I glanced down at the cute, meticulous bandaging Lucian had done, feeling a strange warmth blossom as I looked at the neat wrap around my ankle.
It had cute red hearts on it.
It was almost… sweet.
But that thought brought up another, a memory buried under years of pain and resentment.
One that caught me off guard.
---
"Kiki! You just scraped your knee!" My mother's panicked voice echoed, her face hovering over me as she gently lifted my leg, inspecting the small scrape with wide, tear-filled eyes.
"Mom, I'm fine," I mumbled, embarrassed, my cheeks hot as she fussed over me in the middle of the playground.
"You're not fine! You're hurt!" she insisted, fishing a tiny pink bandage from her purse with trembling hands. She pressed it to my knee, the little cartoon hearts on it making me smile despite myself.
