@dreamcrs sent: ☾

"Vi?" His voice called softly, sitting up in the bed when he felt her spot empty. "You ok?"

@dreamcrs : Kit & Viola

Stepping inside, Kit lingered in the doorway, watching Viola as she moved about. And it hit him then, quite suddenly, how he'd never really taken the time to stop and appreciate little things. But then again, it wasn't really little things. That could be anything.

It was more how he'd never stopped and seen the value in the insignificant. How someone could side-step a table or counter with such ease. How the light from a window could hit just right... How even just flowers in a vase could become art under the right circumstances.

Ever since he'd met Vi, he'd had so many moments like this, and he could really feel himself becoming a different man.

"Yeah." He smiled, his eyes crinkling. "Whenever you are."

@dreamcrs : James & Allie

For the briefest moment, his brow furrowed as his head shot up to meet her gaze. What did he remember? Well, he remembered the show. He remembered feeling on edge whenever he'd had to interact with Christian. And he remembered the mistake of thinking some champagne might take off some of the tension. He didn't remember really feeling or acting drunk at the gallery.

At least, he certainly hoped he hadn't! What a disaster that would have been, not just for him, but for her too! In truth, from what he could remember, the alcohol didn't really start to hit him until they were sitting. Until they were in Christian's car making the ride back from Atlanta. He couldn't really remember anything after that.

"To be honest, everything at the show is clear. But, uh, once we get in the car to come back, it's hazy, and by the time we got out of Atlanta, it's not much. I guess it all hit me once I stopped walking around... Why?"

There had to be a reason she was asking. And that scared him. Had he done something incredibly stupid that he couldn't ever recover from?

@dreamcrs : Ella & Cal

From the moment Cal shifted away from the couch, Ella's brow furrowed. It had to be extremely serious then, if he didn't even sit next to her. Her mind started racing, she closed her eyes and reminded herself that he wasn't blaming her. That he truly had the best intentions at heart.

But still. When he stumbled over his words at the start, her mouth and throat went dry, and her hands dug into the fabric of her leggings. Was this the end? Was he saying goodbye? Walking away from them once and for all?

At last, though, Cal finally put his thoughts into words, and the furrow in her forehead and eyebrows deepened still further. At first, Ella wasn't sure how to respond, and every time she tried, her mouth just hung open briefly before closing in defeat.

She'd thought she'd picked up the pieces of her life rather well, all things considered. At least, before she'd lost her job and apartment. She'd been working and going back to school. She took care of Lucy and kept on living. She hadn't gone to pieces. She hadn't let herself break, no matter how much she'd wanted to. But, then again, going through the motions and dragging herself along most likely wasn't what Cal meant.

It wasn't even that she was opposed to going to therapy. In truth, even she could admit that it would probably be a great help in processing and moving on from everything.

Rubbing her lips together and lowering her gaze, Ella swallowed thickly, trying to sort through her own thoughts and find her own words. "I'm... I'm not saying no. You're probably right. I just... I don't know how I can. Therapy is expensive, isn't it? I have no way to pay... The job I took at the department store was only seasonal, and that'll be ending soon, and I was only making minimum wage. I've got to find something else first, before I do anything. I've been looking, but no one's called back about interviews yet. Lucy's gonna be starting preschool soon, and I need to find a job and arrange for someone to watch her. I can't let Allie and James cover anything else. Letting us stay here is already too much. I'm not saying no. I just... I need a little time first. Can you understand that? If it were just me, I'd say yes right now. But with Lucy, I have to put taking care of her before myself."