Song: Keep Us Apart // Meltt

Bee is 26

Dyl & Rose are 38

Antoine is 7

Cece and Coco are 4

Leo is 3

Amber's outfit is attached above.

•••

THREE YEARS LATER

I scrambled around the kitchen, mindlessly tossing whatever snacks and drinks I could find into a tote bag. The food would be both for me and my three-year-old. I stopped in the middle of the kitchen and ran through my mental checklist while looking into the bag. Food, my wallet, my laptop, my phone– was there anything I was forgetting?

I groaned when I caught sight of the time. Of course, I was running late, and on the day of a very important meeting. Why couldn't I be like Dylan and make some sort of physical checklist and slap it onto the fridge so I would never forget my shit?

Pulling the straps over my shoulder, I ran out of the kitchen and down the hallway to get to Leo's room. I'd already dressed him for the day which meant that I wouldn't have to waste any more time trying to get his stubborn ass into a pair of shorts. The kid was a male replica of me when it came to his personality. His looks, though, were a mix of me and the liar.

Although my son had my nose, lips, and curly hair, he got everything else from Adam. He had his grey eyes, olive skin tone, and in some twisted way, he even had his round facial structure. Leo didn't look exactly like the sperm donor, but sometimes, I could imagine him growing up to somewhat resemble him.

I opened the door and found him sitting on the floor, playing with the LEGO set Isaac got him a few weeks ago. When he saw me, he dropped the large pieces in his hands and got onto his two feet.

"Mama!" He babbled in his adorable voice. I pouted at the sight of him– he looked so fucking cute, just like he always did.

"Allons-y, Leo," I said, outstretching my hand. He wrapped his tiny hands around my index finger. We walked into the living room and I looked around to make sure I had everything I needed. I felt like I was forgetting something– what the fuck was it? [Let's go, Leo.]

"Où on va?" He asked slowly, making sure to try and pronounce the sentence properly. [Where are we going?]

I disabled the security system so that I could unlock the door without activating the alarm. When I was first looking for an apartment in Paris, Dylan gave me a list of things I should look for. High up there on the list was 'good fucking security'– it was the first thing written on it, actually. The three words were circled and underlined three times.

I finally found an apartment big enough to afford with my new salary, and while I stayed home with Rose and her kids, Dylan, Nick, and Alex traveled to Paris to make sure it was a good fit for me. I couldn't travel due to the fact that Leo was still tiny, and he couldn't leave the NICU until all of his organs and immune system had developed. That meant that I had to make a list of furniture I wanted, and the three men would travel to Paris every three weeks to design the apartment.

After the surgery, the doctors decided it was best if I didn't wake up for a while. They placed me under a medically induced coma so that I wouldn't overexert myself and so my organs had time to recover from almost shutting down. I was in the coma for a week, and Rose said that Dylan refused to leave my side. That explained why he reeked of sweat when the doctors woke me up.

When I officially moved to Paris, Isaac had to come back, too, since team training had begun. That meant that I at least had one friend in the city who I could rely on– and who could potentially babysit Leo whenever I couldn't take care of him. Dylan also came with me so he could install the security system and cameras I'd requested.

Leo tugged on my hand, snapping me out of my thoughts, "Mama!" He snapped, calling for my attention. I glanced down at him with raised eyebrows, silently commenting on his attitude. He sheepishly smiled, "Sorry, mama. Où on va?" He asked again. [Where are we going?]

"To work, mon cher," I replied as we stepped out of the building. I crouched down in front of him to zip up his jacket since it was relatively chilly today. I'd gotten used to the cold after living here for three years, so it didn't affect me much. I had a v-neck sweater tucked into a pair of pants, so I was warm for the day.

Leo whined when I zipped it up and went to undo it, but with one look from me, he stopped. Instead, he chose to pout as I pulled him towards the subway. We stepped into the train and I ushered him towards two empty seats I'd found, right by each other. He sat down by the window as I rummaged through my bag in search of my AirPods. I handed him the earbuds and he put them in. Leo got restless when he had to sit down for a long time without anything to do, and I learned that listening to music was enough to entertain him for the ten-minute ride.

As he kicked his legs to the beat of the song, I sent a text to my personal assistant, Emile, asking if there was any way she'd be able to postpone the meeting by twenty minutes. She instantly responded with a thumbs up, making me let out a relieved sigh. Judging by the time, I knew I'd get there five minutes before it would start, giving me enough time to get Leo situated with a friend down in wardrobe. He'd take care of Leo during the meeting and then I'd take him up to my office.

I wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of letting Leo stay in daycare. I was scared something bad would happen to him. I'd never gotten over the fear of somebody breaking into a location and potentially hurting me or him. He was safe with me since I made sure the security in the building was top-notch.

When we neared the station closest to my workplace, I gave Leo the case so that he could put the buds back into their spot. He dropped them into my bag and took my fingers in his hand when I got up. Making sure he didn't bump into anyone, I led the way out of the station and towards the streets of Paris.

With a tight grip on him, Leo and I rounded the corner that led us to the building. We were, however, met with a bunch of red and white traffic barriers that surrounded my workplace. It blocked off the sidewalk that led to the entrance. Inside the blocked off streets was a bunch of tents and workers running around with equipment I couldn't see.

"What's this, mama?" Leo asked glancing around the area with a confused expression.

"Je ne sais pas," I replied. Not knowing how to enter, I decided to do the most logical thing and approach the barrier by the entrance of the building. It had a small gate that allowed people to enter and exit. [I don't know.]

Just as I was about to push the gate open, a security guard emerged from behind a tent and stopped me. He looked at me and then averted his gaze to the child beside me. He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head, "Vous n'avez pas le droit d'entrer, madame." [You aren't allowed to enter, ma'am.]

I blinked, "Mais je travaille ici," I told him, gesturing towards the building behind him. [But I work here.]

He quirked an eyebrow like he didn't believe me, then looked at Leo again, who was staring up at him with furrowed eyebrows, "Vous avez vos carte d'identité?" [Do you have your ID?]

I screwed my eyes shut when I realized that that was what I was forgetting this morning. It was a lanyard I usually stuffed into my bag, but I took it out yesterday because I needed to fill out a form using my employee number. I heard the security guard snort at my reaction and when I opened my eyes to look at him, I found him rolling his eyes.

"Écoutez, monsieur, j'ai une réunion que je ne peux pas manquer," I told him and placed a hand on the gate to push it open. "Laissez-moi entrer." [Listen, sir, I've got a meeting that I can't miss. Let me enter.]

The man broadened his stance and placed a foot in front of the gate to block it, "Si vous n'avez pas de carte d'identité, je ne vous lasserai pas entrer." He said in a low tone meant to intimidate me. [If you don't have your ID, I won't let you enter.]

I huffed and raked my fingers through my hair to push it away from my face. I pulled out my phone from my bag so I could text Emile to come down and get me, "Who the fuck do you think you? Just let me through, man," I told him, straightening my back. 

He quirked an eyebrow at my choice of language, "Si tu ne pars pas, je vous escorterai hors des lieux." He said through narrowed eyes. If this man thought he was scaring me, he had another thing coming. [If you won't leave, I will escort you off the premises.]

Leo's grip on my fingers tightened, and I lowered my hand to ruffle his hair in reassurance as I looked up at the giant, "Listen, man. I don't know what the fuck is happening here," I wildly waved my arms in the direction of the tents. "But if you don't let me through, I will find a way to fire you."

The security guard had the audacity to laugh at my statement, which sent a wave of rage washing over me, "Would you stop wasting my time? I've got a meeting that's starting any minute now." I raised my voice at him, effectively grasping the attention of the people running around the blocked-off streets.

The security guard scowled at me and pulled out his walkie-talkie, but before he could say anything, a figure walked up to us. 

"What's happening here?" He asked. The security guard paused to glance at the man. I looked at the guy and breathed out a breath of exasperation. Of fucking course.

The idiot of a security guard pointed at me with the antenna of his walkie-talkie, "She's demanding I let her through, sir, but she has no form of ID." He told the director in a very thick, French accent.

Dean glanced at me, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers once he recognized me. I maintained a bored expression, mainly because I've gotten over him and really needed to get to the meeting. I've seen pictures of him everywhere, and it got so repetitive I'd grown used to it. We haven't talked in nine years and his presence wasn't that shocking– we were bound to run into each other sooner or later given his line of work and mine were both in the 'entertainment' industry. His eyes raked over my figure before settling on the toddler beside me, and if it were possible, his eyes got larger.

I raked my hand through my hair again, the wind blowing it over my face, "Listen, man," I glanced at the security guard, completely ignoring the awestruck director beside him. "The meeting has literally started– you're just wasting my time here."

"You're–" Dean started but was cut off by a familiar French accent.

"Qu'est-ce qui se passe, ici?" Emile exclaimed, her voice filled with rage as she hurried towards me, her heels clicking against the pavement. The two men's heads swiveled in the fake redhead's direction. "Let her in!" [What's happening here?]

