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» When you can't look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark. «

Lesson #4: Acknowledge your head and your heart

Dedicated to: jenzieglandos , withloveviolet & promisejvo <3

A/N ~ I hope you enjoy this chapter, I drew a couple parallels & added some context for you all. Please comment throughout, I couldn't believe last chapter got over 500 comments and it made me so happy, I love you allllll

I will post again when this reaches 115 votes + comments!

POV: Johnny Orlando

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I couldn't explain how weird it was to be back in my childhood town again. Subconsciously, I recognized everything and everything; the park where I had my first kiss, the restaurant I used to work at, the river where I used to swim with my friends. Memories danced on the back of my eyelids like a kaleidoscope; the festival I used to take Kenzie to, the bridge Hayden and I would jump off in the summertime, and the diner my family used to eat at all the time. Reminiscing, I walked through town, in search of the real estate agents.

Even though suddenly finding out I had a daughter and a son had initially been a shock to the system, I was incredibly grateful. When my deployment had ended, I didn't know what direction my life was going; apart from the fact that I had a plane ticket here to keep my promise with Kenzie. I didn't have a purpose, but now I did and it was to be the coolest Dad in the entire world. And if I'm completely honest with myself, I'm just glad I still have a link with her.

It was weird seeing Mackenzie again– her being brought me a sense of familiarity and comfort, but at the same time I also felt like I was dousing myself in ice cold water. Her mannerisms were the same, but her clothing was different, and she wasn't constantly dressed up to the nines nowadays. It was a bit of a surprise seeing her let her hair down, and wearing clothes because of their comfort rather than their stylishness. When we were young image was a huge part of her head space and she liked to look pretty and dressed up.

Now she was simple, and I really couldn't lie; loved it more than I thought I would. There was something about it that was so motherly, and warm, that made me want to hold her hand and hug her tight, or kiss her forehead and brush her hair out of her eyes. It spoke of selflessness, in the way that she had brushed aside her own concerns and instead turned to loving our kids.

Her changes, however, made me remember about the time we spent apart.

I shook her out of my head for what must have been the millionth time that day and kept on walking. Upon reaching the main street, I ducked into the real estate agents, and with some help, I pored over potential properties that were up for rent. I eventually decided on a couple I liked, and I was driven around for the rest of the morning, looking at them all.

It was a long morning, but I eventually chose a sunny, three bedroom apartment a couple streets away from Kenzie's house and the kids school. It was a no-brainer, really, once I saw the place. It was a little bit drab, but would be easily fixed in a few months if I put my head down and did some renovations, and would definitely look better with furniture. I would have to call my Mom for some decorating advice, I knew.

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