I am currently sat out on the porch waiting for the sun to rise. My dad is in his room soundly sleeping. Neither him nor my daughter caused any trouble last night in regards to bad sleep. It seems like all of us got a good amount of shut eye.

Jolie was sleeping too but as soon as she felt me stir beside her, she asked if she could come along. We bundled up well, two layers of jackets and a huge pile of blankets engulfed us.

I run a hand through Jolie's hair as she lays her head on my lap. The gentle touch makes her snuggle in closer.

The sun is just now starting to rise. People should really watch the sunrise more often. I feel at ease. I allow my eyes to flutter shut, the cold breeze brushing against my skin yet somehow providing a warmth. I open them only to release a small gasp at the view before me.

The blazing sun painted an array of warm tone colors across the sky. They melded in between the fluffy cotton-candy clouds. Something like the rising sun, offered such beauty it was indescribable. Silhouettes of birds passed by. I could hear the soft melody of the birds chirping. Everything was so tranquil.

And then I felt you. I leaned closer, feeling you wrap your arms around me. I looked down at our daughter who was peacefully asleep.

"Andrew..." I breathed. I allowed my eyes to flutter shut once again.

"Leslie. You know what today is?" I craned my head to the side to look into your brown eyes. You have the most breathtaking eyes.

"How could I forget? It's our 3 year anniversary." Happily, you bent down and kissed my forehead.

"You know you have my soul Leslie Kline. I am yours."

You grabbed my hand in a delicate manner and placed it over your heart.

I swear I could feel your heartbeat. I swear it.

But when I opened my eyes, your arms were not wrapped around me anymore. I wished for just 10 more minutes with you.

Ten.

Is that so much to ask? I say this, looking up at the sky.

But the sun, the sun had risen and the sky was painted in oranges and reds. And I swear it Andrew, I think you painted that sky that I am staring back at.

"Leslie?" Noah approaches me, two coffees in hand. When he gets closer, his eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. "Are you okay?"

I hastily wipe the tears away with the tips of my fingers. I run a hand through my brown hair in hopes of making myself look semi presentable. I look up at him with a weak smile.

"I'm perfect."

He does not look convinced but I am glad he decides to drop the conversation. "For you." He extends his toned arm and hands me the coffee.

"Thank you. What brings you around at this early time?" I ponder. I wrap my hands around the warm coffee cup, the heat sending instant goosebumps up my arms.

He is wearing a green sweater, dark blue jeans, and tan snow boots. His hair is messy like he did not bother touching it when he got out of bed.

"I came to bring the morning paper to your dad. I forgot that you were staying with him now, but I had already begun to make my way. I guess I got used to visiting him in the mornings." He shrugs and takes a sip of his coffee.

I mirror his actions and let the warm liquid slide down my throat. I smile and glance back at the glowing sunrise.

"Beautiful isn't it? We don't get many views like this back home." I hum.

"Where's that?" Noah leans against the porch. He glances down at Jolie and smiles softly.

"New York." I state. His eyes widen.

"New York? And you came back to little ole' Lakeshore?" I laugh lightly.

"It's not all that." I scrunch my nose, a pesky little habit that I came to notice that I do way too often. "Sometimes it gets overwhelming with all the people. Traffic and noise 24/7."

That is something I loved about Lakeshore. The tranquility. I would not be able to sit out here and watch the sunrise without hearing a hundred honking car horns, back in New York.

Not to mention it is not particularly easy to raise a child in a big noisy city. Do not get me wrong, Jolie loves it. She adores that there is something new at every corner, but as a child, she fails to realize the bad parts of the city and how sometimes I feel unsafe walking with her at night.

"I'd like to go one day." Noah confesses and I give him a small smile.

"Let's get inside. It's freezing." No amount of blankets could warm me up at this point. "Jolie, baby, lets go inside yeah?" She stirs a bit and then sits up, wiping her eyes lazily.

"Ok mommy." She slides off the porch swing and grabs my hand.

"Are you hungry?" I ask. I know it is very early, about 7am, but since she has been in and out of sleep all morning, she can get cranky without food.

