Rock, Paper, Scissors

46: Back home

Nick asked us if we could join him at his grandmother's house. He had to take care of some things and thought we could help. I was glad that he wasn't closing himself up. And welcomed the trip, it would help me get away from all of the stalking situation for a while.

It was our first time back to the house since the funeral and I was relieved he took his time to do this, making sure he was ready to face Anne's death again.

I wanted to drive there with Nick, but Ava wanted a girls-only trip so she picked me up. Once we got to the house my heart sank. I couldn't help it, and I had to wonder how hard it must be to Nick.

"You can stay in grams room if you want," Nick told me and Ava as we walked in. "It would be more comfortable than a blowing mattress."

Ava and I looked at each other, not sure what to say or do. Ava took her bag and went to Anne's bedroom. I reluctantly followed her. I don't think I'll be comfortable sleeping there but maybe it would be better to act as if it was okay. For Nick.

The more time we spent in the house the less heavy it felt. After dinner, we played monopoly but didn't finish as sleep caught up with us. I took a shower after Ava, when I came back to the room she was already sleeping. I got into bed, trying not to disturb her. I turned off the light and closed my eyes.

I kept thinking of Anne. How she slept here, how she kept a picture of Nick and her on the bedside table. I laid there for a long time, unable to find sleep. I kept shifting in the bed but couldn't find a comfortable position. After a while, I decided to get up.

I went downstairs and sat on the couch. I might as well watch a movie or something, so I turned the tv on and zapped through the channels until I found something I liked. I enrolled myself in a blanket to make myself comfortable.

A squeak coming from the stairs startled me.

"Couldn't sleep either?" I asked softly.

Nick shook his head, and I patted the place next to me. He took the offer, and I shared the blanket with him. "What are we watching?"

"I don't know the title, but it's funny." So, we sat together and watched as the idiotic plot unfolded. I eventually fell asleep before the movie was done.

I woke up and frowned at the soreness of my back from sleeping in the same position for too long. I opened my eyes to realize I had Nick's harm around me, my hand over his. The warmth of his body made me smile and I snuggled back to him, not wanting to leave.

A crunching sound got my attention. I looked up to see Tyler, sitting in the armchair next to the tv, a bowl of cereals in his hands. A smirk formed on his lips.

"A sight for sore eyes," he said before taking another bite.

I felt the heat rising to my face and I raised myself abruptly to sit. Nick shifted beside me. I panicked and fell on the floor with a loud thud. I looked back at Nick who was rubbing his eyes while Tyler burst out laughing. I glared at him before finding the couch with my hand to support me.

"You're okay?" Nick asked after he realized I was on the floor. I nodded at him, taking in his disheveled hair and sleepy face. Cute.

Another crunch from Tyler remembered me that he was still there, looking at us. I ran to the bedroom. Ava was still sleeping, thankfully. I crouched down and covered my face, waiting for the embarrassment to leave my body.

Nick took the day to deal with paperwork while we started packing important stuff for safekeeping: photos, memorabilia, documents, Anne's jewelry...

We also took the time to clean the house. Nick didn't know when he would be back. There was no one to visit anymore so he wanted to make sure everything was impeccable before leaving and covering the furniture.