There Was A Boy I Can Recall

Chapter 6 - That man from my mind

Laurence’s P.O.V

When I agreed to move into a new flat with Luke, I really thought I’d be leaving my past behind me and starting fresh. I thought I’d meet some nice new neighbours and be able to live in peace. I din’t think for a second that I would be standing outside Kier’s bedroom. I was anxious. I didn’t know how he’d react to seeing me. If it was anything like Shane’s reaction to me then I wasn’t looking forward to it. I turned around to look at Shane who was stood behind me.

“Now, if he has a funny turn or does anything drastic, I’ll be in the living room just down the hall. Just shout for me and I’ll come back. Good luck Laurence” He said before leaving me

I took a deep breath in and opened the bedroom door slowly. Kier’s bedroom was dark. The curtains were drawn on the only light came from a dim lamp that shone in the corner. Everything was thrown everywhere and there was a pile of clothes on one side of the room. In the middle of the room was a double bed that looked like it hadn’t been made for days. The only thing that seemed neatly kept was the arrangement of photographs on top of a dresser. I looked around the room for Kier and found him, curled up on his side in the middle of the floor. He hadn’t acknowledged me entering.

“Kier?” I called out to him softly. His body seemed to stiffen at the sound of my voice and he sat upright. “Kier am I ok to come in?” He nodded and I walked into the room slowly and sat down on the edge of his bed

The man that sat in front of me was not the man I remembered. Sure, when I first saw Kier, he was battered and covered in blood, but he still looked healthier than the Kier I saw today. His face was pale and sunken and he had dark bags under his eyes suggesting he hadn’t slept well. He was skinny and looked so fragile, like if I hugged him he would snap. He still hadn’t looke me straight in the eyes and it was unnerving.

“You’re not real. I refuse to believe it. I’m just imagining it all. I’ve gone insane you see. You’re not really here” Kier muttered just so I could barely hear what he was saying.

“Kier. Why won’t you believe anyone? I’m real. Im living and breathing and I’m here. And I’m going to help you get better. I promise. I just need you to believe me”

He shook his head, refusing to look at me. “You can’t be real. I couldn’t find you for two years. I searched everywhere and I looked so hard. It was just my brain reacting to the pain killers. That’s what Shane and Drew told me”

“Kier, look up. Please just look at me. Just look at me and you’ll realise I’m not in your imagination. I’m here Kier. Trust me, please” It was no use. He just sunk his head into his hands.

I stood up off the bed and crouched down in front of him. There was only one way I was going to get him to look at me. I gently moved his hands away from his face and lifted his chin upwards, holding his face in my hands. I stroked his cheek softly with my thumb. At first he tensed away from my touch and kept his eyes closed. But then he gave in and opened them, staring directly into my eyes. His face changed from the sunken, defeated expression he held to one of shock. He pulled away from me and wrapped his arms around his legs.

“You…..you’re real.” His voice was hushed. I nodded in response “So I’m not insane? You actually were real after all this time?”

“Yep. And I promise now Kier, I won’t leave you again. I swear. I’m here to stay this time, if you’ll let me”

He reached out cautiously to touch my cheek. His hand was thin and shaky. He placed his hand lightly on my cheek, as though I was going to disappear. His eyes were sad and showed the pain he was feeling. I couldn’t believe how broken spirited he was. His gaze met mine and he cracked. He pulled his hand away from me again and covered his face. I saw his body start to shake and heard the sounds of sobbing coming from him. I leant forwards and pulled him towards me. He shifted himself so that he was sat in my lap, resting his head against my chest and his arms around my waist. Neither of us said anything. Only the sounds of Kiers sobs broke the silence between us. I held him close to me, stroking his hair with one hand. Eventually his sobs were replaced with gentle snoring. I didn’t move, I just held him closer.