FOUR
Constellations
best daughter ever :DD -
are u home yet
best daughter ever :DD -
when are u gonna be home
best daughter ever :DD -
it starts at 7:30
Elias was at a red light, and he took the opportunity to check his messages. He heard his phone buzz three times in a row, and he wasn't surprised to see Mars' contact blinking at him.
He glanced at the time. It was 7, so he had time.
dad (-: -
I'll be home in 5
best daughter ever :DD -
ok
He muffled a laugh behind his hand. Generally, you would expect a child to have more energy over text and use emojis. But the truth was that kids were far more dry than actual adults when it came to texting.
Just as the light turned green, he heard his phone buzz again. He hoped she wasn't asking for anything, because he wasn't the type to even touch his phone when he wasn't stopped at a light or parked.
However, when he parked in the driveway, he was surprised to find the message wasn't from Mars at all.
Roman -
I'm able to come by now, if that's okay
He had almost forgotten about the shitty lock. Before he could type out a response, he heard Mars' voice shout for him, and he looked up to see her running to his car, backpack bouncing off her back with each step.
He pocketed his phone and killed the engine, getting out to meet the ecstatic thirteen year old. "I gotta pack, gotta get ready," she told him, rushing up to the front door, bouncing on her heels. "Dad. Hurry up. You're so slow."
"I'm taking my time, you little brat," he said, shoving his thumb against her forehead. She rolled her eyes and darted into the house when he opened the door, racing upstairs and to her room. He hoped she would pack the right things.
He took that chance to drop down onto the sofa and reply to Roman's message.
Elias -
Are you sure? It's getting dark out
Roman -
Yeah it's fine, it's just a lock (: I would've offered tomorrow, but Marco is going to keep me hostage all day
Elias smiled against the back of his hand. So he had a sense of humor and used faces. The latter was the most surprising.
Elias -
Okay, I'll text you when you can come by. I'll give you my address then. I have to take Mars to a friend's house
Roman -
Take your time
"Dad! I can't find any clothes!"
"They're down here!" he called back, setting his phone down to head to the laundry room. He had planned on putting them away in her room once he got home. He heard her thundering footsteps until she was darting over to his side.
She started going through them, and it physically pained Elias to see her shove around clothes he finished ironing the night before. "A-ha," she voiced, holding up a swimsuit.
He frowned. "She has a pool?"
"Yep!"
"Be careful. I don't â "
"Dad," Mars groaned, letting her arms flop down. "I'm fine. There's gonna be adults."
Elias exhaled quietly. "I know. You're right. But still."
Mars looked at him for a second, then grabbed another change of clothes before running back to her room. It took her fifteen minutes to finally finish, having stuffed everything into her school bag. He had a feeling that once he went up to put her clothes away, he'd see the disorganized mess of school supplies cluttering the ground.
He had to mentally prepare himself for that sight.
"Ready?" he asked, straightening up from his position on the sofa.
Mars nodded. As they made their way to his car, he asked, "Are you excited?"
Mars grinned as she buckled herself into the passenger seat. "Duh," she replied, looking at her hair in the drop down mirror. He had no clue why she was fretting so much over her appearance. Wasn't her hair going to get soaked once she got into the pool anyway? "I didn't expect to be invited."
Elias gave her a quick glance. "Why's that?"
Mars shrugged, leaning back, flipping her phone back and forth between her hands. "I dunno. I have friends, but I don't think we're enough of friends to be invited places. So, this is really cool."
"I'm sure you have other friends who would invite you places," Elias told her, reaching out to nudge her arm. "Come on, I'm sure people love you. What about those girls I see you meet up with?"
"We're just in the same club," she answered, shrugging her shoulders. "We go together, but that's it. I'm in some group chats, but... I don't know."
Elias felt his heart clench. He squeezed her arm gently. "Hey, you'll make more friends tonight, I know it. Be yourself and have fun, okay?"
Mars smiled a little, nodding. "Yeah, I will."
The Mars he knew was someone he believed anyone would want to be friends with. Was she shy at school? Maybe she acted differently compared to when she was at home, which would explain why she might not feel she had any real friends.
He hoped this sleepover would be good for her. Everyone deserved at least one good person at their side.
"Remember," Elias said when he parked outside the birthday girl's house. He watched Mars grab her things and shove the door open with her foot. "Call me if you need to. I'm always available."
"You tell me that every single time I bring this up," Mars complained. "I know. I got it. Thanks, bye, I love you."
"Love you, too." She shut the door and hurried up to the front, and once he saw the door open and a woman standing in the threshold, he put his car out of park. He was halfway down the street when he realized.
Shit. Was he supposed to introduce himself? Should he have said hello, gotten her information? Oh, fuck.
He turned around, but they were inside by then. He rubbed his face, then decided to head home, hoping he could trust that Mars would update him on everything.
He still wasn't a pro at the whole parenting thing.
When he got home, he collapsed onto the couch and closed his eyes, sinking into the cushions. It took him far too long to remember he was forgetting something.
"Shit, fuck," he cursed, blindly reaching for his phone and pulling up his text messages.
