Sanctuary - Side 2

The following week, Abby asked her boss about taking time off because of her mom visiting and it was approved.

"So, when's your mom gonna come visit?" I asked before bed.

"Next week. I'm so excited." she said with her voice going up an octave.

I laughed.

"So am I."

"I'm feeling optimistic about us reconciling. The past two phone calls felt like the relationship we had when I was growing up. You're gonna love her, Alex."

She was grinning from ear-to-ear. I pulled her in and kissed her cheek.

"I'm sure I will. Will she like me?”

“Of course she will. You treat me with way more respect than my absentee father ever did, so you’re pretty much gold. Ya know, I hope my mom’s boyfriend treats her the same way you do with me.”

“I hope so, too.”

She moved into my lap and kissed me.

“I love you.” she said, looking straight into my eyes.

I took her head into my hands and kissed her before I spoke again.

“I love you, Abby.”

She pressed her forehead against mine and practically melted into me as I secured my arms around her waist. We didn’t move from this position for several minutes and eventually fell asleep.

Next week couldn’t have come any slower and now, Abby and I were waiting at the airport for her mom to walk through the terminal.

“How you feeling?”

“Honestly? My heart’s about to beat right out of my chest.”

“Everything’s gonna be fine.” I said squeezing her hand.

Five minutes later, she saw her walk out of the terminal. As soon as she dashed toward me Abby, she let go of my hand and made her trek toward her mom. Abby wrapped her arms around her mom’s and practically melted into her when she did the same to her daughter.

“I missed you, Abigail.”

“I missed you, too, Mom.”

When they pulled apart and she saw that Abby was crying, she was immediately cconcerned. After a quick conversation, they walked to where I was standing.

“Alex, I’d like you to meet my mom, Carol. Mom, this is Alex.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” I said, shaking her hand.

“He’s such a dork.” I overheard.

“Mom. I know.” she said, smiling herself.

“Where are we headed to first?”

“Well, after we grab your luggage, we were thinking of getting breakfast.”

It was nine in the morning and we were starving.

“Sounds good.”

“Your Mom seems sweet.” I said when she went to where her luggage was.

“She is. So far, she’s still as I remember her to be.”

I nodded and kissed her cheek.

“Ready to go, you two?”

Being chivalrous, I took her overnight bag and suitcase. Her mom insisted on doing it herself, but she lost that battle.

“You got a good one.” her mom said as we got into her car.

I put her belongings in the back of the car while she got comfortable in the passenger seat which was my idea.

“I still can’t believe I got him. After everything I’ve been through, I feel blessed I have him in my life.”

My heart melted and smiled to myself; I feel the same way about her. This is when I climbed into the backseat.

“You ladies good?” I asked, buckling my seatbelt.

“Perfect.” she said.

“Yep.” her mom said.

She was in such a great mood that she was radiant.

“Anyone have any requests?”

No one did, so Abby put her music on shuffle and sat her phone down. What played made her shake her head and I know why.

Say goodbye to the halls and the classes
Say hello to a job and the taxes
The weekends with old friends spilling into 9 to 5 routine
Tell me how you feel over and done with
Like your life is a map with no compass to guide
At the bar drinking way too much
We sing along to "Forever Young"
So here we go again wishing we could start again

Wendy, run away with me
I know I sound crazy
Don’t you see what you do to me?
I wanna be your lost boy
Your last chance, a better reality
Wendy, we can get away
I promise if you’re with me say the word and we’ll find a way
I can be your lost boy, your last chance
Your "everything better" plan
Oh, somewhere in Neverland
Somewhere in Neverland

We’ll start a life of the plain and the simple
Of great times with far better people
And weekends with our friends
Laughing about the wine that stains their teeth
We’ll talk about how your parents separated and
How you don’t wanna make the same mistakes as them
I’ll say it’s all about stickin’ it out
And trying to feel forever young
So here we go again wishing we could start again

