A Time For Love (A Time For Love Series-Book 1)

We Are Friends

LENA POV

"I'm glad you decided to give it a chance, Stef. Honestly, you are coming along with everything, and you are going to be a wonderful mom to her. Bird is so lucky." I say as Mike had taken Bird to go practice basketball as I grab a few things for my session with Stef. 

It was good to be back at work because the last few days dealing with my mother had been a headache. She was acting as if her world was destroyed. Meanwhile, when my uncle was alive, she pretended as if he didn't exist. Why all of a sudden she was feeling something was beyond me, but I was over it, and I was over her.

Of course, we had gotten into multiple arguments over my uncle Alvin's will, which was just the cherry on top. She was confused and annoyed that my uncle Alvin had left me everything down to his three bedroom apartment in Manhattan, his entire savings, his lodge in Colorado, his stocks, and 401k He had literally left me everything, and it seemed she didn't know how to handle it at all. It wasn't even my issue, but she definitely was giving me a hard time about it, including his funeral.

"Lena, I...I'm sorry about your uncle. I...I really am." She says as I turn around to look at her as her soft eyes stare back at me. "You.. you don't have to pretend. It must....must be hard. I know you.. you said he had pneumonia."

Sighing, I take a seat beside her as I try so hard to hold back the tears that are forming in my eyes. I had been holding everything in since I had gotten to work this morning, and any second, I felt as if I was going to explode. That had always been the way I handled things, but my uncle Alvin had been the one to always get me to let it all out before I erupted into tears.

Looking away from Stef, I feel her grab my hand, which surprises me as I realize how easy it might be for me to let my guard down in front of her. But, it was the last thing I wanted. This wasn't her issue, and she was dealing with her own. Far bigger ones, then my uncle passing away.

"Lena, are we...are we friends?" She asks as I quickly turn to look at her confused. "You.. you offered to help me with Bird. To..to take care of her, together, and to let me..let me stay with you. That is a big thing. That is a really big thing and I don't have, I don't have friends, I don't think, but we...we are. Right? You..you can talk to me, Lena. You... you can."

I continue to look into her warm hazel eyes, seeing how concerned and worried they are as I feel how heavy my chest is, and I smile at her.

"Of course we are friends. And, I guess I'm, well, I don't like to bring my things to work. I like to keep them private and..Stef, you have your own things."

"It's...it's good to get out of my head. My own head, and I...I just care, Lena. I..I told you that before, I think. It was hard for me to...to tell you about the things I learned about myself, and um...you see me at my most vulnerable.  But, you make me believe that....that my injuries aren't me. They.. they don't define me. I'm working on not feeling like I need to take my own life. And I may not be all the way there, but I..I can listen."

"You are all there, Stef. If you weren't, I wouldn't even suggest that you become Bird's mother. Not in a million years.  And, I knew you were feeling that your life was over. That you didn't want to be here anymore. I saw that and knew, and I'm glad you are getting help with it and getting better each day. That is the most important thing, honey." I smile again as she continues to stare hard into my eyes, and I can see she is not going to give up.

"Stef, the truth is, my uncle, he died of AIDS. I didn't know what to say to anyone. It's...it's the plague, and people look at you differently. Not that you would.  But, I don't want to lie to you because you are right, we are friends and and we are going to raise Bird together. I just don't know how to talk about this." I finally spill as she holds my hand a little tighter.