Page 134 of Range

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I think I’ll be fine.

Where are you?

Home. My home. The gym has been my escape.

What are you trying to escape?

My thoughts.

I didn’t bother responding.Instead, I dialed her line.

“Hello?” She answered breathlessly.

“Want to talk about it?”

“I’m okay,” she declared.

“You sure?”

“I’m in a much better space, Siah. I just– I find it very hard to believe I’m growing life inside of me. Not one.”

“Two.”

“Yes.”

“Double or nothing, huh?”

“Feels like it,” she chuckled, awakening my spirit.

“I’m proud of you, Momma. Very proud of you.”

She sighed, releasing a heavy breath.

“I miss you.”

“I know,” I admitted.

Silence.

“The other day– You said something– Something that’s been on my heart.”

“What was it?”

“I love you.”

I sunk my fingertips into my hair, gripping my head.

“Since the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew I was fully capable of falling in love with you. Sometimes I wonder if it was that day that it happened. Or the next day. Or the next visit. Or the first call. Or that night…

“When I realized there was a void. A void I wanted you to fill. A void I needed you to fill. Or the moment I knew I’d make your life easier. Or when the urge to please you became too strong to bear. Or the first time you laughed. Smiled. Called me Josiah. I’m not sure when or whether it even matters.”

“Who sent you?” She asked.

“Aubrey,” I proposed.

“Should I pay her in lollipops or popsicles?” She laughed.

There it was. I rubbed the knots out of my chest.

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