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#Leah'sHouse – November 16, 2017
It's well after midnight by the time Leah and Tara get home. They were the last ones in line for dropoff by Jasper in the clockwise route he took- aside from Mendez, who specifically asked to be last to assist Tara getting in the house. Thankfully Jasper was able to pull right up beside the porch so they don't need to contend with the snowy, poorly-tended dirt road. Once Mendez and Leah get Tara inside and onto the couch, Leah says her
goodbyes, giving him a hug before sending him on his way. All of the house's lights are off, save for the porch light which was left on by Leah's father for the pair and the living room light that Leah turned on when they entered.
Leah casts one last big wave to Mendez and Jasper from the front door before closing it with a deep sigh. With a pained grunt, she takes off her heels and dumps them onto the floor beside the front door. She crosses the room, practically falling onto the couch beside Tara. Head leaned back against the backrest, she stares up at the ceiling. "Sorry about the ankle." she says, "...Hopefully you were still able to have a good
Tara gives a small nod, remaining silent, just as she has for the duration of the trip. She has her leg with the twisted ankle spread out in front of her, no longer needing to be elevated. The swelling has been reduced by the ice and rest, but it's not gone.
Leah rolls her head to the side to look Tara's way. A small frown crosses her lips as she studies the girl. "You've been really quiet tonight." she muses. "Talk to me, Tara. Is something bothering you?"
Tara shifts a little when she's called out, shooting Leah an uncomfortable glance. "I'm sorry." she says quietly in response.
Leah's frown deepens and she shoots Tara a glance as if to say 'We talked about this'. "Sweetie.... You don't need to be sorry. Just-..." she shrugs her shoulders lazily against the couch, "...talk to me. What's bothering you?" she asks, a slight bit of concern seeping into her voice.
Tara 's gaze is quickly lowered down to the couch when she sees Leah's expression. Her discomfort only increases in response to the insistance. After some time of silence, and her gaze moving around various spots on the couch, she looks up at Leah again. "You... like him?" she asks hesitantly, immediately looking down at her own hands.
Leah doesn't answer immediately, a small, slightly amused smile crossing her lips at Tara's question. "Nathan?" she asks, knowing full well that's who she's asking about. She sucks a deep breath in through her nose as she glances back towards the ceiling. She gives a small shrug of her shoulders, remaining quiet for a moment as she contemplates the question. "He's nice." she offers, not exactly answering the question as she turns
Tara doesn't seem too happy with being asked her opinion on this. She frowns slightly, a quiet: "I don't know..." sounding.
Leah's smile remains as she studies Tara. "How come?" she asks, reaching out to adjust the flower tucked behind Tara's ear. "...This isn't exactly my area of expertise." she admits with a sigh, "I could use some good advice." Sure, Tara probably doesn't have much advice to give. But it's more about giving her a platform to speak.
Tara shifts in her seat, folding her knees a little as she turns more to her side, facing Leah. Her ankle seems alright with the gentle movement, no weight on it still. She fidgets with her hands, which she are still looking at. "Are... you moving in with him?" she asks, sounding almost fearful. A result of the entirety of her knowledge of dating being based on the soap operas she watches with Leah.
Leah furrows her brow. "No, sweetie." she's quick to respond, a small snicker following as she gives a shake of her head. "No, no, no. It doesn't-..." She slows down, smile tugging at one corner of her mouth as she glances down at the couch. She turns to the side a bit to better face Tara, one elbow leaned against the backrest, hand propped against the side of her head. She pulls her legs up onto the couch much in the same manner
as Tara in an attempt at getting comfortable. "Me and Nate are just friends, Tara." she explains, "This is my home. With you. With dad." She gives a playful furrow of her brow, as if offended, "You trying to get rid of me already?! Huh? Is that it?" she teases.
Tara looks immediately relieved, and, as Leah's reaction clues her in that her question was a strange one, a little embarrassed - a rare expression for her. The final assurance causes a tiny smile to tug at one corner of her lips, but it's immediately wiped away by the following teasing, her eyebrows furrowing as her gaze darts up to Leah. "No!" she exclaims, louder than her usual quiet tone, a hint of worry shining through even
Leah gives another snicker. "Good!" she says, "Because you're stuck with me!" Another short snicker follows, doing her best to keep her voice down lest she wake her father. After a moment, her expression grows a little more serious and she reaches out, gently taking one of Tara's hands in her own. "I mean it, Tara." she assures with a nod, "...So long as you want me in your life? I'm here, sweetie. Okay?" She studies Tara,
searching her expression. "Hell, I think dad likes you more than me." she jokes before adding with a shrug, "You're family now."
