look after you ( andrew bazzi )

XVI

"what made you choose to be a teacher of all things?" andrew asked, tilting his head. his hands were holding onto his cup of coffee that sat on the table in front of him.

adeline leaned back into the booth, crossing her arms and letting out a sigh. "when i was 18, i went to college for the fine arts. i wanted to be an artist because that's where my passion was at. growing up, whenever something would happen with my parents and my siblings, i'd draw or paint or anything artistic to get my mind off of it." adeline let out another sigh. "during my first semester of my freshman year, something happened in between my brother and my parents which led me to taking him in. i changed majors so i could get a stable job for the both of us, i dropped my dream so i could take care of him." she shrugged her shoulder, pushing a piece of hair out of her face. "i always had a way with kids, this being the push behind becoming a k-6 teacher."

"you say you admire that i grew up and became a father, but from the looks— you know how it feels. you dropped everything so you could take care of zion, i admire that." andrew said, sending the woman a soft smile.

"he's my little brother, id do anything for him. he was the only one who was there when i needed someone growing up, he reminded me i wasn't alone. without him, i don't know what i would've done growing up with the parents i was given." adeline let out a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. "enough about me. how'd you feel when you found out rosalia was going to be born?"

andrew grinned, thinking back to the moment he found out he was going to have his own child. "best day of my life, besides the day she was born of course. i didn't really have any plans or any motivation to keep my life in line. when i found out i'd have a little human relying on me, everything was put into perspective and i grew up. i wanted to be the best i could be for her." the man licked his bottom lip, a bright smile shining on his face. "rosalia is the best thing to ever happen to me, without a doubt. like you said with your brother, she reminds me i'm not alone. everything i do is for her."

"i hope one day, my husband and child have a relationship like you two have. your bond with each other is so special, don't take it for granted."

"never." andrew sent the woman a playful smile, before turning serious. "i do feel like mine and rosalia's relationship grew so much when allison left. we were the only thing each other had left. our relationship wouldn't be what it is if allison hadn't of left. so, yeah it sucked that she left. it hurt us both, but i'm also grateful for it because without it we wouldn't be what we are today."

"time heals everything, andrew. when i changed majors and took caleb in, i felt miserable. i worked all the time so i could support us and i went to classes to get a stable job to take care of us and it sucked. having caleb around was amazing, i loved every second of it but i lost the chance to fulfill my own dreams and that sucked." adeline took a sip of her coffee, feeling andrews stare on her face.

"do you still have that passion for art?" andrew asked.

adeline licked her lips, trying to think of her answer. of course she still had the passion for it, but she knew andrew was going to encourage her to go back and fulfill her dreams, but she knew she couldn't do that. at least, not until caleb and brandon started their own thing and finished high school. caleb came first and she didn't have the money to go back to college anyways.

"yes. it never left."

"then go bac—"

adeline cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "i don't have the money to go back and i couldn't risk it all when caleb is still living with me and trying to start his own music dream. his dream comes firs—"