Not in the Same Way

Nine

A knock on the door sounds and I walk softly to the front of the house, quickly unlocking it to let Darby in, my face falling as she comes into view.

"Hey, um, is Aves ready to go?" She asks, the dark cover of the moonless night doing little to hide the red rims around her eyes or her tear track covered face.

"Yeah, she's asleep but ready, she was exhausted when we got home from the zoo so she passed out quickly. What's wrong? What's happened?" I furrow my eyebrows, my face scrunching in confusion and concern as I assess her obviously distressed demeanor.

She sniffles and wipes at her eyes, shaking her head.

"It's nothing. It'll be fine, I promise." She says giving a weak smile as she passes me and heads to Ava's room.

"Darby, please. I can see your upset. Somethings obviously wrong. Come in let me make you a drink. I still have that tea you like so much." I offer.

She hesitates, her eyes trained on mine as I see the silent debate going on behind her pupils. She is considering my offer but something is stopping her, fear or something similar.

"Come on, Darbs. Don't overthink it. It's just tea."

Her eyes drift behind me and just when I feel my shreds of hope beginning to die she speaks up.

"Have you got honey?"

"Of course." I smile, stepping aside to let her enter. "Sit on the couch, I'll get it for you." I tell her, stepping past her and into the kitchen to start the kettle.

I try to decide on a course of action as I get the tea bags down from the cabinet along with a mug. Something is obviously bothering her but I don't want to force her to tell me if she doesn't want to. She's barely spoken to me over the past few weeks, obviously our night together had spooked her and I don't intend on making those same mistakes again.

The kettle squeals and I remove it from the stove eye. Turning the stovetop off and pouring the hot water into the mug over the tea bags, inserting a honey stick before carrying the drink into the living room, setting it on a coaster to cool.

My lips twist to the side as I consider my seating options. Should I sit next to her on the couch or across from her on the chair.

I bite my lip and I lower myself on the sofa beside her. I'm close enough to hear her small sniffles but far enough that we aren't touching.

I lean back into the cushions and wait, content to sit quietly in my own thoughts until shes ready to talk. I know her, even if lately she seems to think I don't or that I've forgotten, and I know she'll speak when she's ready.

"Delta is canceling a ton of flights. No one is buying the tickets, even though the prices are crazy low." She starts, my heart hammering in my chest as she angles herself towards me forcing our knees to touch.

I nod, not wanting to stop her flow of information.

She sighs heavily and allows her head to fall against my shoulder.

I forced down the lump in my throat, my adam's apple bobbing from the effort as I try to keep my cool.

"They laid me off." She says, her voice breaking as she says the words. "With half the country going into quarantine and the rest expected to follow flights are all but coming to a stop. I don't know when we'll be able to go back to work and I don't know when or if we are going to be paid." She sniffles and I wrap my arm around her pulling her into my side.

" 's all going to be okay." I say gently. Shushing her as she cries against my chest. "I'll make sure you and Aves are taken care of."

"No, Cal. You don't understand."

"What? What don't I understand?" I ask, concerned.

"I've already been having money problems. I'm late on my rent and my landlord found out I lost my job. I was already warned I could be evicted but I thought with all the extra flights I've been working everything would be fine. He gave me seven days to get out." She sobs and I feel simultaneously both heartbroken for her and furious with her.

"Why wouldn't you tell me you've been having money trouble, Darby? I could have fixed all of this before it got this bad."

She takes a few calming breaths, sitting up slightly causing my arm to drop from her shoulder, and wipes the tears from her eyes before meeting my gaze.

"I was embarrassed." She shrugs.

"Embarrassed?" I say with raised eyebrows. "Darby this is the kind of shit I need to know."

I feel my jaw clinch as I try to keep my emotions in check. I don't want to go off on her and have her shut down on me completely.

"I just thought I could get everything back under control with the extra work and money. I thought it would be fine. I didn't want to involve you in stuff that had nothing to do with you."

"Had nothing to do with me?" I wonder if I sound as shocked by her statement as I feel. "Darby it has everything to do with me because it has to do with you and our daughter. What do I have to do to make you see that I love you and I'd do anything for you or for Ava?"

She's silent which scares me a bit but she opens her mouth to speak only a moment later.

"I'm sorry I didn't come to you. I was feeling incredibly embarrassed and incompetent and I was scared if you knew my financial situation that you might try to like.." She stops as her face distorts and sobs escape from her mouth.

"Scared I might what?" I ask confused.

"I thought you might try to take Ava away from me." She says after a moment and I swear I feel my heart stop.

"Are you fucking joking?" I'm not even mad now. I'm just hurt. "Is that what you think of me?"

My words come out softly and she looks up to me, her bottom lip between her teeth and the guilt clear in her eyes.

"Fuck." I turn away from her, my hands scratching at the nape of my neck. "I need you to know that I will never, never, try to take or keep Ava away from you, okay?" I lift her chin with my finger until she will look at me.

She stares at me a moment before she finally nods.

"Here's what we're gonna do, okay? With all this shit going on with the virus we're surely going to end up quarantined too. I'll get the boys together and recruit some help and get you and Ava moved out of your apartment. You guys can come stay with me. You can have Roy's old room all the way on the other side of the house so you can have your own space, half of Ava's stuff is already here anyways. We can both be here with Ava and not have to worry about managing hand offs during this mess. After it's over you guys can stay or we can find you guys something else and I'll take care of it. I won't have my girls dealing with a shitty landlord anymore." I rush out this whole plan that I've concocted in about thirty seconds and hope she doesn't laugh in my face for it.

"I don't know about the whole you buying us a place thing. That part we'll worry about later. For right now I'm not really in a place to be turning down help so if you don't mind me crashing here with you until this stupid virus does whatever it's going to then I would really appreciate it." She says.

"Then it's settled. Just stay in the guest room tonight, yeah? I don't want you driving home all upset and Aves is already asleep."

She opens her mouth to argue but I hold my hand up to stop her.

"I insist. I promise I'll leave you alone it would just make me feel better."

She purses her lips but nods in agreement, lifting her tea cup up and leaning back, sinking deeper into the couch.

AN: oh boy things are finally heating up here. They're going to be roomies! How do you think that will go?

Did you see her money problems coming?

So this book is obviously inspired by the crazy world we're living through right now and I hope you guys are enjoying and that perhaps my updates are giving you something to look forward to while you stay safe at home.

I love you all,

Sav 🖤