Red_Roses_and_Black_Dahlias_-_Macy_T

talking about how she would love to go on a play date with Adrianna and
Sameerah. It was adorable.
Andrea was amazing. She gave me her number when she visited and
we’ve kept in touch via texts. She was older than me but somehow I didn’t
really feel the age difference. She shared little stories about Maddox as a
kid, sent me selfies of her throughout her day and even invited me over to
their parents’ house on Sunday.
I felt really touched by that. She was trying to make us feel like we were
part of the family and I was super grateful. I didn’t know if I was ready to
attend one of their Sunday dinners yet, but the thought was here.
Her warmth helped me cope a little better with the fact that Maddox was
actively avoiding me. Ever since the day of the funeral, we had little to no
conversations that didn’t revolve around Valentina. He’d come home to have
dinner with us, play with my sister and always took care of cleaning up
afterwards, especially when I was the one to make dinner, but even when I
didn’t. He smiled at me and even asked how my days went but other than that,
it was like we were strangers living under the same roof. Which, I guess was
kind of the truth from an outside eye.
The thing was, what we’ve shared felt more intimate to me. I had opened
up to him in ways I never had to anyone before. I let him see me at my worst,
cried in front of him, I trusted him with my sister, for God’s sake. And now,
he was pulling away and it was killing me.
The doorbell ringing pulled me out of my thoughts. I frowned, checking
the time on my phone. It was just a little after two in the afternoon. Maddox
had his key, he wouldn’t ring the doorbell. He also wouldn’t be home this
early.
His family, other than his sister, never really dropped by, especially if he
wasn’t home, and his sister worked today. I knew because she had sent me a
selfie this morning saying “what a beautiful day to catch babies”. She worked
as an OBGYN, so that made sense.