After Dunkirk [Discontinued]

Two ~ Hope

"That place has the best ice cream milkshakes in the world," Tommy says and I look to my left where he's pointing. "I'd buy us a couple dozen right now if I had some money."

"I didn't ask you to buy me a milkshake, plus I'm quite happy with my apple," I state, trying to hold onto whatever pride I have left and I take the last bite of my apple. "I don't accept charity."

"Okay, then think of it as a gift, not a handout," he says and I can somewhat see his point. "When I was younger, I'd take my little sister there on Sunday afternoons and we'd share a banana split," he says with a fond smile that I can't relate to. "Maybe we can go there tomorrow."

"Like you, I don't have any money," I say, walking over to the receptacle and I throw away the stem and seeds of the apple I've devoured and Tommy copies me. Downing the last swig of my beer, I remind myself to be nice because even though he's getting on my nerves, he's my only hope.

Hell, he's my only friend, too. Damn.

"Not much longer now, it's just down this street a few blocks," Tommy says and I nod before we continue on our way.

The passers by don't seem to be happy about our return, but I won't let their snubs bother me. We're not in the most presentable shape, considering we're covered in oil, dirt and sweat, but at least we're alive.

"I wonder if I'll even recognize the house," Tommy chuckles and it takes me a second to realize he's joking. "I know my memory's shit, but I'd never forget what my home looks like."

I still remember what my home looked like and I don't want to.

The rest of the time goes by with me dodging Tommy's annoying questions because it's like he wants to get to know me better for some strange reason. I oblige him with vague answers, not wanting to give him too much information about myself and my past.

It seems ridiculous since we've seen each other in the buff during our mandatory physicals, yet the last time I trusted someone on a personal level, they abandoned me.

I've learned to look out for myself first; not in a selfish way, but just because no one else will.

"So what happened that your folks kicked you out of the house?" Tommy asks out of the blue and I finally snap at him.

"What about you, Tom, huh? Where'd you go to school? What was your favourite subject? What's your favourite food? What's-"

"It's Tommy, not Tom," he corrects me and for the first time, I can sense he's not a pushover like I thought. I apologize and his stern countenance softens as we continue walking. "Now, in answer to your questions, I graduated from Birmingham Preparatory School for Boys, I loved Science but was absolute shit at it, and my favourite food is my mum's meatloaf and mash. Anything else you'd like to know? Not that you were really interested in the first place."

The air is thick with silence between us for a few seconds and I realize that I've been somewhat of an arse to him.

"Listen, Tommy, I'm sorry, alright? I guess I'm just, I dunno," I pause to try and think of the words to say, but I can't.

I'm at a loss for words.

"It's okay, Alex. We've been through a lot. Maybe a home-cooked meal and a good night's sleep will help."

"Wouldn't hurt," I smirk and we both laugh.

"Hey, we're here. It's been so long, I almost forgot what the house looked like," he chuckles. "Well, this is home."

His reaction to the blue two-story house is something special and I'm actually happy for the lad.

"Those are my mum's flowers," he proudly says, pointing to the hanging potted plants from the porch. "She loves to garden. She grows most of our vegetables, too."

I nod in response because I don't have anything to add about gardening and we walk up to the door. Tommy tries the doorknob and it's unlocked, so he opens the door and steps inside, motioning for me to follow.

"C'mon, she's probably in the backyard."

"Maybe I should wait out here."

"Oh, don't worry about it, just wipe your feet first," he smiles and I cough to cover my laugh while we stomp the mud from our boots. "Mum? Mum, I'm home!"

As I follow Tommy through the living room to the kitchen, I look around and it's the homiest home I've ever seen. Framed pictures are proudly on display on every shelf and table they have and I can smell the aroma of food cooking and it's now that I realize how hungry I am.

"I was right; she's out there in the garden," Tommy says and I give him a smile that doesn't quite match his, but it's a smile nonetheless. "C'mon, let's go surprise her."

"N-no, you go. That's private."

"Party pooper," he teases and walks out the back door, neglecting to shut the door behind him.

I quietly watch from the kitchen as Tommy walks up behind his mum and he says something to get her attention. Her scream is one of surprise and her expression is one of pure happiness. As they embrace each other in a hug, I turn away to give them privacy and I do my best to hold back my tears.

Not even before my parents kicked me out, did they ever show such affection toward me. Yet, I still have this pathetic need to win their approval.

I hear Tommy's mum shout a 'no' and I cautiously step into view, wondering if he's already asked her about my staying here. She looks over at me and I can feel the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It can only mean one thing, so I start mentally preparing myself to leave.

It'll be okay, Alex. Well shit. I don't want to sleep on the streets again.

Their voices sound closer, indicating that they're walking up to the house and I'm frozen in my place.

"Good, you're still here," Tommy nervously smiles at me, placing his hand on his mum's shoulder. "Mum, this is Private Alex Rutherford, my best mate. He saved my life. Alex...this is Mrs. May Hughes."

"A pleasure, Mrs. Hughes," I greet her and wipe my hand on my dirty trousers before extending my hand. "S'rry. I'm not quite presentable."

"N-no, I understand," she says and surprisingly accepts my handshake. "How about you boys go wash up and I'll fix a plate for you."

She timidly smiles at me before walking over to the stove and I look to Tommy for some reason.

"C'mon, Alex, I'll show you where the loo is and where you'll be staying."

Tommy's words don't register in my brain right away and I'm honestly afraid to ask him to repeat himself, just in case he said it by mistake.

I jog a few steps to catch up to him and I nervously clear my throat.

"So, you mentioned something about where I'll be staying?"

"Yeah, Mum said it's okay. I told you she would. Do you still want to stay here until you find something permanent?"

"Y-yeah, I do, I just can't believe it."

"Well, you better believe it."***

A/N: Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy bday! It was a great day and I wanted to celebrate it with ya'll by updating After Dunkirk.

Oh, and my mom made me a Harry puzzle. I freaking cried. Here it is:

Much Love.
❤️❤️❤️❤️