The Bond

37

Nostalgia overwhelmed me as I walked up the annoyingly steep stairs of my old apartment building, purely for sentimental reasons. I remember all the times Vanessa and I would curse at the building owner for not getting a new elevator as we climbed up the stairs with heavy shopping bags, and now here I was, climbing up the same stairs with the heavy carseat that contained my child, just for the fun of it. But as I climb the final steps, I also remember my hatred for these damn stairs and why I was so ecstatic to finally leave this place. But it isn't such a bad place. As I make my way down the quiet hallway, images of our drunken bodies racing to the door in our heels, the many boyfriends that we had brought, the stupid fights we had about celebrities and who got which guy at school, flood my brain and stupid grin makes a way onto my face.

I take out my key that I still refuse to return to Vanessa and open the familiar door. 

"Vanessa? It's me, Lia!" I call out as I step into the quiet apartment. I'm glad to see the fake blood splatter from the last time I was here is gone, replaced with a new coating of paint.

I find my best friend curled up on the couch in the same knitted blanket that I had used the night Sebastian marked me. A box of tissues is on the floor beside her, nearly empty, The Notebook is playing silently on the tv but she's not watching it.

"Vanessa? Jeez, get up." I say as I carefully set the carseat down and rush to her side.

"Ugh, why are you here?" She groans as I pull the blanket from her face.

"Jesus Christ! What the hell happened to you?" I exclaim incredulously.

"Killian Petrov is what fucking happened to me." She spits out bitterly.

"What happened? He came hone last night with a red burn on his eye."

"That's because I threw wolfsbane at him."

"Care to explain why?" I ask as I walk over to where I placed William and pick him up.

"Is that my Will?" She asks, a smile breaking out on her face.

"Yes. Would you like to hold him?" I offer with a smile.

"Yes." She sniffles.

"The clean yourself up you slob. You need to take a shower, clean up this mess, after you've slathered a more than generous amount of hand sanitizer on your arms then you can hold him and tell me what happened with Killian."

"Fine." She grumbles as she starts to pick up all the used to tissues she scattered all over the floor.

I take a seat in the kitchen and wait patiently for her to finish.

"Alright! I'm clean, I slathered on three layers of hand sanitizer. Can I hold my godson now?"

"Of course!" I chirp as I hand William over to her.

"Hi Will! Oh my how I've missed you!" She exclaims as she presses her lips against his chubby cheeks.

I smile at the adoration she gives him, but then I remember Killian. "Hey! Are you going to tell me what happened last night."

"I'd rather not talk about it." She grumbles as she makes her way to the fridge to look for something to eat.

"Uh-uh, you promised."

"I don't recall promising anything Lia. I think you're beginning to experience mommy brain."

"Would you just tell me? I'm letting you hold my firstborn child."

An unattractive snort escapes her at my statement. "It's really not that serious." She mumbles.

"Well it is to me. You're hurting Vanessa, let me help."