At some point in the night, exhaustion finally dragged him under.Lydia's breathing had evened out against his chest, her fingers curled lightly in his shirt, and he'd held her until sleep took them both.
But when he woke, the space beside him was empty.
His eyes snapped open.
The room was dim, lit only by the soft wash of the streetlight spilling through the window.A flash of panic sat him up, thinking someone had come in and stolen Lydia from him.He scanned the room for her.
Lydia sat on the floor at the foot of the bed, legs folded beneath her, a photo album open across her lap.The pale light caught the edges of the pages, turning them silver.
Baddy swung his legs off the bed."What're you doing down there?"
She didn't startle.Didn't look guilty.Just kept her eyes on the album."I couldn't sleep."
He rubbed a hand over his face and stepped to the end of the bed, lowering himself to the floor beside her and stretching his legs out in front of him."Those pictures...your relatives?"
She shook her head.
Then she pointed to a faded photograph.It was of an older man with a wide smile, grease-stained work shirt, and kind eyes."He's the father.He works at a gas station and comes home every night and sits at the head of the table."
Her finger drifted to the next picture.A woman in a floral dress, laughing as someone snapped the photo."Richard's married to her.They have two kids.She always wears dresses or skirts and seems nice."
Something in her voice made him go still.
He leaned in, studying the pictures.They were old, with yellowed edges.The people wore clothes from decades ago.Their smiles frozen in time.
"Lydia..."he said quietly."Who are these people?"
She didn't look at him.Her thumb brushed the corner of a page, gentle, almost reverent.
"I don't know," she whispered.
His chest tightened.
"My mom gave me the album.I've always liked looking at them.Ever since I was little."Her gaze stayed fixated on the strangers in the photos."I used to pretend they were my family."
He didn't breathe.
"They were always smiling," she said softly."Always touching.Like they loved each other.Like they wanted to be near each other."
Her voice cracked on the last word.
Baddy looked at the pictures again.Everyone smiled at the camera.They had arms around each other's shoulders.The laughter caught mid-moment.Suddenly, he understood exactly what she'd been searching for her whole life.
Not safety.
Not protection.
Not even escape.
She wanted a family.
The kind she'd never had.
The kind she'd only ever seen in other people's memories.
It was fucking sad, man.He had no idea what to say.Anything he could say seemed too small for the weight of what she'd given him.
Instead, he shifted closer, his shoulder brushing hers, and let the silence settle around them as she peered at a life she longed for.