The security guard sighed like he was sick and tired of repeating the same story over and over again, "Elle n'a pas sa carte d'identité." [She doesn't have her ID.]

She pushed past the two idiots and opened the gate for me, ignoring his protests, "Elle n'a pas besoin d'une carte, imbécile. Elle est Amber Amity." [She doesn't need her ID, you idiot. She's Amber Amity.]

The man's face paled at the sound of my name and I tilted my head, shooting him a sickly sweet smile, "Yeah," I whispered, nodding with a fake pout. "Like, the one who fucking runs the magazine."

I gently pushed Leo forward and caught Dean's eyes following my son, his eyes flickering between me and him. Emile's expression softened at the sight of the toddler, and she outstretched her hand for him. He took it, a small smile on his face, but I didn't miss the way he frowned at the security guard as he passed him.

"Je suis désolé, Madame Amity," He said, standing behind the gate to make space for me to enter. I gave him a forced smile and walked past him and Dean. Emile took my bag from my shoulders and I bent down to pick Leo up. I adjusted his small body on my hip before shooting the man a look. [I'm sorry, Miss Amity.]

He was just doing his job. Security guards were just meant to make sure no strangers drifted into a workplace.

I sighed and gave him a short nod,  "S'assurer que ça ne se reproduise plus, c'est tout." I said glancing between him and Dean, who was shamelessly staring at me. I rolled my eyes and turned on the bottom of my heel to catch up to Emile. [Just make sure it doesn't happen again, that's all.]

"The meeting start yet?" I asked, pressing a kiss to the side of Leo's head. He wrapped his arms around my neck in response and pressed his cheek against mine. We walked through the sliding doors, and I smiled at the receptionist and the security guards who welcomed me in.

"Non, they're waiting for you," She replied before glancing at Leo. "Should I take him up to Victor?"

I glanced at my baby who perked up at the mention of the man who was in charge of the wardrobe department. I nodded and gestured for her to hand me my bag as I set Leo on his feet once we entered the elevator.

"Do you want me to put in a request to make a second copy of your employee ID?" She asked, watching as the numbers that indicated the floor levels blinked.

I shrugged, "I'll probably just lose it if I'm being honest." That got a laugh out of her. Once the doors opened, Leo rushed out of the elevator. Emile's eyes widened at the action and she bolted after him, yelling at him to slow down. Leo knew his way around the floor by now, so I didn't doubt that he'd find Victor sooner or later.

I leaned against the wall of the elevator as the doors closed, my mind drifting back to the events that just took place. 

Did the universe hate me or something?

•••

My office was a mess. This time, however, it was all thanks to the child running rapidly around the large room. He had an airplane in his hands and was making noises with his mouth as he pretended to fly it. There were action figures littered around the floor along with markers he was using to color in a picture he drew.

I was trying my best to focus on the draft of the magazine in front of me, but Leo's shouting was making it impossible for me to read through the articles. I had a pen in my hand and was trying my best to make notes on it but I had enough once he bumped into my chair.

With a growl, I turned the chair and leaned down to pick my child up. He started squealing at the sensation. I tickled his sides which made his squeals turn into high pitched giggles. Thankfully, the door to my office was shut, so the noise wouldn't disturb anyone. 

"Mama! Arrête, please," He giggled as he squirmed on my lap. I complied and wrapped my arms around his small figure to pull him against me. I pushed my chair forward and picked up my pen to continue working on the draft while he slammed his hands on the table in an irregular rhythm. The sound wasn't as distracting as his yells, so it allowed me to continue working. [Stop...]

A while later, he got bored of drumming on the table and leaned over to pick up my highlighter. He uncapped it and went to scribble on the magazine, but I pulled it away from his reach. He started whining at the action so I gave him a stack of Post-It notes so he could go ham. Dylan always said I threw the biggest temper tantrums when I was a kid, and I wondered whether Leo was better or worse than me.

I snorted, he was definitely better.

Leo leaned over as he tried to perfectly draw something on the post-it, and I seized the opportunity to work without overloading my senses with his shouts. As I flipped the page of the magazine, my phone buzzed on my desk. Leo paused at the sound, but with a pat on the back, he continued to work as I picked up my phone.

It was a text from Emile saying someone was here to see me. Not bothering to ask who it was, I told her to send them in in a minute. I set the phone down and tapped Leo's lap, "We have to clean up, mon cher."

