Meet Again

Untitled Part 3

Abi waited.

And waited.

And waited.

She was about to turn around when she was hit with light from inside. She looked up and expected to see Melanie there, but saw no one. She frowned before hearing a small voice followed by a familiar one.

"Hi!"

"No, mija, come back. Don't open the door to strangers-" Melanie came into view and Abi's heart fluttered. Melanie's style hadn't changed much. She was wearing a plain black t-shirt and grey ripped jeans. Her feet were covered with cactus socks and black Nike slips. Her hair was up in a ponytail and there was a soft smell of food wafting from the apartment. "Abi!"

Shaking herself out of her daze, the girl smiled. "Mel...Hey."

"Hey! I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you yet." She said, picking up the little girl from the doorway. "I was making some food, though I'm not the best at cooking," The Cuban tried to joke. "Come in, Abs." She turned around and walked deeper into the apartment.

"But you are a good cook, mami! At least I like your food!" The little girl told Melanie.

"Yes, I know honey. But my food is all the food you've ever tasted that's homemade. You know Uncle Zen never made you anything when he was here." The Cuban explained, a warm smile on her face.

Abi wondered why the grey-eyed girl hadn't introduced who Abi guessed was her daughter to her. She simply just acted as if Abi and the little girl knew each other for a long time. "Hey, Mel?" She asked. Stepping into the apartment, she had an imidate view of the living room, kitchen, a storage closet under the stairs, and a staircase leading to more rooms upstairs. There was also a few hallways leading to unknown places.

"Yeah?" The young girl asked, putting the girl down and watching her run up to Abi. "Um, mija don't-" Melanie tried before the girl hugged one of Abi's legs tightly.

"Hi! Who are you? Are you the girl in the pictures?" The high pitched voice asked. She looked up at her expectingly.

"The girl from the what-?" The older girl asked, bending down once the girl let her go. But she didn't get to finish her question before the girl hugged her tightly once again. Feeling strangely warm, Abi hugged the girl back and smiled up at Melanie who had a worried expression on her face.

Clearing her throat, Melanie carefully pulled the girl off of Abi and held her in her arms. "Abi, this is Lauren Isabelle Carreras Rodríguez...my daughter..." Though she said it shyly, there was no shame in her words. Abi stood back up and observed the little girl. She looked so much like Melanie that it was hard to believe that she had a father...or a biological one at least.

Lauren had grey eyes, though they were slightly lighter than Mel's. She had pitch black, wavy hair and her face had a few freckles here and there...just like her mom. She had slightly tanned skin, but other than that her physical appearance was a mini version of her mother. The little girl was also wearing a navy blue sweatshirt and Adidas sweats. Her tiny feet were kept warm with bright red socks. Abi didn't know who her dad was, but she couldn't tell who he was from how she looked.

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Lauren," Abi said, grinning at the little girl and sticking out her hand for the girl to take.

Lauren smiled and took the hand in her own. "Hi, Abi! I'm Lauren!" Melanie whispered into the little girl's ear. "Oh, you already know that..." She said, a disappointed look on her face.

The two oldest girls laughed and the blonde looked over at the young mother. She was looking at her daughter with so much love. It was almost impossible to think that Abi wasn't there to support her best friend. Then again, if she had been in the states...Lauren probably would've never been born...