*Short and not really sweet.
Leanne had stayed on the couch for a while, crying softly as she stared at the blank phone in her hands. She couldn't believe that that was it. That all she got was a few minutes with him before he was taken away from her once more. She hated this. All of this. She had been skeptical about his decision to retire before, but now, well now she just wanted him home with them. And she never wanted him to leave.
Sighing to herself she decided to go check on Ariel, knowing that whether the teen wanted to talk or not, she needed to get some stuff off of her chest. Rising slowly from the couch she made her way upstairs, stopping first in her bedroom to grab the letter Ethan wanted her to deliver. She stopped in the hallway for a few minutes and stared down at the envelop in her hands. It wasn't sealed, so she could easily read it before delivering it. But she knew that wouldn't be right, Ethan had said it was for Ariel after all.
Making her way to the girl's door she knocked gently before trying the knob. She sighed when she found that it was locked. They had a very strict open doors policy in this house and even though she knew the girl was hurting, she wasn't thrilled with this choice.
"Ariel, honey, open the door." She knocked again as she spoke, her voice elevating some so the teen could hear how serious she was.
"Go away Leanne!" The girl yelled back and Leanne felt like she had been stabbed in her heart. As many times as her and Ariel had argued, she had never completely pushed her away like this.
"Please sweetie." She said softly, her hand resting gently against the wooden frame. "We should talk about this."
She heard Ariel let out a sniffle, but there was no movement made toward the door and she sighed again.
"I don't wanna talk." She shouted back, and Leanne could hear the pain in her voice. She had been in that place before. She knew that feeling. And it was a feeling that she didn't want the teen to hold onto. Especially not when she was getting ready for so many exciting new things. Ethan or not, she had to keep on living.
"Okay." She let out a soft sigh as she leaned her head against the door. She couldn't force it out of her, she never could. Instead she knelt down, sliding the envelop in her hand under the crack beneath the door. "Just, read that when you get a chance okay?"
There was silence on the other end so Leanne chose not to press the issue any further. "I love you Ariel." She said softly as she stood, her hands resting gently against the door knob once more, but it was still locked. Shaking her head she stepped away quietly, making her way into her room where she shut the door behind her.
She retreated to the bathroom where she took a much needed shower. After changing into a pair of sweatpants and one of Ethan's shirts, she collapsed into the bed, her eyes staring straight up at the ceiling as she listened for any type of movement down the hall. But it never came.
*Don't forget to comment!