2
March 1
Fred loves his mother dearly but waking up in his own bed this morning without a stiff neck and back pain is bliss. He's relieved to be home.
He couldn't remember his old bed being so uncomfortable, the metal frame creaked with every movement and the springs in the mattress poked his back all night. But he is much bigger now than when he was living at his mother's.
He started attending the gym at NYU but was more committed to college work. After graduation, he told himself he had no excuses and when he and Daphne moved to Washington D.C., he joined the gym and stuck to a schedule that he still follows.
He was clueless when he started but some others at the gym gave him tips and coached him. Now the routine he started with is more like a warm-up.
He steps into his apartment after a long gym session, he enters his bedroom and drops his gym bag on the floor. He strips off his sweaty clothes and throws them into the laundry basket before he steps into the bathroom.
He turns the shower and doesn't give it time to warm up. The cool water warms up and he feels his muscles relax. The shower pressure is even better at home than at his mother's house.
Fred had the help of his uncle Kyle and his cousin Sam to redecorate his mother's home. They'd stripped the old wallpaper in all the rooms and repainted. Sanded and repainted old wooden furniture and doors, and hauled all the junk to the yard.
His mother burst into tears when Kyle painted over Fred's growth chart, and she insisted they stop for a break to look at old photographs, passing photos between them.
Fred is the youngest of the two cousins, Sam being a year older. Fred had always been the quieter of the two but not shy, just more reserved, his mother joked that he could never get a word in because Sam was always talking.
'Maggie, look at this one.' Kyle says as he passes a photo to Fred's mother. A huge smile spreads across her face and she shows Fred the photo. It's a photo of her when she was young, probably about ten or eleven, holding a bird in her cupped hands.
Fred had seen a few photos of his mother when she was young, they had been hanging on the walls around his grandfather's house along with photos of Fred and Sam when they were kids. Fred's favorite is a photo of him and Sam dressed as cowboys for a party, posing with their grandfather.
His mother was nineteen when she had him and his so-called father left her before he was born.
But he didn't need him, he had his mother, grandfather, and Kyle looking out for him.
Fred's childhood home is small but it worked for him and his mother. Kyle and Sam live a few minutes away and his grandfather lived across the road before he passed away.
It's just two o'clock when Fred arrives at Daphne's building. He's wrapped in his winter coat and scarf but he's still cold.
Daphne's building is cold inside and the floor is wet, he scrunches his nose at the familiar damp smell.
He climbs the stairs to Daphne's floor, recalling the day she moved in and he helped her father carry her dismantled furniture and the rest up the six floors to her bedroom.
William Blake expressed his hatred for the building and tried to convince Daphne to move, but she insisted that she could make it work.
There's nothing wrong with the apartment itself, the previous tenant fitted a dark granite worktop in the kitchen, and the rest Daphne made hers.
After his first session at the gym in a week, his legs are stiff as he climbs the stairs but he finally arrives on the sixth floor and finds Daphne's apartment, 6E.
He eagerly taps his knuckles against the door and hears her light footsteps and the door opens.
Her hair pulled back into a ponytail and she wears his NYU hoodie that he grew out of and black jogging bottoms. He smiles and his heart skips a beat, she looks beautiful like this.
'Freddy!' She beams and lets him into her warm apartment, 'Hey Daph.' He smiles. She closes the door behind them and he hangs his coat on the hook, he notices a different coat and a pink scarf.
'My sisters here. She's sleeping in my bedroom. Do you want a coffee?' Daphne asks.
'I would love one, it's freezing outside.' Fred replies and he sits at the kitchen island. 'Tell me about it.' Daphne responds, she removes Fred's mug from the cupboard and turns on the coffee maker.
'When did Thalia arrive?' Fred asks, Daphne leans across the island and closes her hands together, 'Last night, not long after I got back from work. She came completely out of the blue.'
Daphne explains the reason for Thalia's sudden arrival, she knows he won't tell anyone or say anything to Thalia.
'And nobody else knows?' Fred asks, clasping his hands around the warm mug. 'No, I think she's planning on keeping it that way. Jason's dealing with Jamie.' Daphne replies.
Fred chuckles. Daphne raises her eyebrows, 'What?' Daphne asks, a curious smile pulling at corners of her mouth.
'Between you and Jason, I don't know who's worse.' Fred jokes, earning a laugh from Daphne and she shrugs, 'All I told was what I thought, it's not my fault he can't handle the truth.'
'Remind me to never get on your bad side.' Fred teases and Daphne laughs again.
Fred is captivated by her melodic laughter and the twinkling of her emerald eyes. His skin prickles with the electric charge of his skipping heartbeat.
They stare at each other across the kitchen island. Daphne's smiles gently, her white teeth peek behind her lips as she stares into his blue eyes.
'Anyway, what have you been doing without me around?' Fred asks. 'To be honest, I've been pretty bored.' Daphne admits.
'Really? Missed me that much?' He asks lightly. 'You have no idea.' She replies.
'What would you do without me, huh?' Fred winks.
Daphne feels a warmth rush through her body and her heart feels like it's trying to break free from her rib cage, she can feel her cheeks getting warmer. 'How's your mom?' She asks quickly.
'Better now the house is almost done. I don't think she realized how big a job she was getting herself into.' Fred replies.
Daphne likes Fred's mother, she's always pleasant and she likes talking to her. And Maggie enjoys every opportunity to spill innocent details of Fred's childhood, much to his embarrassment.
Unlike her mother; a cannon firing criticisms at every opportunity.
Your hair is too red
You look like you've put on weight.
That job is holding you back.
You'll be too old to have kids if you don't get married soon.
Then she wonders why Daphne never calls.
The bedroom door creaks open and Thalia slowly treads into the kitchen. Daphne notices she looks tired, it has been a long day for her.
'Oh hey, Fred, when did you get here?' Thalia asks putting on her best smile.
'Just now. I hear you're staying in town for a few days.' Fred replies. 'Just for a few days, I'm going to Thailand in a few weeks.' This time her smile is genuine, and Daphne's glad to see it.
'Thailand is a beautiful country, my cousin was there last year and he loved it.' Fred explains. 'I'm so excited.' Thalia beams.
'Are you hungry?' Daphne asks. 'No, I just wanted some water.' Thalia replies, busying herself in the kitchen to get some water before she returns to the bedroom.
'You're a good sister.' Fred smiles sweetly. 'I try.' Daphne replies and Fred places his hand on top of hers, 'You do more than try.'
Daphne's phone pings, she glances at it and sees a message from Jason which reads, "Jamie. Sorted."