Wendy, run away with me
I know I sound crazy
Don’t you see what you do to me?
I wanna be your lost boy
Your last chance, a better reality
Wendy, we can get away
I promise if you’re with me say the word and we’ll find a way
I can be your lost boy, your last chance
Your "everything better" plan
Oh, somewhere in Neverland
Somewhere in Neverland

So here we go again
Wishing we could start again

Wendy run away with me
I know I sound crazy
Don’t you see what you do to me?
I wanna be your lost boy
Your last chance, a better reality
Wendy, we can get away
I promise if you’re with me say the word and we’ll find a way
I can be your lost boy, your last chance
Your "everything better" plan
Oh, somewhere in Neverland
Somewhere in Neverland

Oh, somewhere in Neverland
Somewhere in Neverland

I smiled while she belted out Somewhere in Neverland and she blushed when she saw me watching in the rear view mirror.

She was beyond adorable at that moment. Her mom nudged and smiled at her when we were at a stop. We got out to a diner maybe a half-hour later and were all starving.

“Shut up, stomach.” Abby scolded as I got out of the car.

Everyone laughed, especially me. She nudged him in an attempt for me to stop. We got a booth with her sitting across from her mom. After we ordered drinks, we all got to talking.

“I have to ask.” her mom started.

“Yeah?”

“How’d you two meet?”

“It was a really cheesy way to meet. We were in a grocery store picking out ice cream when our hands touched.”

“That is adorable. Was it rocky road?”

The woman definitely knows her.

“My favorite. Yes.”

“Is it your favorite, Alex?”

“Second favorite. First is strawberry.”

“That’s the only ordinary thing about him.” she said, looking at me.

I looked at the table and smiled. She kissed my cheek.

“You guys make such a cute couple.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Mind if I ask how long you two have been together?”

“For two years and he pretty much swept me off my feet. He did all he could to impress me when it didn’t really take all that much to do that.”

“That true, Alex?”

“I felt that I needed to. I wanted to show her that I was more than the lead singer of a popular band, that I was like everybody else. I fell for her on the first date, which is a rarity nowadays.”

Abby was blushing again.

Once we ordered, she started up a different conversation.

“How have you been since we spoke back in May?”

“Wonderful. Things have never been so good. My boyfriend treats way better than your ‘father’ ever did.”

“That’s great. You deserve only the best, Mom.”

I could tell Abby was feeling down a bit, but I kept a smile on her face; I made a note to talk to her when we were alone.

“Thank you, sweetie. Are you okay?”

She's picking up on it, too.

“I’m fine. I just spaced out for a second.”

I looked at her concernedly. I know her way too well just like she knows me way too well. I asked her something once my mom excused herself to the restroom.

“I know that you’re not okay. What’s going on?”

She sighed.

“I hate hearing about my father and whenever I talk about him. Can we talk more about this later?”

“Of course, baby.”

“Thank you.”

When her mom came back, our food had arrived and we dug in before she sat down.

“Sorry, Mom. I couldn’t wait.”

“Don’t apologize.”

She nodded and continued to eat.

“How’s your breakfast?” she asked her.

“Delicious. I was starving.”

Once breakfast was over, we headed back to the car and figured out what we wanted to do.

“I actually want to take a nap. Would you guys mind?” my mom asked.

It was noon and she was on a plane for six hours.We were surprised she didn’t want to take a nap earlier.

“We don’t mind at all. A nap actually sounds nice.” Abby replied.

When we got home and in the door, her mom’s mouth dropped; it caused her to laugh as Abby had a similar reaction the first time she stepped in here.

“This place is gorgeous.” she said in awe.

“Thank you."

"How long have you been living here, Abby?”

“For the past seven months. I love it here.”

“I can see why. Where am I staying?”

“I’ll show you.” she said as she lead her to the guest room with me behind her.

After she got comfortable, Abby and I went off to our bedroom for a nap of our own.

“I was hoping she wanted to go for a nap. I’m in need of a nap.” she said lying down.

“You didn’t seem to sleep well last night.”

“Yeah. I got maybe, five hours.”

