Cuffed. [Norman Reedus]

19*The Wedding Ring {pt.4}

(A/N: NOT VERY IMPORTANT. . . I'm deeply sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I really haven't been in the writing mood lately and it just so happens (unfortunately) that when the writer suffers with lack of writing, the readers have to endure lack of reading. I wish it didn't work that way and I really do wish that I could pump out chapters super fast and easy because I love to see your reaction to each new chapter and new event. So please enjoy Chapter Nineteen, and once again I apologize for the long wait. Love you all.) ~writingslayer

Chapter Nineteen ::: The Wedding Ring {pt.4}

{*UNEDITED*}

I stay in my room sitting on the edge of my bed for a solid ten minutes. I grip the rim of my mattress tightly to release the tension inside of me without punching a wall again. My knuckles have already experienced a good beating this month; I wouldn't want to put my hands through that again.

What the hell was I thinking out there? Yelling at my half-sober mother who I have not seen in years, and leaving her angry. She could very well stomp out of my apartment and turn me into the police. But there has been a reason why she hasn't done it yet, after all these years since 1999 and nothing has changed now.

By now, I'm almost positive that she has left. And I don't care where she's decided to go. All that matters is that I'm alone now to relax for the first time in a while.

As I stand to my feet, I reach my arms behind my head and stretch my muscles. Immediately after I exit my bedroom, I hear keys jingle right outside my door. My first thought is that my mother is returning in a fury for some reason, but when the door opens, my thoughts are thrown off their path and I freeze. My heart beat becomes louder and quick as I watch her.

Ella walks through the door, a bag in the crook of her elbow, and a messy bun atop her head. She doesn't notice me standing outside my bedroom door watching her shut the front door behind her and walk straight to Buck's food bowl. I can't help but remember my thoughts back in jail when I convinced myself how head-over-heals I was for her and the cheesy line of "nothing can stop me from getting to her. Not even cuffs." Yet here I was, letting nervousness stop me from even talking to her.

"Buck," she speaks to him. "You didn't eat your breakfast!"

I'm trying to figure out why she's in my house.

"Norman will be upset with you when he gets home."

I'm trying to decide how I should acknowledge myself to her without scaring the ba-jesus out of her, but the conflict is quickly resolved when she looks up from Buck to my eyes. I'm the one that ends up getting surprised since she doesn't even flinch when she sees me. She just looks confused.

"Uh," I see her eyes flinch downwards, and then I remember that I should probably properly dress myself. Jumping back into my bedroom, I shut the door to pull on a t-shirt and have yet another conversation through my door.
"What are you doing here?" she asks.

"It's my house," I say obviously, smiling to myself.

"Oh, right, duh," I hear her mumble quietly as I pull my shirt on. "So you're probably wondering why I'm in your house. . ."

I exit my bedroom, nodding. Jesus Christ, I have to clench my fists to keep from going insane. What the hell was she doing to my heart.

"Well, Boone has a job. And you have been in jail for the past few days. So I was really the only one to help keep your dog alive." she points to Buck, who is gobbling up his food.

"I thought you worked down at the grocery store." I cross the room to the fridge, acting calm, to get her a bottle of water, recalling the time I saw her in the aisles of the store.