Saving Athena ✓

38) Meteor

A t h e n a

An hour later, and my door finally gets knocked on. I sigh and rub my eyes, debating if I should open it or not. But my feet deceive me as I get up and unlock the door. Mom peeks her head in and gives a soft smile.

I'm mistaking her attempts as feeble, they're pathetic.

"What?" I deadpan, her eyes waver around my room, a slow smile spreading on her lips. She asks for the permission with her eyes to step in, and I absentmindedly slide to the side. She walks in carefully, she walks straight for the pink box.

"Can I?" She whispers, her hands wrapping around the material of the box. I nod, she sits on the floor and delicately un-laces the ribbon. I sit on the other side of her. She opens the box and smiles widely with tears pooling at her eyelids as she pulls out a pink onesie. She covers her mouth with her hand.

"This was your first onesie," she whispers. "I remember buying it."

I give a nod, she reaches into the box and pulls out a photo. The photo of us, her, dad, and I. Her face falters when she pulls out this photo. "You remember that too?" I muttered, playing with the drawstring of my pants.

"Of course, the day you were born. How could I forget?"

"It must've not been important enough to get you to stay."

Her lips fall in a frown when I say this, and I don't care. I want to hurt her, again and again, until she feels the pain I had to deal with for years.

"Oh, look at this," she holds up a children's book about astronomy. "You loved the stars as a kid, always begging your father and me to go outside with you, you never wanted to go to sleep. Ah, you were just like your grandma."

"Grandma?" I whisper, not believing the words that are spewing from her lips.

She gives a soft nod and murmurs, "Yeah. She loved you so much, you got your galaxy obsession from her."

I give a nod and lay my back against the bed. "What was she like?"

"You would've liked her a lot," she nods and wipes away her oncoming tears. "She used to kiss you goodnight, sing to you, take you out to stargaze."

"What happened to her?"

"She never liked your father, so when I left, she got sick. She passed away a few years ago."

Tears well up in my eyes for a woman I barely knew. That I don't remember knowing, and that casts a gloomy shadow over everything.

"Enough of that," she laughs sadly, wipes her tears away, and turns to face me. "Tell me about yourself."

"Is that your plan?"

Her eyebrows raise.

"Is your plan to throw yourself into my life and act like a mother?" I ask, quietly. I fumble with my fingers. "Because if it is, I'm not playing your game."

"I want to know about you," she explains as if that will make up for her absence. "Is there anyone special in your life?"

"No." I answer blankly, lying. She doesn't deserve to know that I'm falling in love, she doesn't deserve to know that I made friends. She doesn't deserve it.

"How about work? How is that?"

I look down and tap my fingers against my knees. "It's okay, busy."

She stays quiet for the longest time, I look up at her with furrowed brows as she stares me down. "What?" I snap, not being able to handle her eyes that are prying on me.