When she uncovers his plan to lead an entirely uneventful life, Mia Evian is determined to teach Preston Maddox how to stop living like a ghost, but Mia and Preston have history, tension, and a lot of complicated feelings.
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After the mother of all teenage tantrums, I find myself angrily trudging the suburbs of Cardiff in the spitting rain at six o'clock in the evening. Despite my rage, I was thinking clearly enough to grab my hooded jacket as I left Dad's house, but not clearly enough to have a final destination in mind. This results in me following my feet, and I'm not sure if it's muscle memory or something deeper, but they walk me in the direction of Anwen's house.
It's not until I've almost arrived that I realise Preston will be there. I'm so used to it only being Anwen and Matty in their house that slotting him into the picture feels strange. When Dad's drinking was at its worst during my final school year, Anwen's house became a haven because I hardly wanted to bring Mum into the mess. In hindsight, nor did I want to bring Anwen into it, but it's a little late for hindsight.
As I'm knocking on the terraced house's front door, I realise I maybe should've called to warn of my imminent arrival. It's Matty who answers, which I conclude is probably for the best because he does so with a huge grin.
'Mia!' he exclaims, then likely upon realising I'm dripping wet, furrows his brow. 'You probably should've brought an umbrella.'
'As upfront as ever,' I say with a sincere, light laugh. 'But you're not wrong.'
Matty, who's dressed in a hoodie twice the size of him, opens his mouth to respond, but he's interrupted by the sound of footsteps barrelling down the stairs behind him. Moments later, Preston, who looks even more perplexed to see me, is standing beside him.
'Mia's here,' Matty announces.
'I can see that,' Preston replies, which gets him an elbow dig from his little brother. He returns his attention to me, and more notably, the rain crashing from the sky. 'You could've invited her in, Matt.'
Without another word, Preston gestures me inside, and it's not until the front door is closed behind me that I notice I'm shivering. I remove my soaked jacket and hang it up on the staircase's bannister, which helps, but doesn't stop Preston making a fuss. I assure him I'm fine, and make him promise to assure his mother of that when she spots me because Anwen's favourite pastime is worrying. Meanwhile, Matty gazes at us in silent awe, as if we're a figment of his imagination.
'She's due back from Tesco any minute now, so your time is limited,' Preston comments before I can decipher Matty's look. 'If it's at all reassuring, she'll probably be more horrified at me for not offering you a lift, despite my insistence that you appeared from nowhere.'
I laugh as I follow him into the family's living room. 'And I won't even try to stand up for you.'
Matty's still watching us quietly, and when my eyes meet his big, brown ones, it dawns on me. He's not seen Preston and me interact, at least not in person, since Preston was in the young offender's institute. As the realisation hits, as if on cue, the sound of Preston's voice snaps our attention back towards the living room's doorway.
