|A L W A Y S & F O R E V E R| B O O K 1

8||T i m e A l o n e

Date:4/14/15
Day of the Week: Tuesday
Location: Seattle, Washington
Place: Russ' Place

Russell
The light shining through the window woke me up from my peaceful sleep. I used my hand to try to block it out before sitting up in bed. The alarm clock on my nightstand read 7:42 AM. I threw the covers back before getting up and making my way to my connected bathroom. When I got inside, I shed from the clothes I slept in and stepped in the shower. Once I turned the water on, I stood under the shower head, letting the water fall down my body. I picked up my bath sponge and soaped it up, washing over my body. After rinsing off the soap suds, I took a minute to stand under the shower head, running my fingers through my hair. I decided to wash it before I got out. After I got out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around my waist and carried on with the rest of my morning routine. I got dressed in a Nike T-shirt with matching sweatpants and socks before heading downstairs. Ci sat at the island eating a bowl of cereal.

"Good morning." She smiled.

"Good morning. You could've woke me up. I would've cooked or gone out to get breakfast for us." She waved me off.

"It's fine. I didn't want to wake you from your sleep."

"Since I'm up now, do you want me to get breakfast or cook you anything in particular?"

"You're so sweet, but no thank you. I'm actually heading out real soon."

"What? Why?" She wiped the milk that dripped down her lip with the back of her hand.

"I got a call from my mother this morning." She frowned as if something was wrong.

"Is everything okay?"

"There's something wrong with my grandma." She chokes out, holding back the tears in the corners of her eyes. I walked over to her, pulling her into my arms. She cried softly into my chest. Naturally, my hands massaged her hair in hopes of comforting her. Her cries turned into loud sobs.

"Hey, calm down. It's gonna be alright." Her hands gripped my shirt tightly.

"I don't know what's wrong. I just don't wanna lose her." I rubbed her back in circles as she sobbed into my T-shirt. I didn't know what to say. So I just let her cry as I comforted her as best as I could.

>>>
Ciara
"Hey, do you need a ride to the airport?" He peeked his head through the door. I shook my head.

"No. I was gonna call an Uber." I turned over on my side, sniffling as I wiped my stray tears away.

"You sure?"

"Y-Yeah." My voice cracked. I felt the bed lower down beside me. His hand rubbed my back gently.

"Come on. You should go be with your family. I know your grandmother wants you to be there right now." I nod my head, sitting up in the bed.

"Yeah, I should. Even though I don't want to." I sniffled.

"Is there anything you need me to help you with?"

"Uh, I got it."

"Are you s-"

"I said I got it, okay?!"

"Okay. I'll be waiting downstairs." He walked to the door and shut it on his way out. I sighed and placed my head into the palms of my hands.

For a few minutes, I sat there to gather myself before standing to my feet. I grabbed my overnight bag along with Zahir's, gathering up any extra items that were out and placing them inside. I threw the bags over my shoulder before retrieving my phone from the bed and picking Zahir up.