This changes everything

Chapter 23: Thesis

January soon became February, at this point Leah and I had been living together for about 3 weeks now.  Things were never better.  We were definitely the best versions of ourselves which translated to our perfect relationship.  We still had fights, but they would be over the stupidest things, like her not washing the dishes or me leaving my clothes on the floor, we weren't screaming at each other like before, these were normal relationship fights. 

Although the one thing that would really piss me off is her telling me I needed to talk to my dad.  Maybe I was being stubborn and overreacting about this, but she would tell me everyday.  One of the things I love most about Leah is how much she values family.  Maybe I'm just used to losing a family member in my lifetime that it didn't hurt as much as the first time, or I'm used to going long periods of not talking to him, like when he left, back when I was 17.  Maybe that was one thing she would never understand about me, but at least she was trying to. 

She would often tell me how it can be hard at any age, to see one of your parents fall in love with someone else, and that I would probably hate whomever it was for a little while.  That's exactly what I was doing.  Hating Leslie, because she's with my dad and my mum isn't, and overreacting when she said the littlest things, but to be fair both Leah and I agree she could've toned it down for the first time meeting us.  

Leah and I were in the best part of our lives, this time last year if either oof us tried to understand one another heads would've been ripped off, we were unstoppable. 

She let me wait a little longer to contact my dad again, but I knew there was a point I needed to.  

Now that it was the middle of February, the work on my thesis became much more.  I needed to submit it by beginning of March for review, and if it was to the Universities liking I would be defending it by end of March.  There were countless late nights typing away on my computer.  Deleting sentences, adding sentences, and erasing pages, because they weren't too my liking.  I used to never think I was a perfectionist, but I was so wrong.  

In the beginning of February Leah used to let me work on it in our bed, so she could still fall asleep with me in bed with her, and then as the time progressed, She made me write downstairs at night.  Apparently, I would aggressively type and swear at my computer, so she couldn't sleep. Maybe I truly was a perfectionist. 

One of those late nights, I got an unexpected call from my mum. 

"Hey honey" 

"Mum, it's so late" 

Clearly I was awake at this ungodly hour, and my mum was in a different timezone. 

"It's Jack's birthday" 

To be honest I fully forgot, which is horrible of me, I guess I've just been so wrapped up in my own life and my thesis, to even remember the world around me. 

"I'm sorry, I've just been so busy, I would've texted you" 

"I thought you were going to tell me again how you don't like talking about it" 

I never liked talking about it, it's why I always used to lie about being an only child, forgetting he ever existed in the first place.  I knew now that wasn't the way to go through life. 

"I know, but I shouldn't anymore" 

I talked to my mum for a while longer, she was crying, so I started crying.  Once she hung up, I closed my lap top and headed to mine and Leah's room, still sobbing.  

I hopped into bed, still in my jeans and blouse I had been wearing all day, and wrapped my arms and legs around Leah's body. 

She felt me and turned around, I was still crying.