Waking up with Addison in the bed next to me always makes me smile, even if I am waking up at 7am. I can feel her warm breath on the base of my neck as I slowly emerge from my sleep coma. There were no more dreams, bad nor good, and I was thankful for the break. 'Just make it through the next 3 days Teds, just 3 more days. You can do it,' I give my self a mental pep before slowly rolling over to face the red head.
She's looks like an angel, sleeping peacefully, a slight smile plays at her lips, and I dread having to wake her, but she has class in an hour that she cannot miss.
I nudge her limp form and whisper her name. She stirs, but does not wake, so I try again. This time her eyes slowly peel open until they lock with mine.
"What time is it?" Her drowsy voice mumbles.
"A little after 7," I smile as her eyes droop back shut.
"Five more minutes."
"Only five?" I can't help but laugh out loud, because every time I let her sleep for "five more minutes" it turns into "five minutes before she has to leave.
I receive an incoherent mumble as she drapes her arm over my waist. I sigh and shake my head at her sleeping form. 'I could fall in love with this girl..'
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With Addie off at class, and no plans of my own due to the perpetual downpour, I decide that today is as good a day as any to clean. Looking at the mess in front of me, I silently curse myself for not picking things up in the last week. That was one of the best things about living with Maura, she was always cleaning. Even if she was sick the apartment would be spotless. Now, living on my own, I clean maybe once a week, and by then it takes an entire day to get it clean. 'Procrastination at its finest.' I shake my head and dive in.
After about 3 hours the living room is dusted, swept, mopped, and sparkling. I sigh, and move to work on the kitchen. No sooner do my hands submerge in the soapy dish water, my phone alerts me to a text message. I contemplate ignoring it, but decide against it, and dry my hands.
Hey. I just got out of class, do you want me to come over? -Addie
I thought you had class until 3? -T
That class got cancelled. So yes or no? Lol. -Addie
Oh, okay. Well I'm cleaning still, so if you wanna come over tonight feel free.... -T
Okay. I'll see you tonight then. Want me to grab some food on the way over? -Addie
Sure :) -T
What do you want? -Addie
Surprise me ;) -T
Haha. Okay ;) -Addie
My face hurts from smiling by the time I get back to the dishes in the sink, but I don't care. I have the kitchen clean within an hour, which is the fastest I think I've ever cleaned it, then it's on to the bathroom. 'This is definitely the worst part of cleaning,' I think as I start on the toilet. Luckily it's the fastest place to clean, just over 20 minutes.
By the time I get to my bedroom I realize that I should have been doing laundry while I was cleaning everything else. A disappointed sigh escapes me, while i drag the hamper full of dirty clothes to the washer across the hall. I slowly pull out clothing items and separate them into piles on the floor. I throw the darks in with some detergent, and head back to the bedroom.
In the time it takes me to finish cleaning the room, only 2 of the 7 loads of laundry have been washed, and only one is dry. I love folding laundry, but by this point I want nothing more than to just throw in all back in the hamper and say, "fuck it."
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I placed the last of the folded laundry in my dresser when the front door opens. A smile pops back on my face, but fades instantly when I realize that it isn't Addie walking through the door. I can recognize the smell of Chanel no5 from 100 miles away, why hadn't I noticed it sooner, I could have escaped out a window or something. As it is, I quietly dash to my closet and bury myself in the back corner.
"Theodora Louise Altman, I know you're in here," the deep southern drawl explains, coming closer to my room with every word. I hold my breath, 'please don't find me, please don't find me.' I can hear her footsteps in the doorway, an opportune time for my phone to start ringing on my desk. 'Fuck!'
The kitten heels click their way over to my cell, "Hello?" *pause* "No, this is her mother. Whom may this be?" *pause* 'Oh God, please let it be a wrong number.' "Addison? I don't believe I've ever heard Theodora mention you before." 'Shit, fuck, damn, hell, bitch!' "No darling, I don't think tonight would be a good night for you to come over. But I will tell Theodora that you called. Buh-Bye now." 'I'm fucked.'
"Theodora Louise, if you do not get yourself out of that closet you will regret it." The sternness in her voice frightens me and i cower further into the corner. "You have until I count to three. Do not make me come in there after you. You may think that you're grown, but I will still take a switch to your rear end. One...... Two......"
"I'm coming," my voice sounds like I'm 5 again, after I got caught going down the road on the base to see Arizona, after being told I couldn't. I hate it.
As I peek out into the light of my room, I see my mother, poised as ever, hands on her hips, tapping her foot. 'Yep, just like when I was 5.'
"Hello Mother, what a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?" I muster up my biggest smile.
She looks down on me, disapproval is written all over her features. "Why, pray tell, were you hiding in the closet?"
'Because I'd be disowned if I came out.' I dip my head and shrug my shoulders.
"I can't hear you."
I fight hard against the tears building behind in my eyes. "I don't know."
"Look at me when you speak to me. You know better." She's calm, but angry.
I take a deep breath before raising my head to look at her. She's only 2 inches taller than me, but it seems like two feet. "I don't know." She cocks her head slightly and glares harder, "I don't know, ma'am. I'm sorry."
"Let's go talk in the kitchen, Theodora." And with that she clicks out, me mere feet behind.
YOU ARE READING
Life After You
FanfictionIt's been a year since Arizona's death. Teddy and Maura have gone their separate ways, but have come back together to remember the life that they shared with their best friend. Second book to "The First Cut is the Deepest". It was a year ago that...
