somewhere in there / jonathan crane

23. the seventh heaven

warning: sexual themes.

Zoe has been spending the past couple of days at her childhood home with her parents. Her phone was off regardless of all the missed calls and messages from God knows who. The weather was getting warmer with each day and the trees rustled while the birds chirped. She woke up each morning on her childhood bed. The window above her bed allowing the entrance of the moonlight in her small room, reflecting on the walls she once drew on. When she was a kid, she'd lay in bed late at night and stare out of the window into the sky, imagining the future, building scenarios in her head about how well life will turn out.

The other pillow in her arms was way too reminiscent of the time when Jennifer slept over. Jennifer. The innocent girl who only wanted to be there for her most cherished friend. Before coming over to her parents' house, she had talked to Jennifer. She explained that she met Noah's mom, but refused to tell her the whole conversation. To her luck, she believed her. It was alarming how bad she wanted it to be known, damaging even. 

She turned on the other side and swallowed, then taking a deep breath of the warm air. The mouth-watering thought of him ran through her mind, building an appetite, yearning only he, himself could satisfy. Him being the only one who invades her nerves, all of the sweet spots, and that's why she wanted them to be out in the world. To be acknowledged, to be screamed about. She wanted to yell so that everyone knew he was hers, that her body was his, that she was claimed by the one and only, Jonathan Crane. She was proud to be his, proud to be touched by him.

As always, she fell asleep deep into the night with him on her mind. Her muscles relaxed as she stretched her legs under the cozy blankets, the blankets which only remembered innocent laughs of more innocent girls.

Zoe was woken up by her mom closing the window in her room the next morning. "Morning, my dear." She leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Morning, mom." Scratching her eye, she stretched the other free arm and let out a long sigh, having trouble opening her eyes.

"Sleep well?"

"Yeah." She followed her mom with one eye open as she cleaned stuff around her room, something she always did in the morning.

"Your father is meeting with a business partner later today for dinner. It will be just us tonight."

"Yeah?" She asks, slowly sitting up and yawning. "That's great. Mother and daughter quality time, huh?"

"You could say." Her mom laughed.

They both walked into the living room and Zoe greeted her dad, who was drinking coffee next to the window. "Good morning, my sunshine." He greeted her with opened arms as she walked over to give him a hug.

"Hi." She tiredly said, her cheek rested on his shoulder.

"I made you some scrambled eggs, love."

"You two had breakfast already?" Zoe asks, moving away from her father's embrace, and then she slowly walks to the kitchen table.

"We've been up since 9 am." Her mom answers.

"Right."

"Come on, eat."

The rest of the day was eventful. Her dad got ready and pecked both women in his life on the cheek and left for the evening, leaving the two of them in the kitchen.

At night, they'd open the big, glass doors that lead to the patio in the backyard, revealing a view of Gotham City as they made dinner together in the kitchen, a random movie on the flat-screen TV offering background noise. 10 years ago Gotham city was a city full of hope, a city full of flowers and beautiful families. The city she thought had the best parks, lakes, and best candy shops. Young Zoe would play in her garden from which she had a great view of the city, and after a while, she'd rest her head on the glass fence and stare out. 10 years later, she was once again staring out in the city with a glass of wine in her hand. Her body and mind not so innocent anymore. She now saw a city waiting for her, a city filled with greed, yet a city that felt like paradise, just because of one individual.