I thought I got hangry but my daughter tops me.

On cue, her stomach rumbles and she lets out a silly laugh.

"I hate to ask favors Noah, but do you think you can check on my dad while I make breakfast?"

He nods and heads to my dads room. He is awake by now, I can hear the light sound of the tv echoing throughout the house.

I prep some oatmeal and berries for Jolie, which is one of her favorites. Andrew discovered this. He would make himself oatmeal and sit beside Jolie while he ate. He caught her multiple times sticking her baby hands into his bowl and scooping some of the mushy oatmeal into her mouth. Granted, most of it only made it around her mouth rather than inside.

Apparently today is not the day for favorites though because as soon as I set the bowl down and try to feed her a spoon she refuses. She knocks my hand away.

I sigh, "Jolie please eat your breakfast. It is your favorite" I scoop up another spoon since she had spit out the previous oatmeal. She shakes her head repeatedly and then bursts into tears.

"Jolie, you have to eat!" I cry, feeling defeated.

I put down the bowl, clearly frustrated.

"Let me try." Noah approaches me. He acknowledges my distressed state. I had not heard him come into the kitchen. He grabs the bowl and like magic, Jolie opens up her mouth and eats the spoonful of her breakfast. She giggles, eating more and more.

"I-excuse me." I rush upstairs and into my room.

Today is not the day. Not on my three year anniversary. Or what would be my three year anniversary.

This is not supposed to be just me. I am not supposed to be a single parent at the age of 25.

I slide down against the door and release every single ounce of pain i have been feeling these past few days.

I try to put on a strong front but eventually, bottling up so emotion is only going to cause one to break. We are not made of stone, but rather glass. I can try to deny it but i'd be lying to myself. Us humans are meant to break down here and there.

My body is shaking so hard. I am on the brink of losing it at the moment. My frail fingers pull at my hair. At this point it is brittle and tangled from the lack of attention I have put into it.

And then this Noah guy, comes waltzing into my life and decides to be good at shit and actually helpful.

I am not used to that. I have been practicing these past few months to be an independent person. To learn how to parent a child by myself. To not need anyone.

Oh and let us not mention how Jolie is practically in love with him. She should have that bond with her dad.

Her blood. The man who put every ounce of his love into her.

I wrap my arms around myself tightly and let the tears fall freely. Hiccups rise up in my throat and I rush the palm of my hand against my sobbing lips. It becomes so much that I just drop my hands to my side, letting myself feel pain.

A soft knock at the door causes me to hold my breath.

"Leslie? Is that you? Let me in." The voice demands, it is soft but serious.

With a shaky voice, I reply. "Go away."

"I'm not leaving."

"Noah, go!" I persist, growing irritated. I do not know how much longer I can keep these sobs in.

He does not leave. I can hear his breathing against the white wooden door. I lean my head against it, trying to get my breathing to slow down to the rate of his.

When I am somewhat ready, I reach my arm up and unlock it, scooting to the side.

I do not look at him but I feel him slide down and sit beside me. I pull my knees closer to my chest. We sit in silence, listening to our own breathing.

"Are you okay?"

"God Noah, why do you have to waltz in here and be an actually decent guy? Why is my daughter charmed by you? This whole fucking town knows your name. You're like a damn celebrity around these streets." I snap. My chest rises heavily. I'm frustrated, I'm annoyed, I'm angry, and I am just broken.

"I'm sorry?" He sighs.

I flail my arms into the air, exasperated. "And there you go apologizing when you did nothing wrong. In fact, you've just done good. And that's the most frustrating part."

I know I am being selfish. I know the words leaving my mouth are uncalled for but I say them anyways.

I dare look at Noah and when I do, he looks taken aback. He has a concerned look on his face. I notice how long and thick his eyelashes are when he is staring down at the floor.

"Look Kline, I don't know you and that's fine. But there is something you should know about me, I help people. It's just what I do. And I don't plan on leaving this town anytime soon, so unless you are packing your bags, you'll be seeing me around often."

He pushes himself up and off the floor and leaves the room.