It's Always You

Chapter 31: Reconcile

Alexis pinched the bridge of her nose, her eye lids heavy with exhaustion as she stood before Miranda's front door. She had called Miranda the previous night once she had finished setting up the traps with Garrett. After an entire evening of setting up traps, she was looking forward to sleeping. That is until one of the rats crawled out of her pillow and ran across her lap while she was on the phone with Miranda, which made her scream and bump into her nightstand. When she had screamed, that's what sent Mutt at the rat. Hell, they almost ate the damn thing.

She looked down at Mutt, pressing down on her shoulder and stretching it. It had been aching since that morning when she woke up. The only reason she got even a few hours of sleep was because Mutt had rested their head on her lap in some sort of demand for attention. The next thing she knew, she was hunched over her desk with drool down the side of her cheek while Mutt slept comfortably on her bed.

Turning back to the door, she brought her hand up to knock. Just before she could, the door opened and caused every muscle in her body to snap tight. Monica answered the door, her eyes widening when she saw Alexis. Her brown hair had grown much longer and was held in a messy bun, her face decorated with a few wrinkles and barely noticeable dark circles under her eyes.

''Oh, Lady Miroslava! What a lovely surprise this is!'' she said, her eyes lighting up as she took both of Alexis's hands before noticing the dog by her side. ''And who's this friend of yours?''

''This is Mutt.'' she said, scratching them behind the ear. Monica kneeled down, giving Mutt a good few pets before looking up at Alexis.

''Boy or girl?'' Alexis scratched her neck, shrugging. She looked to the door, glancing inside. The house was dimly lit and she could see only a few candles from where she was standing. It made her a little less anxious but a million and one thoughts were racing through her mind. She wasn't going to succumb to anger again. She was going to have a civilized conversation with Miranda but then what? What comes after that? She hadn't thought that far? What if Miranda asked her to forgive her?

''Oh, what a handsome boy you are!'' Monica's voice chimed, breaking her away from her thoughts that only made her anxiety worse.

''What?''

''Mutt, he's a boy. I checked.'' Monica said as she continued to pet the dog, who groaned happily at all the attention. Alexis looked down at the dog, smiling happily at him. Monica eventually stood, gesturing to the front door, which was still open. ''Mother Miranda is waiting for you.''

Alexis nodded before stepping inside, with Mutt following close behind. Having him behind her made her feel a bit better after stepping inside. The air was comfortably warm and smell like vanilla unlike the Factory which was quite hot, always smelled of melting metal and sweat. Being back was strange. On one hand, it was comforting but on the other, she couldn't get over this feeling on uneasiness, like someone was watching her every move as soon as she stepped inside.

''Alexis, I'm glad you made it.'' she heard a familiar dark yet feminine voice say. Standing by the entrance to the dining room, was Miranda. She was wearing her usual black robe with her blonde hair pushed back. Despite wearing her usual clothing, Alexis couldn't help but just stare for a moment, admiring Miranda's beauty. 

Once she realized she had been staring for much longer that she had thought she immediately ripped her gaze away from her, gesturing to Mutt. ''I hope you don't mind I brought Mutt.''

''I don't mind at all. How about we eat first and then we can talk.'' Miranda suggested. Before she could say anything in protest, her stomach growled loudly. Her check flushed a bright shade of crimson as she brought her arms up to cover her stomach, completely embarrassed. She heard Miranda chuckle, which almost made it worse. In fact, she was going to say something until Miranda held out her hand for Alexis. ''Let's get you something to eat, lord knows you don't take proper care of yourself.''