those years between us

[21] POLAROID

  GOING BACK TO the UK was strange. Being back after a month away, staring out of the taxi I was taking with Cami back to Redchester from Heathrow Airport, seeing how cold it was now, the way there was mist in the air every time we spoke or breathed...

  And knowing what faced me once I did get to Redchester. Because Orion's flight had been around seven hours earlier than mine—he'd taken the morning flight, me and Cami the evening one. He'd have gotten to Redchester at eight or nine last night, while it was still fairly early in the morning as Cami and I sped through half of England.

  Well, perhaps not half. Redchester wasn't that far away from London, and thank god for that. It would be even colder up north, and I had no intention of freezing to death. Not yet.

  Though if I had to bump into Orion all the time, I might just end up preferring that fate.

  But no. I was not going to become suicidal over Orion Ip, and I certainly wasn't going to give up any bits of my usual life for him either. That was a promise I'd made to myself two years ago. Enough concessions for him. I was going to do what I wanted to do, whatever it was, and there was nothing he could do about it. Or anyone else.

  Not that I rather thought he wanted to do anything about it. In all honesty, he seemed quite unaffected past some emotional shock.

  Was I meant to be happy with that? Perhaps. It did mean it wouldn't affect my life all that much. But I still couldn't help but feel slightly... worried.

  To her credit, Cami hadn't mentioned a single word of it. She must have sensed my worry, but she hadn't brought it up at all. Instead, she was all enthusiasm and optimism from the moment we'd entered the airport in Hong Kong, and though she was clearly tired now, half-dosing besides me in the backseat of the taxi, her joy still shone clear.

  She had something to look forward to, clearly.

  Time seemed to pass so fast. Just like that, the term was already over. University wasn't college, when we had half term breaks between the terms. We only had the big holidays—Christmas, Easter, summer. But instead of making the terms feel longer, they made them seem even shorter. A blink of an eye and it was all already over. And it was January of a brand new year.

  This year I turned nineteen.

  By the end of this year I'd be in my second year of university. Orion and Dean would technically be graduated, though it seemed like both of them were going to stay to complete their Master's. As with Livia and Amphion.

  Actually, I was fairly looking forward to seeing Livia again. I did quite like being around her.

  I missed Eileen too. I wonder how she was faring—the heartbreak seemed so long ago, and she seemed to have moved on well. But I still wanted to be sure.

  And then, there was also Jeremiah.

  Yes, I should really do something about Jeremiah. Because everyone was right. I didn't want a second Francis. Or to risk a second Francis.

  I just had to stop procrastinating the inevitable. Perhaps I should drop some hints in my future conversations with Jeremiah. Or should I be blunt about it? My god, for something so many people had been telling me to do for so long, I was woefully underprepared.

  That was slightly worrying. I was rarely this underprepared about things. I tend to be over prepared for them, even if I end up having to scrap all my plans the moment everything sets into action.

  We arrived at Redchester shortly before the afternoon. It was still fairly early, but both of us were practically starving.

  Last time, Cami had been the one helping me move in. I was going to return the favour this time around. Most of her boxes had already arrived from her old dorm—Livia had promised she'd help receive them over the Christmas holidays, and Camille confirmed that they were already safely in her new apartment when she came down to collect me. I threw down my suitcases, grabbed my phone and a puffer jacket and left with her.