Childish

34

Alex stepped into the entryway and kicked his shoes off on the rug. He was holding his phone to his ear and talking in a low voice. He shook his coat off of each shoulder as he switched his phone from one ear to the other before he headed to the kitchen.

My eyebrows furrowed and I turned around so I could try to see him. The doorway leading to the kitchen didn't allow me to see much so as he moved around the room, I lost sight of him.

I frowned and turned back around. I tried focusing on the TV but I couldn't stop thinking about who Alex could be talking to. I hated being out of the loop.

Alex's voice got louder as he walked into the living room. He said goodbye to whoever was on the phone before hanging up.

I looked up at him. "Who was that?"

"Naomi. I was calling to check up on her." He sat down beside me and took a sip of the coffee he'd brought with him from the kitchen.

"You don't talk about her much anymore."

"You think I broke up with her?"

I shrugged. "I thought maybe she dumped you."

"Wow. Tell me how you really feel next time."

"So why did you really call her?"

He rolled his eyes. "I wanted to offer to shovel her car out for her. She has to get to work tomorrow morning."

"Couldn't you pull some strings so she didn't have to go in? I mean, you are the boss and she is your girlfriend."

"Um... who's in charge here? Me or you?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're so mean to me, you know that? And I have been nothing but nice to you, all things considered."

He looked over at me. "You're impossible, Lyla."

"I can say the same thing about you."

He shook his head. "You can either go with me or stay here with Monica for a little while longer."

"I wanna tag along. I miss Naomi, too."

Naomi was good for Alex. Sure, I was able to talk sense into him and make him see logic but Naomi had the adult aspect that I didn't. She knew how to get Alex to open up and loosen up, which was something he needed to do more than he actually did. He was always so focused on work and the well-being of everyone in Alpine yet he sometimes didn't give himself a chance to just be himself.

"As much as I've liked having you both here for the last few days, it'll be nice to get back to my normal routine again. I like being here alone." Monica said as she came up beside my end of the couch.

"You're going to say that in front of Lyla?" Alex asked, putting a hand to his chest in feigning hurt.

Monica gave him a look. "You know I've enjoyed having her here. I think she knows that too. Don't you, Lyla?"

I grinned at Alex before I nodded. "I get sick of Alex easily, too."

Alex sighed. "I'm always going to be outvoted, aren't I?"

I giggled. "Duh."

He got up and looked between us. "Alright, I'm going to get our stuff packed up. Shouldn't be hard since we didn't plan to spend the night. We should be ready to go soon."

I watched him leave the room before I leaned back against the cushion behind me. "Do you really like living by yourself?"

Monica shrugged. "It's not so bad. I like the quiet."

"Isn't it... hard? I've never been in your situation but I can't imagine it being too easy."

She sighed. "It's not but... I manage. It's either struggle or give up my independence. And that's... all I have."

"I don't think Alex would care if you moved in." I couldn't speak for him directly but I knew that Alex and Monica were close. I knew he'd do anything for her and vice versa.

"I don't want to do that to you. He has Naomi and you and I'm not going to add to that. I'm doing okay here."

"Do you think you'll ever... walk again?"

She looked down at her knees, her eyebrows furrowed. "The doctor I'm seeing seems to think so. It's going to be awhile before that happens though. I'm still working on bringing back the feelings in my legs."

"Doctor? You mean, you can't figure it out? You're like super smart."

She laughed. "It's easier to see someone else and have an outsider's perspective. He's nice and I have confidence that he'll be able to help me."

"Oh, the doctor is a he? Is he cute?"

Her face turned red and she swatted at my leg. "Lyla! He's just my doctor. That's all."

"Well, he won't always be your doctor."

"That's not going to happen. I'm sure he's married."

"Does he wear a wedding ring?"

"Well, no..."

I raised my eyebrows. Before she could respond, Alex walked back in with my diaper bag and his work bag.

"Are you ready to go, Lyla?"

I nodded and lifted my arms up for him to pick me up. Monica followed us out to the car, staying on the path that Alex had shoveled out.

He set me in my carseat before he put the bags in beside me. "Thanks for letting us stay, Mon. I hope we didn't impose too much."

Monica waved him off. "Don't mention it. I don't mind having you guys around. Even if it's for a day longer than expected."

I tucked my bunny between my side and the edge of the carseat and settled back against the fabric. As nice as the snow looked as it fell, I hated shoveling it and cleaning it up. I was glad I didn't have to help because I physically couldn't. I knew I would have been yelled at had I said I didn't want to.

Alex shut the door and walked around to his side of the car. He said a few words to Monica before he got into the car and started the engine. "Ready to go see Naomi?"