Leo shook his head, his curls bouncing on the top of his head and I huffed, "If you don't help me, I won't give you tes biscuits," I bribed, and at the sound of the snack, he jumped off my lap and went to pick everything up. [... your biscuits.]

I stood up too, so I could help him. Once everything was tossed into a basket I had in the corner, I heard my phone buzz from my desk, which was probably Emile telling me she was letting them in. I set Leo on the chair behind my desk and made it higher so he could reach the surface. I placed a juice box and a pack of animal-shaped biscuits in front of him.

I heard the door open from behind me, "Just a second," I told them as I removed the straw from its plastic casing and stabbed it through the juice box. Then, I opened the pack of biscuits and held them out for him to take.

"Merci, mama!" Leo exclaimed as he stuck a hand into the packet. 

I stood up straight and smoothed out my clothes before twirling to face whoever walked into the office. My face fell at the sight of Dean standing in front of me. He was biting the inside of his left cheek, and his hands were folded behind him.

"Oh," I started. "It's you."

I leaned back against the desk and looked at him.

The corner of his lip tugged up into a smile, "Yeah," He replied, his eyes leaving mine to look around the room. They fell on Leo and lingered there for a second before he looked back at me. "I just wanted to... Apologize for what happened earlier this morning. It was just a misunderstanding. I've spoken to the security team about recognizing you and letting you through; no ID needed."

I nodded in understanding, "Thanks. I appreciate it."

I could see the way his arm was slightly shaking, and the fact that he was nervous did nothing but confuse me. He brought a hand up to rake through his hair before he pointed a thumb behind him, "We're shooting outside. My new movie is based in Paris and this street was the best location to film the scene."

I opened my mouth to reply but my son cut me off, "Who are you?" He asked, his voice unnecessarily loud.

I refrained the urge to shut my eyes, look up, and ask whatever higher power existed why this was happening to me.

Dean blinked at the sound of my child's voice and I stepped to the side to reveal his figure. Leo's body was slightly hidden behind me, but he was now on full display. I glanced at Leo to find some of the chocolate from the biscuit coating his mouth. With a small smile, I rounded the table and pulled out a pack of wipes to clean his face.

I caught Dean rubbing his nape, "I'm Dean, Amber's old friend."

I stiffened at his description. Right. 

Leo glanced up at me with his doe eyes, "Like Zachy?" He questioned innocently. I saw Dean's eyes snap in my direction at the mention of Isaac, but he didn't say anything.

I tapped his nose with my finger, "Sure, baby. Just like Zachy." I confirmed before glancing back at Dean, who was standing by the door awkwardly. I breathed in a deep breath and let my fingers rake through my son's hair, "This is Leo."

Dean looked between me and the child who was stuffing himself with the biscuits with flattened lips, "He looks like you." He decided to say after a moment of silence. My nose crinkled at the statement and I glanced down at Leo, only to find him looking back at me. I smiled a genuine smile at the sight of his face, which was cover in chocolate again.

The director cleared his throat, "So, how have you been?" He asked, eyes flickering from Leo to me.

"Busy," I replied as I pulled the pack of biscuits away from my son, who whined in protest. I pushed the juice box in his direction in response and he quieted down to take a sip of it.

Dean nodded and took a step back, "Well, I guess I should let you get back to work then. Being editor-in-chief doesn't sound like an easy job," He commented and I flattened my lips at his attempt at conversing with me. You broke up with me by running away, ignored my texts and calls, and now you want to pretend to be all buddy-buddy?"

It was true, I was editor-in-chief now. Kelly Krawford announced her resignation a year and a half ago, and I beat out thirty candidates for the job. I was now in charge of running Fashionistique and I had big plans for the magazine.

"It's not," I deadpanned.

He did a doubletake at my response before pointing his thumb behind him again, "I'll be leaving now," He said as he backed out of the open door. He reached for the doorknob to shut the door behind him, but before he could disappear, he looked me straight in the eyes and said, "You look really good, by the way."

He pulled the door shut.

I rolled my eyes at his actions, feeling slightly fazed by his failed attempts at talking to me. He didn't really expect me to pretend he didn't break my heart, did he? Did he really think that a spontaneous visit would fix what he did?

I scoffed and pulled Leo out of my seat, setting him on the floor. As I picked up my pen and looked down at the draft, I decided that I didn't want anything to do with Dean McLaughlin anymore. 

He could suck my dick for all I care.

•••

– 09/07/20

Guess who's back back back, back again.

Hope you enjoyed this relatively short chapter.

(I love Leo– I want one.)

What do you guys think about the new cover?