(Jack)I left Thomas’ office but my thoughts were muddled by what he said.Initially, I really didn’t think much of it because Amanda had come back into my life so seamlessly. She was not a stranger, she could never be a stranger to me because I spent years knowing her.The friendship between us had always flowed so easily and I never thought to look at it in this way.Amanda had re-introduced to me the act of going out with friends and having fun. I was so engrossed with work that I forgot people my age still went out to party.Then I got together with Ruby and the time I wasn’t working was spent with her instead.When everything was happening, I found Amanda and her friends to be like a breath of fresh air.But maybe Ruby never felt that way.I had taken her to a club with Amanda and her friends. Ruby had sat off in the corner, sipping on her drink while everyone shouted, laughed, and drank to their heart’s content.On the way back, I asked her if she enjoyed the party or not and sh
(Ruby)I just felt so tired of how things were going, especially in my personal life.It felt like my life was turned upside down and while everyone seemed to settle into this new routine, it felt especially difficult for me.I had to take everything I was working on and shift it to Jack’s place.It didn’t take one day. I had to take several trips to and from the house while work was being done. The cameras were all set and now the windows were being changed.It would take another week or two for everything to go back to the way it was.I had enough of Jack’s apartment and I knew Lydia was tired from the journey and spending time with the kids so I had just got up and left the apartment. It felt too big without Jack there and from what I knew of his schedule, it was likely that he was going out with his friends again.Thinking about his friends made my heart pinch. I had not lived or led a privileged life. Jack had and so had his friends. I know these things don’t mean much in the gra
(Ruby)I kept hyping myself up the entire way to the apartment so that I wouldn’t chicken out when it came time to talk to Jack.I didn’t want to cower away from any kind of conversation because this was Jack, the one whom I shared everything with.These doubts had been swimming in my head for more than a week now and my inability to share them was causing the distance between us to grow even more.I wanted to hold onto him tighter but if we keep ignoring the elephant in the room, how would I be able to do that?When I finally reached the apartment, it was quiet though I knew he must be home because he had canceled the plan to hang out.When I entered the living room and rounded the couch, I saw Jack’s prone body on the sofa. It looked like he slept right after he came back from the office. He was still wearing the clothes he had left the house in even though the first thing he did after coming back from the office was to change his clothes.I smiled slightly and walked over to him. J
(Thomas)I was practically vibrating with excitement when I finally reached home. The mansion didn’t look as barren as it used to be when I lived here without my kids or Lydia in my life.Now, every time I looked at it, there was a homey feeling inside my chest. It was proof that a house only became a home when there were people inside it, creating it a home through their presence.I cannot imagine how lucky I have gotten in my life. Even though I almost lost everything, I was slowly gaining everyone I had lost back and I couldn’t be anymore happier about it.I got out of the car and in the next couple of seconds, I was entering through the front door, about to call out to Lydia or the kids. However, I spied a foray of voices coming from the kitchen and I immediately quieted myself.With slow and quiet steps, I walked over to the kitchen and saw Mabel, Miles, and Lydia’s head looking down into a bowl filled with a dough of some kind. By the looks of it, they were making cookies, just
(Lydia)I felt cared for like I had never before.It was not just Thomas feeling distraught at the idea of me being in Nathan’s presence, I was feeling that way too.Even though I had bodyguards with me, I still didn’t feel secure enough. Even though I knew I would be surrounded by a lot of people, I still did not feel secure enough.I was taken aback when Thomas suggested that he had decided to come with me. I had not imagined him to say that in my wildest dreams. For a moment, I had no idea what to do and I could only pull him into a hug.Thomas truly cared for me. He was not only with me due to the past memories of us. He thought about me like we were one family and that was all I really wanted from him.I wanted this all along. Ever since he came back into my life, this was what I had been waiting for. Just this mindful gesture was enough to make me melt in his hold.I felt butterflies in my belly at the thought of him thinking about me, worrying for me through the entire day to c
(Thomas)I went to the office in the morning earlier than usual because I knew that I would have to leave before lunch to pick Lydia up from home.We had to go to the school meeting and Lydia was feeling very nervous about all of it. If she was nervous, then I had taken more of a chill role where I told her to relax and that everything would be alright.She didn’t believe me but that was all I could do to get her to calm down. Deep down, I was anxious as well but I was pretty good at hiding it from her, or perhaps everyone.There was last minute business that I had to attend to at the office which was the only reason why I even came in here. Otherwise, I knew everything would be handled by Jack. I was leaving not only the company in his hands but also my kids.And I knew he would never disappoint me.When I come back, maybe I can try to persuade mother of the relationship between him and Ruby. It would take a lot of time and effort but I know she would come around just like she did fo
(Ruby)When I woke up the next morning, I was at peace for the first time in weeks.Jack and I had cleared everything up and now it felt like we were slowly going back to the way we were before everything went down.We had gone to sleep together and kissed and cuddled for hours until we actually went to sleep. I can’t even begin to describe the relief that has washed over me after his development. After all that tension and lack of communication with Jack, we were finally going back to the way we were.I didn’t realize how much this was weighing on me until I finally talked to him and we figured things out together. It felt like a huge knot in my chest finally untied and I could breathe easier again.As we lay upon the bed together, I felt nervous about it being awkward again because truth be told, I had been avoiding going to bed at the same time as he was going. I don’t know the thought process behind all of this, but something in me did not want to lay in bed together while we were
(Lydia)Both of us woke up very early in the morning.When the kids found out that we were leaving, they were both moping because at first, it was only Mommy who was leaving, now Daddy was going to leave with her as well. But then I told them that their Uncle Jack and Aunt Ruby would be coming in to take care of them and they both cheered up.The flight was just after noon, so we woke up early to have breakfast with Mabel and Miles.Since Thomas and I were leaving, the breakfast was supposed to be extra special. I made blueberry pancakes with syrup and Thomas helped me make some hash browns.We moved into the kitchen space like we had been doing all our lives and I realized that we had. Before everything was ruined, Thomas used to help me in making food all the time unless it was already done by the time he was home.During that time, I was still trying very hard to be recognized for my talents. I used to spend hours upon hours practicing for the auditions and then spent more hours du