home - phan

Home

Chapter 1

It was one of those mid January days where the sky was bright and sunny but the crisp winter air and the chills of the frosty winds still bit at your nose.
Daniel strode down the cobblestone paths behind the main streets, his hands in the pockets of his oversized coat, his teeth chattering in the cold. With every exhalation he made, a spiral of breath would coil in the air like a snake and then vanish. He kept his head down, staring at the ground as he put one foot in front of another. He kept walking, picking up pace until he was almost running. He didn't even know where he was going. He just needed to get away from him.
 Suddenly all the memories came flooding back. The shouting, the splintering shards of glass that littered the floor around him as he had yelled, the tears, and the most vivid memory of all; the blood.
Daniels knuckles were white as he clenched his fists, just thinking about the previous night made a vicious cocktail of anger boil in his stomach. With salty tears stinging his eyes he slid down the wall onto the ground and lay there for a minute, wiping away his tears. He closed his eyes and let the dusty ground swallow him into a world that existed only in his brain, a world where everything was ok.

Chapter 2

"Um, are you ok," a voice appeared in the alleyway, and the man to which the voice belonged stood in front of Daniel, who was still slumped on the ground, in his own little world.
Daniel opened his eyes to see a tall man standing in front of him, in ripped black jeans and a tattered grey hoodie. He reached out a warm hand to Daniel and he grasped it, the warmth of this man's hands felt amazing on Daniels icy cold hand. The man pulled him up so that they were standing face to face, a face in which Daniel couldn't help but stare at. The man had striking blue eyes and dark shaggy hair that hung over his face. His smile radiated happiness and gave Daniel a warm, fuzzy feeling. Daniel stared at the man for a while, taking in every feature of his face, until the man finally broke the uncomfortable silence.
"So, are you sure your ok then," the man asked with a genuinely concered look on his face.
"Oh I'm..yeah I'm fine thanks," Daniel replied, still entranced by the shimmering whirlpools of blue that were the man's eyes.
"That's good, I was pretty concerned that you were dead, unconscious, or just flat out drunk," the man laughed then moved his gaze down to Daniel's shivering hands. He grasped a hold of one,
"Oh my god, your freezing, it's a good job I found you or you could have easily caught pneumonia out here. How long have you been out here anyway?" The man questioned, but without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Daniels hand again and led him back down the cobblestone path.
"Come on," he said cheerfully, "I will take you back to my house to warm up for a minute, it's just down this road."

Chapter 3

The man led Daniel down the cobblestone paths then down a little dirt track leading to a small cottage. It was the type of home you expect to see the seven dwarves living in, not a six foot man. He took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the little oak door to reveal the small, cosy room inside.
There was a wood fireplace burning away at the side of the room, a small ginger kitten curled up in front of it. Two armchairs with plaid rugs slung across the backs were positioned either side of the fire, facing the TV opposite. The room was filled with the sweet, inviting scents of fresh baking and Daniel smiled as the aroma came towards him.
"It's not much, but it's home," the man said, placing his phone and keys on a small wooden table by the door.
Daniel looked around in awe at the room. This was one of the best and most inviting places he had ever been. He was used to the damp, dark walls of the flat, the peeling wallpaper and  freying carpets. He had only ever smelled the lingering scents of alcohol and ciggarettes, the only animals curled up were the mice in the attic.
"No, it's amazing, I love it," Daniel said looking back at the man.
Aw, your just saying that," he replied, blushing slightly.
"No really, I love it," Daniel emphasised.
The man looked down, turning red and smiling. He gestured over to the armchairs, signalling for Daniel to sit down. While Daniel was sitting the man proceeded to make two hot chocolates, topped with cream and a very large amount of marshmallows. Daniel giggled at him and the man laughed as well,
" Sorry, I have a weakness for marshmallows," he said chuckling.
He brought the drinks over to Daniel and sat down in the other armchair, scooping the kitten up in his arms as he did so.
"So," the man said, stroking the kitten and taking a big sip of the hot chocolate, "tell me about yourself."