Just as I Begin to Fade

Thirty Two. Hold Me

Later that evening, Lori had left and that left her sister in-law to heat up some already made dinner.

Knocking on her daughter's door gently, did she come in right after---seeing the girl on her window seat, curled practically in a ball as she watched the rain hit the pane.

Gwen wiped her face of any tears and she looked over and kind of sighed. She climbed down and she met the blonde whom was sitting on the edge of her bed with the plate of food.

"Just some leftovers from last night..." she claimed.

She nodded, "Thanks," and took the glass of iced tea from her mother, in order to set it on her night stand.

The blonde watched the girl and she noticed that she really couldn't keep it together. "Are you okay?" she wondered, looking at her nearly sideways because she had never experienced anything like it before.

The girl sniffed, "Yeah, I'm fine..." she paused. "I mean, I sound like I'm lying but I'm fine," she picked up her fork and stabbed one of the augratin potatoes.

"Well, is there anything you want to talk about?" she crossed one leg over the other and she propped herself with one arm. "I've never seen you cry this much---I'm kind of curious... and maybe a little nervous."

She glanced up at her mom, her eyes very sad as she chewed on her food.

"What's the matter? You can tell me."

She shook her head, trying to wave it off. "I'm okay---I just had a lot to think about today. Everything just came crashing down on my head and I bursted into tears... Haven't really stopped once I started."

"I know how that feels," she mumbled gently, pulling one of her daughter's pillows, so that she could lay back and watch her eat. "Are you sure there's not anything else wrong? I thought maybe you and Derek had a fight or something..."

"No, we're fine. We're gonna hang out this week."

Her mother nodded gently and she kind of shut her eyes, since the light was right in her line of vision.

"Are you okay?"

"Me?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, I'm fine. I'm just tired, I haven't slept."

"That sucks... Overall, how are you feeling? How's your wrist?"

"It hurts, but not as bad as it was last night," she held up her bandaged wrist, just to look at Lindsey's neat binding job.

"Do you have any plans? You never leave the house, lady."

"I'm alright. I'm a homebody these days. I don't really wanna get seen in public anyway."

"Yeah, but you need sunlight."

"It's raining..."

"Well, I know, but I mean, at least in the morning when the sun is out, see it for a bit."

"The sun is so bad for the skin. It was taking care of your skin that I taught you early. I don't go in the sun for my skin---that's why I take vitamin D."

"Yes, so that when you're fifty, you're thirty, right?" she retorted.

"Mhmm," she smirked. "So, you do listen to me... That's nice. Sometimes, I think I'm wasting my breath."

"I always listen to you, I just don't always agree with you," she explained. "Or want to listen, but I do."

The blonde arched her brow as she dosed off.