Cook and Paddy were walking around the park. Well, Paddy was sitting on the slide and Cook was just watching. "COOK!" Paddy yelled to him. "Can I climb on top?" Cook shrugged. "I don't care go for it." He nodded towards his brother. "Cool! Help me!" Cook laughed and walked over towards the slide and began to help little Paddy onto the top of it.
Marisol leashed Norrington and grabbed her wallet and phone, walking out the front door and to her car. She plopped Norrington into the passenger's seat and buckled her seatbelt. Cook had left that morning without waking her or leaving a note. It hadn't bothered her, but it had made her think the entire night was a dream. It didn't make sense that he would stay with her, because of his little brother, but he had. And she couldn't help but be a bit confused.
She pulled into a parking space in front of the park, searching for Cook and his Mini-Me, and she found them at the slide; Cook was helping Paddy to the top. Marisol sat there for a minute, observing Cook while he was acting a way he hadn't acted around her in the three days she had known him. He looked back at her, and then she got out of the car, setting Norrington on the ground.
"Hi." She said as she walked up to him.
Cook and Paddy were walking around the park. Well, Paddy was sitting on the slide and Cook was just watching. "COOK!" Paddy yelled to him. "Can I climb on top?" Cook shrugged. "I don't care go for it." He nodded towards his brother. "Cook! Help me!" Cook laughed and walked over…
"Hey." He smiled, as he got Paddy to the top. "Sorry I left early today, this little bugger was freaking out." He shook his head. "I couldn't find the toast!" Paddy yelled down.
It's okay. Actually, I thought you were never there. Thought it was a dream." Marisol looked down, and then walk over to the slide, crossing her arms on it and resting her chin on her arms. "Hello Paddy, I'm Marisol, Cook's friend. It's very nice to meet you."
"You're a girlllllllllllllllll." Paddy laughed. "Cookie has lots of girl friends, but no boys. Was he with you last night? Is that why he didn't come home? Did you kiss? Was he in your bed?" "Woah, Paddy, enough with the questions squirt." Cook had finally stopped him.
"Well, here's the difference in me and all those other girl friends he has: he can trust me, and so can you. If you ever need anything but Cook says no, just come to me." Marisol said, and winked at Paddy. She turned back to Cook and smiled deviously. "I'll spoil him rotten. I swear I will."
Cook shook his head. "No you won't. He's not your child, and he doesn't need to be spoiled." He turned his head. "See he's perfectly fine playing with random pieces of sand and shit."
"I was just kidding. He seems like a perfectly happy kid anyways. He's just adorable in every way. Is your mom helping you at all? Not seeing him, obviously, but financially?" Marisol asked.
"Yeah." He nodded. "She's loaded, so as much as she doesn't wanna help us she still does." He shrugged. "She didn't even know he was here at first, I had to go and kidnap him."
"Oh.. Well, it's good that she's helping you at dad, he knows he fu- messed up, so he fronts everything. He's in stocks." Marisol explained. "Youkidnapped him? Did she send out an Amber alert, or did she just not care?"
"Nah." Cook shook his head. "She didn't even know he was gone until about a week later when I called and actually had told her."
"Wow, talk about bad parenting. She just ignores you both doesn't she? I shouldn't have told you not to call her a bitch, because she really is isn't she?"
"She is." He nodded. "She doesn't care at all, only when it's convenient for her. I was under house arrest, yeah? Well I had to stay with her, that wasn't good for her, so I had to leave." He shook his head and sat down in the sand, quickly sneaking a peek over at Paddy.
"You were in Bristol right? Where did you go when you went?" She asked, having a seat on the ground in front of him and crossing her legs.
"On the run, stayed and found my dad, then that went to shit and I left there too." He shook his head, realizing how fucked up it sounded.
"That must have been really hard. Did you have anyone at all that you could go to? When did you move here? Why, other than Paddy?" She asked, placing Norrington in her lap.
Cook shook his head. "No one. Always just me. I'm used to it now. Everyone else came here, Scar, Jordan, Katie, all of em." He shrugged as Paddy came over and sat beside him. "Paddy is my brother. He just means the most to me."
