Conflicting Attractions // h.s

10\\The Date

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Phoebe

4 YEARS AGO

It all happened so fast. No one seen it coming so no one was prepared. Phoebe was all alone after school, since Leon had to work. Phoebe didn't mind the silence at all. Her mum, Eden, had to nip out to work for the afternoon so that's why she was all by herself. She knew that her mum would be home any minute now so she started to do her homework since she gets praised for it if Eden sees her doing it.

Halfway through her homework, the time started to slowly tick by and her mum wasn't home yet. She was a little confused since her mum is usually home at around five-thirty, but it was nearing six-forty and she wasn't home yet. It wasn't long before the front door opened and Phoebe's face turned into a smile. "Mum! I was so worried, I thought something happened to you–oh, hello Leon."

"Phoebe, my baby," Leon said, his voice rattled with sadness. She couldn't understand why Leon's voice was a little different but she looked at him with wide eyes as she was slowly coming to the realisation.

"Where's mum, Leon?"

Leon burst into sobs as Phoebe went and hugged her dad, even though she doesn't call him dad, she still thinks he's her father. Leon sobbed into Phoebe's shoulder, water marking her grey t-shirt but she didn't care. She wanted to get to the bottom of why Leon was sobbing in her arms. "She's g-gone, sweetheart," Leon choked out.

"W-What do you mean, gone? Gone where? To the store?" Phoebe asked but it only made Leon break into sobs again as Phoebe patted his back. "She'll be back soon, why does that make you sad, Leon?"

"N-No, Phoebe," Leon sobbed out, the tears falling without permission. She couldn't understand why Leon was crying like he was. She only nipped to the store, she'll be back soon, and so what was the problem? Did they have an argument and Eden's left them? "She's gone. She's been killed, we're never going to see her again."

As soon as those words left Leon's mouth, Phoebe's eyes started to fill with tears. She let go of Leon as she cuddled herself as the tears couldn't stop flowing through her eyelids. She closed her eyes and imagined her mum's smiling face and her laugh was ringing in her ears. "She can't be!" Phoebe cried out as she was starting to shake. "She can't be gone! She told me on the phone a few hours ago that she was going to be home!"

"I'm so sorry, baby," Leon cried out as they both cried in the hallway, the news still raw in their heads. Leon's mind kept replying the phone call from the police while Phoebe's just kept replaying her mum's laugh, voice and smile. Both of them in denial of what's just happened but they both couldn't stop crying. "She's gone, baby. But she's in heaven now, she can't be touched there."

"She doesn't deserve to be up there! She wasn't sick! She was perfectly healthy, why did she get taken away so young, dad!" Leon sucked in a breath at Phoebe calling him dad. Never in her life has she done that but more than ever did she need her dad. Leon got up from where he was, grabbing Phoebe and hugging her in his arms. She started to fight it but slowly took in his attempts of comforting her. They both were in a pile of in denial, tears and overall heartache.

Leon started to stroke her hair while she cried her tears out, his stained shirt almost becoming completely drenched but he didn't care. Phoebe had called him dad and that's more than enough for him to comfort his daughter. "I know, baby. It's okay, we'll get through this as a family. It's just you and me against the word, Pheebs."

It had been over an hour since the devastating news wreaked havoc in Leon and Phoebe's lives. By now, Leon was cooking dinner for the two of them while Phoebe was laying in her room, listening to the messages her mum used to send her through text messages. The tears were still falling out of Phoebe's young eyes while Leon's tears were slowly starting to slow, he was starting to become strong for his daughter but also, he could have a little cry later, when Phoebe's asleep.