Tara nods slightly, her gaze briefly lowering to her hand before looking up at Leah again. The small smile that was starting to make itself known reappears, spreading across her face - her mind seems to have been put at ease. The final joke causes a tiny snicker, followed immediately by concerned frown as she looks down again, worried she's out of line.
Francois as if on cue, comes shuffling down the hall. "I thought I heard you two out here." he says in a whisper- despite there being nobody else to wake- as he leans in from the kitchen. He looks between the two. "Did the wedding go well?" he asks.
Leah snickers along with Tara before her attention is pulled away by her father. She looks up to him with a few nods. "It was nice." she says simply.
Francois nods to himself. "Good." he says, disappearing back into the kitchen. In a stage whisper, he calls out from the kitchen, "I just can't get to sleep tonight. I'm going to have a bowl of ice cream. Do you want one, Tara?"
Leah furrows her brow, mouthing the words, 'See! I told you!' to Tara as she gestures towards the kitchen. Eyes on Tara, she calls back to her father, "I could go for some ice cream."
Francois calls back: "Don't be lazy, honey." He's gone out of his way to make sure Tara feels at home since his return. Making sure she's included in everything he and Leah does. To anyone paying attention, it should be quite clear that it's important to him that Tara feels welcome and like part of the family.
Leah has a fit of silent laughter, seeming quite amused. But she's well aware that there's a bowl of ice cream coming her way.
Tara 's small smile returns quite quickly, along with hints of embarrassment over Francois' efforts to spoil her. It's taken her some time to get used to, but she's started to seem more comfortable around him, no doubt helped by his kind demeanor. She turns in her seat, leaning a little to look in the direction of the kitchen. "I-... okay." she calls out in response, her voice breaking a little as it often does when she speaks
more loudly. She's learned to accept such offers by now, but some discomfort still crosses her face as she sits back down fully, looking over at Leah again.
Francois doesn't take long to whip together a couple of bowls of ice cream. A bowl in each hand, he returns to the living room and sets them down on the coffee table. "Ice cream for my girls." he says with a smile before turning back around and shuffling back into the kitchen. He can be heard for a minute throwing together a bowl for himself. "Don't stay up too late." he advises in another stage whisper before thumping back down
Leah gives an appreciate nod, quickly scooping her bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup off the coffee table and digging into it with her spoon. "Thanks dad." she calls after him as he heads back towards the kitchen.
Tara gives a small nod of her head. "Thank you." she says quietly. Francois' cwords as he places the bowls down causes her to look down, the same smile tugging at her lips again. She remains silent as she reaches for her bowl of ice cream, but it's obvious the simple interaction has brought on a good mood - the ice cream doesn't hurt either, and she savors the first spoonful.
Leah shoves a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth- far less of an elegant eater than dancer. "Soooooo~" she hums, "What did you-..." she interrupts herself by shoving another spoonful of ice cold goodness into her mouth, taking a moment to push the ice cream around with her tongue before finishing her thought, "...what'id you think of the wedding?" she asks without moving her mouth a whole lot, already regretting the oncoming
Tara looks down at her bowl as she ponders the question for a moment. "I... I liked it." she says, not really offering much in the way of elaboration. She eats another spoonful of ice cream, furrowing her eyebrows when a bit of chocolate syrup gets stuck on her chin. She brushes it off with her hand, meaning, of course, that she has syrup on her hand instead.
Leah nearly drops a spoonful of ice cream, narrowly catching it in her bowl as it plops off her spoon. Her eyes go wide and she casts a glance at Tara. Spotting the syrup on her chin as she wipes it away, Leah chuckles. "Maaaaybe we should get some napkins." she decides aloud, climbing off the couch as she sets her bowl back on the coffee table. "So what did you like about it?" she asks as she steps into the kitchen, only
disappearing for a moment before returning with a roll of paper towels. After plucking a couple of sheets from it, she sets the roll down on the table and passes a sheet to Tara.
