Patience

27

August 6, 2020

Tori had run out of food at Mallory's apartment and she was upset that Mallory didn't have Air Condition either so she was miserably sitting in Mallory's apartment. It was about midnight and she huffed out of hunger and miserablity, and locked up Mallory's apartment, and got in her car to head home. 

As soon as she got into her mother's house she dropped her stuff in the entranceway and went straight for the kitchen where she raided the fridge and pulled out a thing of raspberries and blueberry yogurt. Her back was towards the kitchen door as she was eating her midnight snack and she didn't register the other person that had come into the room until she felt her mother's arms wrap around her. 

She jumped about a mile in the air but all Stevie did was held her to her tightly. Unbeknown to Tori, Stevie was miserable she had fallen down a hole just flicking through the book that Tori gifted her for Christmas and the baby stuff that she had and she may or may not have been sleeping in Tori's room. 

"Mom, I can't eat my yogurt." She whines. 

"I don't care, I wanna hold you. I'm sorry Tori. Really I am. I shouldn't have attacked you like that after my eye appointment, and my intention wasn't to target you in any way shape, or form." Stevie replies kissing her daughter's shoulder. 

"Alright." Tori sighs.

"Are we okay, do you still love me because I love you, with all my heart," Stevie says. 

"Yeah we're okay, I love you, mom." Tori nods.

"Good, now give me a proper hug, and then I'll let you eat your midnight snack. Why did it take you two weeks to come back?" Stevie inquires as the young girl turns in her mother's grasp and wraps her arms around her. 

"I would've stayed away longer had Mallory's pretty much vacant apartment didn't run out of food." Tori states.

"But...but why?" Tori can see Stevie's bottom lip wobble. 

"Honestly, Mom. I don't know. You posted that thing on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and I looked at it and I read it and then I just had the urge to leave. I'm mad that you just like attacked me for not wanting to wear the stupid thing and having a panic attack and it just didn't sit well with me and I felt like I needed to go. I really only came back because Mal doesn't have AC and I needed food." Tori explains popping a raspberry into her mouth. 

"But I didn't mean..." Stevie starts trying to defend herself.

"I know, but it still hurt a little bit." Tori goes back to her yogurt. 

"I'm sorry, and maybe I could've waited to post those things until our disagreement blew over but I'm just trying to advocate and I..." Stevie starts. 

"Mom, drop it." Tori rolls her eyes. 

"I'm sorry," Stevie repeats. 

"I'm going to go take a shower." Tori sighs. 

"I was hoping we could talk or do something together." Stevie scratches her nails along the island counter. 

"It's like one-thirty in the morning. I just wanna shower, unpack, and then go to bed. Remind me to do Laundry tomorrow." She huffs putting the Raspberries back in the Fridge. 

"I'll do it for you," Stevie says quickly.

"You do Laundry? I don't think I've seen you do Laundry and I've lived here for about six months, Karen does it and I don't want her touching my stuff." Tori crosses her arms.

"No, Karen does her laundry when she stays here yes, but I do my own laundry. I'm not fond of people other than my family touching my underwear. And my family consists of you and Lindsey. Lori doesn't count and I love Stella but that would just be awkward. I never got to do your laundry when I was little, so just humor me and let me do your Laundry. Unpack your bag right now and bring it down for me." Stevie begs. 

Tori rolls her eyes but she proceeds to make her way up the stairs to bring back down her laundry for her mother. 

Stevie takes it graciously and then makes her way to the Laundry room as Tori goes up for her shower. As she's walking out of the bathroom, her father meets her in the hallway and he also hugs her in a slight sleepy haze. 

"Did you talk to your mother?" 

"Briefly." Tori sighs. 

"She's been really upset since you left. She hasn't even slept with me." Lindsey states.

"And  that's a bad thing, literally two years ago you were in this heated lawsuit, and now your living in her house." Tori cocks an eyebrow.

"What your mother and I have is complicated, but it's never going to die. NO matter what happens we always end up finding our way back to each other and it's hard and it's scary and it kinda sucks because it's ruined countless relationships but I think it's Gods way of saying that I'm stuck with your mother for the rest of my life." Lindsey shrugs.

"The rib thing." Tori smiles.

'The what?" Lindsey inquires. 

"I am by no means religious, but I had to go to church with a couple of my foster families. The Bible says that Adam was lonely so God took one of his ribs and made Eve. They are soulmates, always connected." Tori explains.

"I'd believe it however she claims that Joe Walsh is her soulmate and her greatest love." Lindsey fake swoons. 

Tori just cocked an eye and then pulled away disappearing into her bedroom. She was dozing in and out of sleep when her bedroom door opened and Stevie walked in with her clothes basket and then she faked sleep, when she felt Stevie hoover over her and press her hand to her temple. Stevie soothed her hand over her head for a little bit and then she pressed a kiss to her head and Tori had to stop herself from smiling when Stevie said, I love you my baby girl.