She placed her head on my chest and fell asleep in no time.

“Alex?” she asked groggily.

“Hey sleepyhead.” I said, walking out of the bathroom.

“Hey. Come here. I wanna kiss you.”

She was still trying to wake up. I laughed and walked over and crawled onto the bed. She kissed me and pushed me down, crawling on top of me. I grabbed her shirt and pulled her down while kissing her. She moved down and kissed along my jawline when she heard her mom’s footsteps in the living room.

“No.” she said into my neck.

“It’s not a good idea to while your mom’s here anyway."

She protested.

"But, I want you so bad right now."

"I want you in the same way, but we're gonna have to keep our pants on till she's gone."

She smiled and got off of me.

"Abby? Alex? You two up?"

She sighed and got off the bed.

"Yeah. We'll be out in a minute, Mom!"

She used the bathroom real quick and followed me out to the living room where her mom was sitting on the couch. Her eyes went straight to Abby's engagement ring; she was in awe, again.

"This is beautiful." she picked her hand up and Abby began to laugh.

"Thank you. This unbelievably attractive and adorable guy proposed to me back in May. I just had to say yes."

I laughed as I walked over and sat beside Abby.

"Where'd you propose?"

"Where we had our first date. She was blindsided."

"I came back from the restroom to see him get on one knee."

She sat back and practically melted into me with her head on my shoulder and an arm around waist. I took her left hand in mine and didn't have any desire to let go.

"That's so romantic." her mom cooed.

“Do you have any idea on what else you wanna do today?”

“How about we head to that Pink’s hotdog place I’ve seen on the Travel Channel?”

“Then, you know there’s probably gonna be a huge line, Mom.”

“Well, I don’t know if I’m gonna get there again.”

“Ok. Alex? Sound good?”

“I’m always up for a good hot dog.”

“I’ll fix my hair, put on some sunblock and come back.”

I followed her into the bedroom.

“How hot is it again?” she asked, fixing her hair.

“90 degrees.” I said looking at my phone.

“Godfuckingdamnit. You know, sometimes, I just hate this LA weather.”

I helped put block on her fair-skinned back.

“I need to relax.”

I pulled her back into me, taking hold of her; she took deep breaths in and out till she calmed down. Her mom didn’t need to see her like this.

“Better?”

She nodded.

“How do you think your mom’s gonna take the news about your rape and PTSD?”

“Well, if she says that she understands my depression, she should show a lot more concern and understanding. It’s wonderful her being here, but if she doesn’t get what’s been going on in my life, this visit will turn out to be a complete waste of time.”

I nodded.

“I love you.” I said.

“I love you, too.”

We walked out and saw her mom in the kitchen.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, honey. You ready to go?”

“Yep. Alex?”

“Yeah.”

We had the same seating arrangements as we did in the morning. When we got there, we saw a line, just like Abby and I expected to see. She kept a bottle of water on me like she usually does, so she won’t get dehydrated.

“I think we’re gonna be here for up to an hour.” she sighed.

“I can handle it.”

“It’s gonna be hard. There’s no water nearby like this, so we can jump into it when we want to. I just wanna let you know.” she said in the nicest way possible.

Abby was on the verge of being snippy and I knew it; a squeeze of her shoulder helped calm her.

“It’s gonna be okay.” I whispered into her ear.

Her mom’s phone rang and she immediately answered it, seeing who it was. Abby took a sip of her water and quickly put it back in her purse as she ended her call.

“How is he?”

“Good, but he really misses me.”

She smiled.

“He sounds like such a sweet guy. How long have you two been dating?”

“For about three years now. I think he’s the one.”

A huge smile appeared on her mom's face; she hugged her immediately.

“I’m so happy for you, Mom.”

“I really want you to meet him. When I told him that you only wanted to see me if we were gonna reconcile, he couldn’t have been more understanding.”

An hour later, we finally ordered and had our food.

“Mind if we eat in the car? The heat’s starting to get to me.” Abby asked.

