Dark Femme (BWWM)

Chapter twelve

Anita Stone

I opened the apartment and Thaddeus enters behind me.
Although Alexi took me to the art supply store earlier today, I still needed the painting I'd already started and my cat trees.
Thaddeus agreed to take me to my apartment that night.

Waves of memories hit me the moment I enter the abandoned space.
It's relatively clear and there's a pink blanket on the couch that I didn't own.

Hanna told me she missed me and that she'd be crashing at my place when the ache is too much to bare and it almost brought tears to my eyes.

Thaddeus examines the photos on the wall like I did the paintings in his home.

He picks one off the wall as I collect my favorite supplies and stuff it into a graphic canvas bag.

"What are you looking at?" I asked watching him silently inspect the picture.
He turns the photo towards me and I look at myself, a 5 year old girl with with two missing front teeth, thin fragile relaxed hair framing a chubby face.

I'm on the lap of my mother and she appears to be on the phone.

"You look different, I wouldn't have been able to recognize you out of context." He tells me placing the framed photo back onto the wall with care.

"I don't think I look that different." I say turning my head to the side to look at the photo from a different angle.

"You do, now you have teeth." Is Thaddeus trying to be funny right now?
The thought makes me let out a small laugh.
"I had teeth back then too, just not all that many." I respond.

We both stare at the picture for a while like it's a captivating painting in a gallery. I don't know what he's looking at but my eyes are focused on my mother's
Side profile.

We never stopped being close my mother and I like Hanna's mother and herself, we were never even close to begin with.

In her presence I didn't fully exist, I was her tool to show off her abilities to nurture.

"You were very...cute." He compliments me to my surprise.

"Were? I want to say thank you but I also don't."

It's his turn to let out a small laugh. His eyes drift on to other photos.

"This is Hanna" he says as if he'd studied her features but is still unsure.
"Yup that's her, that's my bestie."

He picks up another photo, "Aaron?" He asked and it's the picture of Aaron standing in the snow with a massive heart with our names with a 'plus' sign behind him, he's grinning and looks so pleased with himself. I couldn't bare to get rid of it like the others.

I remember telling him Aaron gave me the drugs and I suppose he has done some investigating on his own.

"Yes,"

"he's your boyfriend, correct?" He turns towards me.
I don't know what kind of girl he thinks I am but I don't go around kissing uptight criminals when I have a boyfriend.

"No, we are no longer together."

"Not a fan of long distance relationships I imagine." He states and I look at him in disbelief that he'd say that.

"Alright smartass, help me get the trees lets go."

He can't help the smug look on his face I'm sure, the comment gets to me too.

The cat trees are place delicately in the back of a tinted black window suv by the driver.

I enter the door Thaddeus has opened for me.
"Thank you." I climbed to my seat.