Life After You

Chapter 13

It's been a couple of days since the 'breakdown'. Ever since that day, I've been feeling my feelings towards Jeremiah growing day by day. I'm not proud of it but to be honest it's been impossible to not think about him or all those tender moments with him.

Maybe psychologically, I'm feeling all of this is because he's just there. Maybe it wouldn't last long like all those relationships. Maybe it's just another terrible, terrible phase where I'm making the same mistake yet again.

I still can't help but think otherwise...

I rush to the door when I hear the pounding of probably Jeremiah. There's nobody else I know of from the building who'd knock, or rather pound on my door at 6 in the evening.

"Adeline?" I almost gasp, more than surprised.

"Hello, Isabelle," she says sweetly as I bend down to match her height.

"Hello angel," I hug her in greeting and then look up to see Jeremiah by his door smiling. I smile back. "No school today?" I shift my focus on the cute little girl in front of me.

"Nah. I took a day off" she giggles. I laugh and then tickle her sides making her giggle even louder.

"I wonder who's idea it was to take a day off" I say, eyeing Jeremiah with a smirk as I carry Adeline and rest her on my hip.

"Doesn't matter now since we all are here. Can we go to the park and then maybe get ice cream?" she chirps, clasping both her hands and making that puppy dog face towards Jeremiah. I laugh at both of them.

"Alright. But only if you make sure you make up for missing today's school work" Jeremiah says in that daddy-voice. Adeline pouts then groans but eventually agrees.

The next few minutes go by us getting ourselves ready for the short trip to the park. Ironically, if a stranger looked at us, they would've assumed we were a cute family seeing Jeremiah driving, me in the passenger seat with Adeline seated comfortably on my lap chatting away the whole drive there.

Adeline dances her way entering the park with me and Jeremiah following close behind her laughing at her high-spirited charisma.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Adeline squeals, squeezing her small hands in fists as she hops to us. "They're throwing water!" she says, her voice filled with excitement, tugging Jeremiah's shirt, getting his attention. I looked over where she was pointing at the water playplace. The area that sprays water all over with a bunch of equipment.

"That's cool. We can't go today though, we didn't bring a change" Jeremiah says making me want to swat his arm but then remind myself they're family. I'm just an outsider here.

"Hmph! Plea-"

"No Addy. We can go next time, okay?" Jeremiah says, not stern, not lenient either. Adeline pouts but then spots a couple of kids playing on the swings.

I feel my phone vibrate in my jean pocket. When I look at the notification, I gasp.

Candidate results June 2021

But that's all I do.

I don't open the page or bother seeing the rest of the notification but instead turn off my phone and put it back in my pocket like nothing happened.

I buy myself and Jeremiah a packet of chips and sit next to him on the bench he is seated on watching Adeline play.

"Hey, you" he sends me a friendly smile. I return it and hand him the packet. He smiles again.

"Hey. Looks like she has made new friends already" I say, motioning towards the little girl mingling with four other kids looking her age.

"Hmm" he hums, popping chips in his mouth. "How's your day going so far? Besides the time being here" he adds with a smile.