She walked toward the car as she said this. She actually didn’t care for an answer; that’s where she needed to go. I knew exactly how she was feeling and was instantly worried.

“What’s wrong?”

“The heat. That’s it.” she said on the verge of tears but held them in.

She unlocked the car and got in and turned on the air conditioning before taking a bite of her hot dog.

“Can I get you anything, honey?” her mom asked.

She shook her head.

“I just need to chill is all.”

I sat behind her mom in order to keep an eye on Abby because I'm worried about her.

“How’s your hot dog, Mom?”

“Delicious. Best one I’ve ever had. What about yours?”

She made an ok sign while she took another bite.

“Alex?” she asked with her mouth full.

I laughed.

“Amazing.”

She was smiling again and I was relieved.

“Abby, please don’t talk with your mouth full.”

I got my phone out and texted her because it was something inappropriate. She pulled her phone out and read it and laughed to herself.

I love it when your mouth is full... of me.

“Who is it?”

“Oh, it’s uh... Miranda. She was just curious about how this visit is going.”

“How is she?”

“Really good. Very happy.”

“Tell her I said, hi.”

“Will do.”

Instead of texting Miranda, she texted me back.

I always enjoy having you in my mouth.

I smirked and winked at her.

“She say hi?”

I sent a 'hi' text for her.

“Yeah.”

“Well, thank you for that late lunch/early dinner... whatever you wanna call it. I’m full now.”

“Me too.” she said belching.

I busted out laughing like her.

“Abigail! That’s disgusting.”

“Excuse me.”

“That’s just a sign it was a good meal, at least it is for us.” I said.

Her mom shook her head.

“Can we go home? I didn’t get enough sleep last night and that heat pretty much kicked my ass. We can order something later if we’re still hungry.” she said.

“I’m fine with that. I’m worn out.” her mom replied.

“And you know I am, baby.”

When we got home, she slipped out of her sandals and walked in the direction of the kitchen to get a drink.

“Please sit. I’ll get you something to drink.”

She smiled and kissed me.

“Thank you.”

She propped her feet out on the living room table and laid her head back. I came back with a water for her mom and one for Abby; I sat beside her when I brought back a water for myself.

“Does anybody wanna watch anything?” I asked.

“The NFL Network.” Abby mumbled.

“That’s fine, although I don’t get it. Your father was obsessed with football.” her mom said.

Abby's hand clenched into a fist and was ready to go off.

“Can we not mention him, Mom? He didn’t bother to stick around, so he doesn’t deserve to have us talk about him. He’s fucking despicable and I hate him. I fucking hate him so much.” she said, getting louder by the second.

“Fine, honey. I’m sorry, but he left me high and dry to raise you all by myself and if I wanna mention him, it’s because I actually knew him.”

“Just please don’t mention in my presence out of respect for me, aka your daughter and only child. I’ve been through enough shit since May and I just can’t handle anything else.”

She broke down in my arms and began to sob. I had pulled her into me in the middle of her first speech and wasn’t planning on letting her go. Her mom was speechless which Abby was thankful for.

“Can we go to our room, please?” she asked into my neck.

“Of course.”

We got up and neither one of us said a thing.

“I’m gonna take a shower. I’m disgusting. Could you come with me?” she said.

For once, when one of us asked that, there was no sexual inclination which was odd.

“Always.”

After a silent shower, Abby started to feel better. She changed into her usual lying around the house clothes and crawled onto the bed.

“I’m sorry that you had to hear what was on my mind this morning in that way. I wanted to talk about the topic in private.”

She was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling.

“You have no need to apologize, Abby. You really don’t. It sucks that it came out that way, sure, but it needed to be said. You’re in the right.”

She smiled to herself.

“What did I do to deserve you?” she asked facing me on her side.

She moved closer and kissed me.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”

She laughed into my bare chest. I lifted her head and kissed her, pulling her closer.

“I love you.” I said.

“I love you, too. Can we uh... actually watch the NFL Network?”

I laughed and turned on the television and flipped to that channel.

Notes