I Try

Chapter 3 - The Little Prince

Lauren’s Point of View 

In the morning I wake up curled on my side, with my face nuzzled into my pillow. It reminds me of waking up on Matt’s first day of school, all those months ago. It seems like years. 

I sit up groggily, disoriented. There are no mumbles or cries from the little six months old baby in the crib. In fact, it’s empty, which leads me to two conclusions. 

One; she’s been kidnapped. 

Two; she learned to walk months ahead of time. 

Neither are very appealing options and I begin to worry as I trip over my pajamas to hurry out of my room - well, Nash’s spare room. I rush out of the door and move so fast it takes me a few moments to decipher the sounds emitting from the kitchen. I tie the sash on my robe, reversing my direction. 

“Come on, Charlie! Come on, Charlie.” My mouth forms an O when the sight in front of me is revealed as true. Nash has both his pinkies in Charlie’s tiny fists as he stands her up. I cover my mouth with my hand, trying not to laugh. 

I stand in the doorway for a few seconds more unnoticed, admiring the carefree Nash. And not in a bad way. A good way. He always seems to be worrying, stressing, guilty. It’s nice to see him without all that. 

Nash lifts his head and notices me for the first time, blushing down to his toes. “Oh, I didn’t know you were standing there.”

I giggle. “That was the idea, dummy.”

He rolls his eyes at me, but doesn’t say anything in return. He turns back to Charlie, who lets out this happy, gurgling sound that makes me smile. She's looking at me, and leans back, completely trusting of her grip on Nash's two pinkies to hold her up. I move around the pair of them to perch on a seat, where I can see his face. 

He makes some of the goofiest faces ever, trying to recapture Charlie's attention and my breath catches at the realization that it is impossible to hate him. It would be easier if I could hate him. Easier to find some way to be happy with Zack. 

But, I could be happy with this, right? I've got Charlie, and she can definitely be happy with this man, who obviously loves her. 

"Come on, Charlie!" Nash coos again, grinning hugely as she deems to smile dazedly at him, still mesmerized by life and the world. 

"Come on!" he adds, and my heart swells when Charlie takes a tiny step towards him, still leaning most of her tiny weight in his strong hands, still rough from his fight with Zack.

It's actually kind of amazing, how bipolar humans are. Is bipolar the right word? We have as much capacity to destroy as we have to love, or be gentle. And sometimes we do one in the name of the other. 

It's more sad than amazing, though. The kids who get destroyed by people trying to teach them lessons on how to stand up for themselves. We all go through life so clumsily, wanting to do what's best, for the most part, but not knowing how. We sacrifice ourselves to force our dreams on our children, doing what would've made us happy when we were younger. 

But that's not how life works. You can't love people by thinking they're exactly like you. You have to get to know them, learn the differences and appreciate them. 

Love them for who they are, not for how similar they are to you. I wonder if that's why Nash is so rude to people sometimes. 

Did his father push his corporate dream on him? I don't want Charlie to be faced with that... 

"Lauren?" Nash asks, interrupting my thoughts, and I glance down at him, surprised by the soft tone in his voice, the simple tiredness in his eyes when our gazes lock.