.
Miles shrugged a shoulder, staring down at the dish in his hand as he pursed his lips to the side. "I mean, yeah... I guess so." He didn't believe it either, but the difference between the two of them was that he didn't try to force himself to... He knew the reality of them ever getting back together was slim to none.
"Hey!" Lindsey pulled open the door just a second later, a big fake grin on his face as he stood in the doorway in his sweatpants and an old t-shirt.
"Hi," Cora's voice wasn't as enthusiastic and not because she didn't want to be, but because she didn't know how to be... This was so unexpected for them.
A few weeks earlier, she could have sworn that her parents were still in love... Of course, it wasn't rainbows and butterflies all the time, but it was still very typical for a couple that had been together for as long as they had been together.
They still talked, they still laughed, they still had things in common... It felt so sudden.
They didn't know what had gone wrong and it really wasn't their place to ask.
Anyway, their new found situation was single handedly the worst thing that had happened to their family and if anyone was feeling the effects, it was definitely the kids, unfortunately.
"Come on in." He held out his hand, motioning for them to step into his new condominium... Weirdest thing ever. "I've missed you guys." Lindsey added, reaching out to pat Miles on the back as he waited for them both to come in before he closed the door behind them.
Cora smiled lightly, awkwardly standing in the small entry way that had absolutely no decor. "We've missed you too, dad." She assured, unintentionally letting out a deep breath.
"Now, I know that it doesn't look like much." Lindsey chuckled softly, really wanting to make light of it as he guided them through the room.
Raising a brow softly, Cora tried not to make it on how shocked she was, but it wasn't easy... It was nothing like their home.
There were no Tiffany lamps, or nice rugs, or gorgeous art, or fresh flowers, or shawls draped over furniture.... hell, there wasn't any furniture besides a couple of random barstools at the island in the kitchen.
It felt like they'd stepped into the twilight zone.
"Condo's nice," Miles nodded his head lightly, not thinking that it was nearly as bad as Cora did. "Parking garage smells like shit though." He had to throw in as he let off a small grin.
Lindsey laughed softly, nodding his head in agreement as he leaned back into the counter. "It does, doesn't it?" He liked the humor... He needed the humor, actually.
Obviously he knew that it would be hard to be away from his wife, his kids and his house, but he didn't expect it to be as bad as it had been... He missed her more than he thought possible, which was crazy, considering that they had been apart a million times before when they worked separately.
This was different though... For the first time ever, there was no end in sight, which felt really disheartening.
"It's kind of cozy." She bit down on the inside of her cheek, not wanting to cry but not sure she'd make it through the evening without doing so.
This was a man that had spent the last twenty years of his life building a beautiful home with the family he adored and yet there he was, living in a literal shoebox with not even one damn hint of color... Cora absolutely despised that condo.
Lindsey's eyes grew softer, knowing exactly what that tone of voice meant and deciding not dwell on it too much. "We can order some pizza and drink a bunch of soda." He wanted to change the topic- get to something a little lighter.
"That sounds good." Miles finally set the dish he'd been carrying around down on the counter. "Oh, and mom made some dessert." He mentioned, which caused Lindsey's heart to instantly sink into the pit of his stomach.
He was lost without her, honestly.
Chewing on the inside of his cheek, his gaze fell to the tile floor as he crossed his arms over his chest. "How's mom doing?" He wasn't planning on asking, but he had to... He couldn't not.
They were used to being away from each other when they were on the road, but they weren't used to not speaking to one another... All he had been thinking about was her.
Cora let out a sigh, making eye contact with Miles for a split second before she looked back at her father. "She's doing her very best."
~~~
It was late, almost eleven in the evening when the kids quietly slipped though the front door of the house, happy to be back where life felt normal... Kind of, sort of normal, at least.
"Mom...?" Cora whispered for her through the dark bedroom as she slowly crept in from the hallway.
They had tried to spend as much time with their dad as possible... They didn't want either of their parents to feel like they were picking sides. So, that being said, they ate pizza, had a piece of pie that Stevie had made and even sat on the living room floor to watch a movie.
That night made the separation actually seem real.
"Hm?" Stevie hummed lightly, eyes still closed as she felt the other side of the bed shift.
"Are you okay?" She wondered as she slowly reached out, taking her mothers hand in hers as her head met the pillows.
She nodded, giving her baby's hand the most gentle squeeze. "I just miss your dad, Cora." Stevie knew it wasn't fair to say that sort of stuff, but it was the truth and it really wasn't a big secret... She wasn't hiding it as well as Lindsey was.
For the most part, Stevie had been having a really hard time getting things accomplished and she was spending an awful lot of time in bed. In fact, for the most part, when the kids were at school, she was curled up, trying to sleep it all away...
Cora could feel the tears lingering in her eyes as she gently pushed some of Stevie's blonde hair back, out of her face. "I know you do."
