Finding Home || bxb

39

"Well, I need to do something after I put Genie to bed," Roman said. I was mortified.

"Shut up!" I whisper yelled at my boyfriend as if his parents weren't right there and couldn't hear me. "Come on, we have our own date to plan." I said goodbye to Genie, who luckily had been too engrossed with my hair and been playing with my curls to notice what any of us had been talking about, and grabbed Roman's hand to drag him to his room.

We spent some time brainstorming what we could do but all his ideas were purposely not costly, so I kept saying no. I just wanted to spoil him for once. I played with the beads of the pearl necklace he had gotten me as I shut down all his stupid ideas. My head was in his lap and his hand had travelled under my hoodie, the one Dahlia had gotten me for my birthday, and rested there, palm open, just holding me.

"We're not going to a petting zoo," I said shutting him down again.

"But that would be so cute! What's wrong with you?" he said.

"Dead parents, depressive episodes, probably PTSD with a sprinkling of OCD as a trauma response, definitely sexual abuse," I replied a little too bluntly.

"Okay. Well, I stubbed my little toe this morning. That really hurt actually," he said looking down at me. It made me let out a little laugh.

"Poor you," I replied. "Poor baby." I sat up and repositioned myself so that I was sat between his legs on the bed with my back to his chest. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so blunt."

"When I said 'what's wrong with you' I only meant it as a joke. I'm sorry," he replied probably thinking I took it too much to heart.

"I know. My reply was just a bad joke in response. I'm sorry. Did I spoil the mood?" I asked worried.

"No, you didn't spoil anything. And I think I know what we can do, which you might actually say yes to."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Let's go to Thorpe Park."

——

"I'm excited!" I said cheerily in the car. We were currently at a red light waiting to be let go. Sofia had given Roman her car again.

"I can tell. I can't believe you've never been," Roman replied smiling.

"My parents were planning on taking me." I wasn't sad as I said it. It was just the truth. I'm sure they would have been glad that I got to go now.

"Sorry I didn't mean to-"

"-please don't apologise every time I mention my parents. It's okay. I mean sometimes it's hard, but I like talking about them. Keeps their memory alive. I'm okay," I said interjecting.

"Okay. Well, I'm sure they'll be there in spirit."

I nodded. "I like to think they watch over me. Though not twenty-four seven. That would be my worst nightmare."

"Yeah, that would make it an awkward reunion one day," Roman said.

The lights were still red, but I wish they would have turned green already. I was so excited I was practically bouncing off my seat. I'd been to other theme parks before, but I was so young then and rollercoasters had still been so scary. I wondered if I would like them now. I couldn't wait to try one.

But as we waited for the red light, a familiar figure walked past on the pavement beside us on the road. Henry.

He must have somehow sensed someone was watching him because soon he was turning his head and staring right back at me. My ribs hurt just seeing his evil smirk. I never wanted to be around him again and I was thankful that the metal of the car could act as a barrier between us. I was also thankful that I wasn't alone.