Tara thinks while wiping her hand clean. "Everyone was... happy." she says, but after a moment's additional thought she feels compelled to add: "The clothes, and... the music." she says, faint smile returning. "And... dancing. Before... I fell." The last part causes her to glance over at her foot, frowning again. The ankle doesn't seem to bother her all that much, rather it's the fact that she messed up. "I... couldn't use the
Leah gives a dismissive shrug. "Heels take some practice. Plus they kiiiinda suck." she frowns before relenting with a shrug, "But they look nice, sooo, whatever I guess. Next time we go dancing, we'll wear comfier shoes." she decides. "But I saw you out there." she continues, her smile returning, "You were doing really good!"
Tara blinks, looking down at her bowl again. "I... don't think I did it right." she says quietly, clearly skeptical of the claim, but not one to say so outright.
Leah shakes her head. "You did fine. Dancing is just about-.... you know..." she rolls her shoulders rhythmically to some invisible tune for a moment, "...enjoying the music. Moving a bit. As long as you're having fun? You're doing it right."
Tara has another spoonful of ice cream while Leah speak, looking toward her. She gives a small nod. "Okay..." she says, a brief, subdued chuckle following as her smile returns. "It was fun."
Leah gives a shrug. "Then it sounds like you were doing it right." she decides through a smile. She takes a moment to grab her bowl and get comfortable before working through another bite of ice cream. "So?" she asks, deciding to try her chances at her earlier question again now that Tara's concerns have been addressed. "What do you think of Nate?" She's already digging in for another bite even before she's finished her sentence.
Tara furrows her eyebrows slightly. "I... I don't know." she repeats, albeit without most of her previous discomfort. As her hands start to get cold she reaches over to put the bowl down after eating another bite, the movement just a little bit tricky in consideration to her ankle, but she manages. "You... disappeared." she notes, obviously referring to the both of them.
Leah lowers her gaze, looking down into the bowl for a moment as she finishes up her bite. "Yeah I-... I needed a minute." she says, looking to Tara. She seems content to leave it at that for a moment before deciding against it. After all, she can't expect Tara to be open when something is wrong if she isn't. "I was just-..." she gives a shrug to accompany a humorless chuckle, almost seeming self conscious that Tara might find it
Tara frowns, tilting her head slightly as she studies her. "Why...?" she asks carefully, her expression a mixture of concern and confusion.
Leah bites her lip, continuing to gaze into the vanilla abyss. "I just-..." she pauses abruptly, sucking a deep breath in through her nose to steel herself as tears instantly well up in her eyes. "I had a friend. A good friend. And then he-... He died." she says simply, Tara's sincerity- the lack of complexity in her question, just concern- making it easy to just put it out there. "I guess I just miss him a lot." she says with a
small shrug, the sadness obvious behind her words as her voice cracks a bit. "I'm sorry." she's quick to add as a tear rolls down her cheek and her hand snaps right up to wipe it away. "I guess I-... With everything going on I-... I couldn't stop thinking about him."
Tara 's frown softens, but remains, concern turning to sadness, her gaze briefly falling to her hands. She looks like she's considering saying something for a moment, but instead she scoots closer, careful with her ankle. She wraps Leah up in a hug, the movement a little slow and awkward, partially due to the bowl of ice cream in Leah's hand.
Leah is unable to keep the tears from flowing once Tara hugs her, the small act of kindness seemingly opening the floodgates. No sobs accompany it. Tears roll silently down her cheeks. She returns the gesture, albeit somewhat uncomfortably, balancing the bowl against her lap with her left hand as her right hand wraps around Tara. She rests her head against Tara's shoulder, a quick sniffle escaping her, and falls silent for a
number of moments, simply hugging Tara as thoughts of Damien fill her mind. "...Thank you." she says softly. "I promise I won't let you down, Tara." she adds, the promise perhaps more for herself than Tara.
Tara keeps the hug, tightening it a little when its returned. She places her chin on Leah's shoulder, remaining that way in silence for a time while Leah cries. She nods in response to her words, the movement, while unseen, no doubt felt. She seems unsure what to say, the situation an unfamiliar one to her. She just knows the person that has done so much for her misses her friend, and needs a shoulder.