The implications of Dale's words don't hit till the next morning when I wake up all alone on my cold bed, thinking about the future is quite overwhelming and I've proved my innate ability to run from things often enough.
A careful knock raps on the door and I smile a little. "Hayden? Baby? Can I come in?" My mom asks gently.
"Yeah." I assure her, sitting up.
It's the first time Dale has gone before I am awake but he was probably in a hurry and didn't want to wake me up.
"Are you sure?" She asks doubtfully.
"Yes, mom." I say dryly, rolling my eyes.
"Good morning, baby!" She greets cheerfully, flinging open the door.
"Morning, mom." I smile at at. "Someone looks excited today, sleep well?"
"I did." She comes over to ruffle my hair. "You look like you did too."
"I guess." I say non-committally, inflating my cheeks with air.
She settles down on the bed beside me. "What's wrong?"
I drop my head on her lap and stare up at her. "What do you do when you don't know what to do?" I ask her cryptically, the words encompassing how I felt.
"Nothing." She shrugs. "If you don't know what to do, maybe it's because it isn't the right time yet." Her hand lightly pushes through my hair. "Is this about Virgil and Dale?"
I hum in confirmation, looking up at the ceiling. "I feel like I'm going to lose everything in the end."
"I don't think so." She smiles warmly, squishing my cheeks. "Getting into a relationship is a very important decision, you shouldn't feel pressured, take your time, okay?"
"Okay." I accept, feeling way better, for someone who didn't want to hear about my relationship problems she was really helpful.
"We're going down to the house today, remember?"
"Yeah I did, when are we going?" I ask, enjoying the comfort my mom effortlessly provided.
"This morning, we don't have to go down to the kitchens for breakfast but that means our options are limited to cereals and fruits." She explains.
I shrug. "I'd have gone for cereal anyway."
"And we can always go out for breakfast at Honey's on out way back." She says logically.
"I doubt I'd be hungry so soon but we can always go for you."
We fall silent but there's an underlying tension in the room like my mom has something important to tell me, unconsciously, I toy with the idea of my mom getting interested in someone again but her next words make my thoughts collapse.
"I got a job!" She exclaims happily.
My eyes fly to her face, expressive shock filling them. "You did?!"
"Yeah." She replies happily. "I spoke to Alpha Everett, I asked if there was anything I could do to help. At first he reassured me to not worry then he paused and asked if I wanted to be his secretary."
I sit up from her legs with a shock and give her a blank expression. "He made you his secretary?" I ask for confirmation..
"Well, personal assistant more like." She shrugs self consciously.
I'm just over here trying to figure out the bombshell she dropped on my.
My mom? Got a job? Well stranger things has happened.
"That sounds splendid!" I tell her.
"I know right!" She corroborates giddily. "I just have to go up to the top floor which makes it even better because I won't go far."
"Nah, take your time." I encourage her.
"Thank you." She appreciates. "Now clean up, I'm going to have to go to work later today." She says importantly.
"Sure " I agree with a fond smile, waiting for her to make her way outside.
I stretch a bit, working out the kinks in my stiff muscles as I make my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth before my brain started processing things as complex as what to wear.
I stretch out a hand to pick my toothbrush and pause frowning, something seemed odd then it hit me - I face palm, praying for hidden strength - Virgil's toothbrush was not in the canister anymore.
It's a little strange how I noticed the little things, like their obvious aberration of their toothbrush sharing the same space and how they never mentioned the other, whenever they came over unless it was about shucking the other's stuff out the window or flushing the other's toothbrush down the toilet.
I just clean up, definitely not ready to open up that can of worms this early in the morning.
The morning is even colder so I don't feel guilty about wearing a soft cotton shirt inside my sweater, pulling on comfy jeans.
I make my way down the stairs and see my mom flitting around in a cashmere blouse and formal jacket, that infernal skirt on her body again.
I cringe at this, an intense look of horror on my face. "You brought that contraption along?" I demand, slapping my hands over my face. "Why?!"
"Don't have that look on your face now." She huffs, placing a tray of everything I'd need to make cereal on the center table. "I bought more when I went out shopping, for my new job?" She prompts when I just stare blankly at her.
"Why would you think that these plastic tubes are a necessity for your new job?"
She shrugs self-consciously. "I wanted to look serious and formal." She mutters, a puffy pout growing on her lips.
"You achieved that alright." I mutter darkly to her, mentally imbalanced that she looks like well, a mom. "And transcended that realm as well, at least lose the jacket and buy pantsuits the next time you go shopping."
Her eyes go round at this. "That's a splendid suggestion, how did I not think of that?"
I just take a spoon of my creamy cereal. "The same way you didn't think of how you're going to get down all those flight of stairs in that skirt." I nod in her direction.
Horror and realization dawns on her. "Oh my God!" She exclaims. "I'm going to break a lot of bones and on my first day of work too." She rambles, bustling down to her room no doubt to change.
I just watch her blankly, content to enjoy my creamy breakfast.
She hurries back out in no time, this time in familiar jeans, her dark brown hair in a messy knot.
I had already taken my tray to the kitchenette so we get ready to start off.