When I finally catch up to Zee and Serenity, they have made it all the way back to where we’d parked. I scooped up Sera and got her fastened into her car seat before climbing the driver’s side. Zee was quiet as she buckled her seatbelt, so I took her hand in mine and kissed it gently. She smiled softly, settling the nerves in my stomach that I hadn’t even noticed were there.
“She didn’t give you a hard time, right?” she asks, and I shake my head.
“Nah, you know I don’t let people like her get to me,” I shrug. “She just likes to run her mouth, and I had to shut her down.”
“What’d she say?”
I debated whether or not to tell her everything, but I decided against it, because the last thing I wanted was for her to be stressed. I was positive that Sasha was bullshitting as always, so there was no reason to even take her threats seriously. I smiled, squeezing her hand reassuringly.
“Nothing of substance,” I finally replied. “I promise, everything is going to be just fine. I got you. I got Sera. Never doubt that.”
Her smile widened, and we sat there, staring at each other like we tended to do recently. There were a million things that went unsaid, but we both could feel them. I wanted to kiss her, to tell her that I would be there for her because I loved her, because she was my best friend, because I truly wanted nothing but the best for her and Serenity. Thiswoman was my world, and God, did I want to shout it from the rooftops.
“One day,” I say under my breath, as I break eye contact. I start the car, but before I can put it in reverse, I feel a hand on my arm. I glance over to see Zseyah. She looks hesitant to speak, but I nod, hopefully signaling that I would listen for as long as it took. “I’m all ears, Zee.”
“I...just want you to know that we’re on the same page,” she says, shyly, and I immediately understand what she means. “One day... hopefully soon.”
“Whenever you’re ready,” I assure her. I lean over and place a kiss on her cheek. Her breath catches. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”
She nods, her hand gently touching the place I’d kissed. I smile to myself as I finally back out of the parking spot. It felt good to know that we had the same thoughts taking up space in our minds. I felt confident and excited about the future. I had no problem waiting until she was ready, and knew that I would wait til the end of time, because she was worth it.
I glanced at the rearview mirror to see that Serenity was knocked out, and I chuckled. My eyes travel to Zee for a few seconds before returning to the road. She sits quietly, nodding along to the music on the radio.
“Seems like Princess has had enough fun for the day,” I say, and she turns back to look at her.
“Oh yeah,” she giggles. “Baby girl is tired. “I guess it’s just you and me for the movie tonight.”
“I’ll get the snacks and load it up while you get Sera in bed,” I reply.
“Sounds like a plan.”
And it was a plan that was perfectly executed as soon aswe got back to the house. It only took about twenty minutes to get Sera situated and snacks prepped. We met back in the living room after changing into our pajamas, and spent the rest of the night cuddled under blankets as we watched a marathon of our favorite movies. The perfect ending to a damn near perfect day.
CHAPTER 8
Now Or Never.
Zseyah - October 20th, 2023
Today was a great day, but boy, has it been tiring. We were in the midst of preparing for all the school's fall activities, including a school concert featuring the band club I’d started. The kids were so excited, as was I. This would be the first time most of them performed in front of an audience, so we’d been practicing every chance we got. I couldn’t wait to see how it all came together next week.
“Hey, Miss Zee!”
I looked up from my desk just in time to see New South Independent School’s newest student, Sydney Boudreaux, run into my class. She’d only been here a week and already had quite the reputation. She was always volunteering to help and was smart beyond her years. I couldn’t believe she was only six, yet so compassionate, hardworking, and expressive with her feelings about certain things. She was a joy to have around, and the school, as bright as it was, seemed a little more colorful ever since she stepped across that threshold on Monday.
“Hey, Syd.” I chuckled as she wrapped her tiny arms around me. I returned it. “What are you doing down here? Shouldn’t you be on your way home?”
“I am! My mom’s talking with Winter, so I asked if I could come say bye to you,” she explains.
“Oh, well, I feel special.” I smile, and she nods excitedly. “Thank you so much, Syd. Would you like me to walk you back down to your mom?”
“Yes, come on!”
She pulls me up and out of my seat as best as she can, and I chuckle at her eagerness. As we’re walking down the hall, she tells me all about her day and how much she loves this school and her teachers. I wondered if Sera would be as active and expressive as Syd, and smiled to myself when I realized that she already was. Oh, I missed my baby. I couldn’t wait to see her again in a few days and give her all the cuddles.
“And then Mr. Honey sang this really cool song that reminded me of the one you taught us,” Syd explains, now diving into the topic of her favorite show,Mr. Honey’s Adventures. It was a popular one that a lot of the younger kids had been talking about a lot lately, which is where I got the song from. Sera loved it too.
“Oh, yeah, that’s where I got it from,” I smiled. “My daughter loves that show too.”
