Across the Hall (G.N.D. Sequel)

13

Lexi's POV:

I walk into my apartment after being gone for several hours, expecting to find my girlfriend waiting on me since we planned to go to lunch.

To my surprise, she is no where to be found. "Mia?" I call out. Still no answer.

I check her location on her phone and see that she's at her father's house, so I call her.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you at your dad's?" I question, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, I came by to say hello. You make it home from Evan's?" She asks, her voice not as peppy as usual.

I pause, "I did... are you okay? You sound off."

She sighs, "I'm fine, Lexi. I'll be home in a few hours. Dad and I are going to grab lunch." She explains.

"Oh, alright. I guess we'll take a rain check on our lunch then." I groan, hungry and slightly annoyed.

"Mmhm. I love you." She says.

I end the call and sigh, now thinking about ordering take-out or something. I can't stand when people don't follow through with plans. That's one of my biggest pet peeves.

In the midst of my food-search, I get a text from Evan. I open it and see a picture of coffee flavored ice-cream and all three smiling kids behind it.

"You're missing out."

I smile slightly at the message. I should've gone.

"I believe it." I reply.

That message is followed up by another photo, this one I'm quite positive wasn't meant for my eyes.

The same ice cream cone, but held strategically in front of her v-neck shirt with cleavage on display.

"Soon, I'll call you next week."

Seconds later, I'm hit with another message.

"Oh my god, that was NOT for you. Disregard please."

I snicker at the message and her mistake. "Meant for Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome?"

She responds with an eye-roll emoji, "shut up, Lex. Delete it!"

"Yes ma'am."

"Stop!" Evan responds, hating it when I call her ma'am.

I giggle at the message and leave her with no reply.

* * *

Evan's POV:

"Mama?" Grace mutters, licking her ice cream before it drips.

"Yes?"

She glances at me, "do we have to go back to daddy's? I don't want to go. I just want to stay with you."

Hearing my kids constantly express their dread and sadness about going back to their father's house makes me feel all sorts of emotions. Sometimes I feel guilty for ever divorcing Scott, sometimes I feel angry for him being such a self-centered asshole, and sometimes I feel helpless because I know there is only so much I can do.

"Baby..." I sigh, looking at my daughter intently. "I know you don't want to go back tomorrow, but you have to so that you can go to school. I live too far away to get you to your school on time, so daddy has to take you." I explain.

She frowns, "but why can't you move closer? Or why can't go to a different school?"

Because your father is a jackass who purposely enrolled you in an expensive private school so that I couldn't afford it. "Maybe we can fix that soon, kiddo. Me and your daddy have to talk and work things out, but I'm going to do everything I can to see you more, okay?" I get a slow nod and I kiss her head, "I love you, you know that?"