Where Ruby lived wasn’t the nicest neighbourhood. She’d gotten her house here for the first few years of Lauren’s life, all the better to save for schooling, But the area was full to the brim of drug pushers and who knew what else. And of course that meant sitting on her own outside her door, wasn’t exactly her smartest moves but she’d not been able to wait. She sat there, just wishing for him to come and tell her everything would get better because he was the only one who could say it to her and have it be believable. She was about to give up and go back inside when he appeared bearing coffee. He’d actually brought her coffee. She could have killed for a coffee and here he was bearing two cups. It was like he knew how to read her or something. She stood up at his word, eyes still wet with tears and moved to let him pass her and on into her house.
“She’s finally asleep. Took her a while but she got there. And I just...I don’t honestly know what to do for the best. I know asking you here. I know I have no right after everything. But I feel safe around you Sam.” Which was weird, cause she truly hadn’t been kidding about the dreams. The darkness between them. And that one afternoon in the elevator at work. She’d hit the emergency stop, looked at him and they’d just fallen into each other as if meant for the other. She didn’t understand it but the memory mingled with everything else in her mind every emotion he brought out in her all she needed to know was that he’d come here with every intention of helping her through this.
“My daughter’s scared of me Sam” she said, closing the door behind them and glancing to the slightly ajar door of Lauren’s room. “She looks at me and I know she’s confused. Its still Mommy but its like she can’t see that anymore. I don’t understand it”. She paused at the door, eyes rising to meet his. “You want to see her?” she asked. She didn’t know if he’d ever met Lauren. His daughter. She had to be his daughter.