Elias -
You're still good to come?
Roman -
Yep
Elias -
Okay here's the address, tell me when you're here
Roman -
Got it (:
As he waited, Elias turned the TV on, switching between channels until he eventually settled on a re-run of a Criminal Minds episode he already watched. It was a good thing he never got tired of the show.
Fifteen minutes in he was distracted by headlights streaming through the cracks in the blinds. He paused what was playing and headed to the door, opening it to find Roman sliding out of his car, a box in one hand.
"Hey," Elias greeted, stepping out and lingering by the railing of the porch. Roman looked his way. "Do you need help with anything?"
Roman blinked, then pointed at Elias' car. "Your keys," he said, and Elias faltered for a moment.
He didn't mean to stop like that, but he had never in his life heard a voice that deep before. "Uh, yeah, one second."
He retrieved them and tossed them, Roman catching them with a polite curl of his lips. Not quite a smile, but close enough. Elias sat down on the steps leading up to his door, watching Roman examine the lock and handle of the car door.
He had always wondered how you would fix something like that. It seemed both easy and difficult at the same time.
"Do you need anything?" Elias inquired, lips twitching when Roman jerked a little from surprise. "Water? A snack?"
Roman shook his head. Elias hummed to himself, eyes following his movements. He wasn't wearing that jacket he always had over his shoulders, so now his muscled arms were on display, showcasing intricate tattoos with smaller ones scattered here and there, like constellations. Elias had always wanted one, but he didn't have the guts.
Elias tapped his shoes against the cement. "I have a question," he said aloud, offering up a polite smile when Roman paused to look his way. "Do you know sign language?"
Roman's lips parted, then he shook his head again. "Ah," Elias replied. "I think you should learn. It could help, since writing takes too long and you don't like talking all that much."
It felt a little weird doing all the talking. Usually other people carried conversations for him since he wasn't much of a talker himself. But sometimes you had to switch the roles up, like with Roman.
Roman cleared his throat. "You know how?" he asked, voice hoarse from not using it as often as he should.
Elias nodded. "Mhm. I taught myself in high school. I feel like it should be a language class like Spanish or French, but it isn't."
Roman looked intrigued by that. His hand had fallen off the door to pay more attention. "I could point you toward some sources," Elias offered, waving his phone for emphasis. "Or I could try and teach you. Whichever you prefer, if you'd like to learn, that is."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Elias waved him off. "Sorry for distracting you. I'll leave you be now."
"Uh â it's... it's okay," Roman quickly said, sounding a little awkward. "You can talk. I'll listen."
Elias slowly lowered himself back down. He thought about how his friends said the last time he spoke to them was a week ago and it was one word, but it felt like he was trying to have a full conversation with Elias. He wondered how he decided when he felt like speaking.
"Okay..." Elias shifted, resting his arms on top of his knees. "I just took Mars â my daughter â to a sleepover she was invited to. I'm a little worried, but that's normal, right? I kind of forgot to introduce myself to the friend's mom. You're supposed to do that, I think."
"You are," Roman responded.
Elias scowled. "I didn't need the clarification. Don't embarrass me more than I already am." Then, realizing how he probably sounded upset, added, "I'm joking, by the way. Sorry."
Roman gave him a thumbs up. Elias chuckled quietly. It felt nice talking to someone his age. Properly talking to someone, that is. It'd been a while since he experienced something like it. It made his chest feel lighter.
Elias told him about the episode he was watching as he waited, then found himself ranting about Marco, which Roman didn't seem offended by. If anything, he seemed to be agreeing.
An hour later Roman finally finished, shutting the door and testing out the lock and unlock buttons on the car keys. The door was successfully working again. He stood up when Roman turned to face him.
"Thank you again," Elias said, meeting him halfway and taking his keys back. "Are you sure I can't get you anything?"
Roman bit his bottom lip. "Um... water would be nice."
"Sure. Bottled or in a glass?"
Roman shrugged. Elias huffed a laugh through his nose. "Come inside. Ice or no ice?"
"Ice."
Roman sat down at the counter as Elias filled up a glass of ice cold water. "You talked quite a bit today," Elias mentioned, sliding the glass over to him. "Is it okay if I ask why?"
"It..." Roman trailed off, tracing patterns in the forming condensation. "It's easier to talk one on one. Without a crowd."
Elias hummed. "That's understandable. You don't talk much around your buddies?"
"I do talk."
"I see. So, all in all: strangers are a no-zone."
Roman's lips twitched. He nodded in confirmation.
Elias was curious as to why he refused to talk around strangers, but it wasn't any of his business. If Roman wanted to explain why, he would. Simple as that.
Roman finished off the glass pretty fast, more thirsty than Elias expected him to be. He eventually led him to the front door, opening it and allowing him to step outside. "It was nice talking to you," Elias offered. "And once again, thank you."
"No problem."
"I'll see you."
"Tomorrow," Roman hesitantly added on.
"Yes," Elias replied, bobbing his head. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bright and early."
___
A/N: i simply could not wait idk why i like this chapter the most so far but i do
take it <3