Where Promises Must Glide

28 - Theo

TW!! MENTIONS OF: eating disorders and bulimia

I make it home with Ophelia in the back seat snoring. I didn't expect her to be so tired after today. After we got lunch, and I finished with my client, I took Ophelia to an outskirt city by Richmond. The place was dense in trees and forests, and there was a small pond that I planned to take her fishing in the future.

I taught her how to skip rocks, and we found a tire swing. She begged to go on it, and after inspecting it to be up to Ophelia's standards, I pushed her on it for what felt like hours. And every time my muscles began to strain, I would just listen to the girls giggles and happiness and would dull out the pain.

I was addicted. Obsessed with this little girl. And all of it was not enough. I wanted to be there for her in every stage of her life. I wanted to show up when no one else will. I wanted to be there for her first school dance, and when she graduates.

And I wanted to hold Juliette while all these moments happened.

I swore I never wanted kids, that they were always sticky some how and they were loud and invasive and kind of annoying. But no kid is like Ophelia. And hell, maybe Ophelia could be a big sister one day. She tells me all the time how she always wants to ask her mom for a little sister or brother.

Everything is so new I don't want to scare Juliette with the concept, especially since I haven't even taken her on a proper date yet.

"Wake up, Philly," I say, picking her up in one arm, while also holding the box of pizza in the other. I told Juliette that I'd bring dinner and she shouldn't have to worry about it.

She told me she was going to be home late, so I stayed out with Ophelia longer than I planned—and it seemed to not be long enough since Jules car wasn't in the driveway.

I dropped off a few stuff in my house, letting Ophelia lay on my couch, while taking a quick shower and changing into grey sweats and a tight black shirt. Juliette was still not home, so I went over to her house—with Ophelia and the pizza obviously.

I waited another five minutes before finally texting her. She told me she was going to be home in about thirty minutes, that she was helping her skating partner on his routine for his competition tomorrow.

Usually, I wouldn't consider myself a jealous man, but I was jealous of a lot of things that brought me away from Juliette. I felt more possessive actually.

It felt like the longer I waited to truly show her how much I loved her, the more obstacles that came between us.

While waiting, I stress cleaned. I cleaned the bedrooms first since I didn't want to wake Ophelia up while she napped in the living room. I cleaned all the bathrooms, and once I finished Ophelia woke. She took her bath, while I helped her get dressed for bed and dinner.

I cleaned the kitchen. The living room. Every spot of the house was spotless. At one point I was about to go to my house and clean if she didn't come home. I didn't like the idea of her staying out so late in downtown Richmond. It was a relatively safe city, but I didn't care.

Ophelia started to complain about being hungry, so I fed her a slice, while I waited on the porch for Juliette to get home. Ophelia sat next to me on the bright porch that I thought caused a migraine the first time I saw it, but now I was kind of liking it. We both waited with Ophelia slowly nibbling at the pepperoni pizza, while I ate the pieces of pepperoni she picked off.

After about five minutes, Juliette's car pulled up. My heart seemed to reach a normal speed at the sight. But what I saw didn't keep my heart rate at it's normal pace for long.