"So they all just left you? Even Scar?" She asked, and he nodded. She placed her hand on his knee. "You know you have me right? I told you last night, but I really am here. I meant what I said, and I said what I meant, and Marisol's faithful, one hundred percent." She said, passing Norrington to Paddy.
Cook chuckled at her rhyme. "Thanks babe. That means a lot to me. I'll remember that."
She laughed as well. It was a reference to a Dr. Seuss book, "Horton Hatches an Egg". "Good. Now, I heard something about Scarlett? What's going on there?"
"I really don't know." He shook his head. "She fuckin loves Sid or something."
"No, it's kind of obvious that she loves you. And I know you love her. But that's not it. I heard she was in a coma. Didn't you know that?"
"Yeah I know. They wouldn't let me go see her."
"Did they tell you why? I mean, I didn't because it wasn't my place, but you're her boyfriend for god's sake."
"Apparently I don't look like the type of guy that would visit someone in a hospital."
"How can they judge like that? Something needs to be done about this. That's not fair to you. I don't understand. You got the call didn't you? They obviously know you're her boyfriend. This makes no since."
"Take a look at me. I don't go to hospitals. I send people to them." He shrugged and sat back in the sand.
"Well, that's a good way to explain it. But you know what? I don't think youwant to beat the crap out of people all the time. It's still not right for them to judge someone by what they act like or look like."
"Yeah, that's life though. You tend to get used to it when you're me."
Marisol shook her head. "You shouldn't have to put up with that. No one should."
He shrugged and stood up to see Paddy already sleeping. "I should probably get him to bed."
"Yeah, I can give you a ride home if you like." Marisol said, standing with him and picking up an also-sleeping Norrington.
"Sure. Thanks." He smiled and picked up Paddy.
Marisol smiled at him with the smile that was reserved for only Taylor and started towards her car. She opened up the back right door and watched as Cook set Paddy slowly in. He got in the passenger's seat and Marisol got in the driver's and hand Norrington to him. "You know, when I was little, I only ever felt safe in the car when it was just me and my mom. We'd be coming home from the movies and I would be almost asleep in the back, looking up at the sky through the back wind sheild. It was like she was driving my bed. I remember before things got really bad, my dad would always carry me in and tuck me into bed after these nights."
"That sounds nice." He nodded and looked at the dog on his lap. "I usually put him to bed, I'm the best thing he's got."
"It used to be nice. And then things turned to shit." Marisol could feel Cook staring at her as she drove toward his place. "I felt bad last night, but I was too unconscious to vocalize it. If Paddy was all alone, you could have brought him, too. I don't think he's old enough to look after himself yet."
"He's not, but he's used to it as well. I don't leave him alone too often though."
"Well, now I feel worse. You should have gone home last night. I'm sorry to have kept you, it just gets super-lonely at my place. Taylor never comes over. I just want to be some place that's full of… life. You know what I mean?"
"No really. It's fine." He smiled. "No worries. I don't mind your company. I don't like being alone either."
"I just want to fill those two empty rooms. At least you have Paddy, and I'm sure he's lively enough. I know I have Norrington. He can't talk though, and it's a bit weird to talk to your pet. I like having you around. I feel like you understand me, maybe even better than people that three months ago I would have considered my closest friends."
"You've seen the size of my house. It's huge. You know you can stay with us whenever you want." He nodded and smiled.
Marisol smiled again. "Thank you. I may take you up on that. It's still a little awkward having an ex live right next door. A piece of advice? Don't fuck your neighbors."
Cook laughed. "Too late." He shrugged.
"Cook!" Marisol shook her head as they pulled into his driveway.
"Those girls from last night? Yeah, we met before that time."
"Were you with Scarlett when this happened?"
"No, oh god no."
"Good, I was about to say…"
"Definitely not while I was with her." He chuckled a little and looked forward and saw his house.
"Okay. Do you need help getting him inside?"
"Nah. I can get him." He said, while getting out and picking up Paddy. "Thanks though."
"Okay, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah." He nodded then leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Happy birthday." Then he walked inside his house. Marisol grinned to herself. He had remembered. Yes, she'd told him about it last night, but he had still remembered. She touched her cheek. She took this kiss as if it were a gift.