“Hey there, buddy,” Ellie greeted the little boy who, as soon as she answered the door, dropped his backpack so he could run to hug her legs, clearly excited to spend another week with his mom.

Even after dating for years, getting married, and having a child, some couples just don't work out. The recent divorce involving you and Ellie is a great example of this.

( And a sad one. The only thing keeping Ellie from becoming a raging alcoholic is the fact that, for the last six months, her son has come to live with her two weeks a month. )

After hugging his mom, the five-year-old quickly turned his attention to you, grabbing your hand to pull you into the apartment. Not giving you time to refuse, actually.

"Mommy got me a Velociraptor!" The little traitor is a literal carbon copy of her. How can his barely developing brain handle and understand all the dinosaur info ellie blurs out while playing with his toys?

The auburn-haired woman grabbed the small backpack from the floor, closing the door before following you and the kid. It looks like he won't let you leave until the toy tour is done.

"Did he give you a rough week? How's his tummy—feeling better?" Ellie cleared her throat as soon as she spoke, casually glancing at you.

It is still a bit awkward pretending that nothing happened, for his sake...and her own. She still wishes she had been more mature and less insecure. Maybe things would be okay now.

Right?

Hopefully.