The Beautiful Monster

Karly finally looked up at her before glancing around.

"Yes," she said, looking upset.

Alyssa called in Tana, the person who ran the local organization.

"Can you call Karly's mom and see if she's close?" she asked.

Tana nodded before walking back into the office.

Alyssa turned back to Karly, moving to put one puzzle piece in place. She decided to just keep Karly company until her mom showed up. Parents were late sometimes. It usually wasn't a big deal.

"She's supposed to be here," Karly said quietly.

"Oh, it's okay. Maybe it's just traffic," Alyssa said in a comforting voice. She didn't want Karly to worry.

Tana walked back into the room a few minutes later. She motioned for Alyssa to come to her.

"I'll be right back," Alyssa said before standing and walking over to Tana. "Is everything alright?"

Tana sighed as she nodded.

"Her mom overslept. She'll be here in thirty minutes," she said. "That's the fifth time this month."

Alyssa frowned, not realizing this was a pattern. She felt bad for Karly, especially since this incident brought back memories from her own childhood.

She couldn't count how many times her parents forgot to pick her up from afterschool care.

The longer she got, the more embarrassing it was to have felt forgotten like that by her own parents.

"I'll stay with her until her mom gets here," she said.

Tana nodded before walking back to her office.

Alyssa sat back down near Karly.

"Your mom is on her way," she said.

"Was she asleep again?" Karly asked quietly as she looked down at the puzzle pieces.

Alyssa didn't know how to answer that. She wanted to be honest, but she also didn't want Karly to be upset. She thought about what she would've wanted herself to hear as a kid.

"Yes. But that doesn't mean she doesn't love you," she told Karly. "Some people make mistakes."

Karly looked up at Alyssa.

"Everyone makes mistakes," she said.

Alyssa nodded.

"Yeah, we all do. And it's okay to be upset if someone's mistake hurts you," she told Karly. It was important to feel things, especially as a kid. It made things way less confusing and easier to deal with later on.

Alyssa stayed with Karly until her mom rushed in. Her hair was matted from sleep, and her makeup was slightly smeared.

"I'm so sorry. I set my alarm and everything," she said as she swept Karly into a hug. She looked up at Alyssa. "I promise I'll try not to do it again.

Alyssa nodded after a moment. She seemed genuinely upset at herself. Some people were in tough situations.

She could be working two jobs that left her exhausted. Alyssa didn't know her. She just knew her own, and she knew that her parents just didn't care about her.

"Bye, Karly," she said as she smiled at the little girl.

Karly faintly smiled back before taking her mom's hand and walking out of the building.

Alyssa sighed once the door swung shut. She was ready to get out of here. As she gathered her things, her phone buzzed with a new text message notification. She grabbed it and looked at her screen.

Come over. Got a surprise for you ;)

Alyssa read the text a few times, trying to figure out what the surprise could be. Maybe he would surprise her with a key to his place or something that told her that he wanted to move with her. She hoped for that so dearly, but she wouldn't know unless she went to him.

"I'm leaving, Tana!" Alyssa called out before heading to the door.

Her heart rate sped up as she walked out of the building and to her car. She hoped so deeply and so hard that it made her chest ache.

Since she already got into medical school, this was the only thing that she was asking for. She just wanted the love of her life to stay by her side. She didn't know if she could handle leaving him behind.

**************

Alyssa stopped at Elias' apartment door and drew in a deep breath to steady herself. Things could possibly change when she walked through this door.

She knocked on the door and waited, hearing shuffling from the inside.

A few seconds later, Elias pulled the door open. He wore a white shirt under a black blazer, paired with his dark pants.

His hair was freshly fixed, and the smell of his cologne teased her.

"Hey, baby," Elias quipped sweetly as he reached out to hug her. He kissed her on the cheek before leading her inside his apartment.

Alyssa looked around in shock. Dinner was freshly made and set up on his kitchen island, along with wine.

There was a wrapped present too. His apartment was tidier than normal. She could smell the cleaner that he used. He had done all of this for her. But why?

"What is all this?" Alyssa asked him, feeling her heart thud wildly. This felt like a special occasion, but she didn't know the reasoning behind it.

He had to be celebrating something. Did it have something to do with their future?

Elias smiled as he led her over to the kitchen island. He pulled her barstool out before moving to sit across from her.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"I love it. Is there something happening?" Alyssa asked him as she smiled at him. She didn't want to seem ungrateful.

She thoroughly appreciated all of the effort that he went through to do this for her, but she just didn't understand why he did it. It wasn't any of their anniversaries or anything.

Elias shrugged as he reached across the table to take her hand. He placed the small, wrapped box in it.

"Open this," he said.

Alyssa breathed in deeply before nodding. She tore off the silver paper to reveal a jewelry box. She slid off the lid to reveal a silver necklace inside with a heart pendant.

"It's beautiful," she murmured as she admired it.

"I just wanted to do something sweet for you. You're my entire heart," Elias told her.

Alyssa gently set the box down as she looked up at him.

"So, nothing is happening?" she asked.