"That will be $15.60 darling"
I paid and tipped the taxi driver once he got my bag out of the back. With a smile, he drove off.
I looked at the house of my childhood and smiled. Home.
With a bit of effort, I went up the steps leading to the main door hearing music already coming from the inside. I rang the doorbell and waited.
Emily opened the door and gasped. "Got space for one more?"
"Charlie, yes of course!!!" She screamed and pulled me into her arms. "How come you're here?! Grandma didn't even tell me!"
"I had to escape the city for a while" I allowed her to lead me in.
"Whatever but I'm so glad you're here- finally somebody my age!" She exclaimed and lead me to the living room full of relatives.
"Anybody miss me?" I shouted and my grandparents looked at me, being the first to hug me. After them it was a rush of uncles, aunties and cousins with two dogs.
"Ah it's so lovely to see our girl again! Your mom never said anything about you coming up" Grandma Brown smiled. "I don't think your grandpa has been this happy in a while"
"That is because he's a cutie" I winked and grinned at my grandpa. "But, I'm so jet-lagged and I threw up twice in the cubicle of the plane and right now, I need sleep. Wake me up before dinner, yeah"
"Of course" Emily smiled and the others waved to me. I directed myself to the kitchen as my phone buzzed in my hand again. Ross.
"Who's that?"
I froze at the sound of the voice. The voice which brought me so much agony, and right now, I must be delusional.
"Are you going to answer me, or?"
I turned around. "Get away from me"
"Calm down, it's not like we're strangers" Kane smiled to me. "So, do you want some tea to catch up?"
I shoved him out of my way and ran upstairs into the first available room before breaking into tears.
The universe really does want to screw me over.
First, my fiancé cheats on me and I decide to take off to my hometown for some time off, to just allow it to sink in and see what I would do next.
And now, my abusive ex is here and being nice to me. He offered me tea, for goodness sake.
God I love my life.
+++
After a warm bath and a change into a t-shirt and some shorts, it was almost time for dinner which was being grilled (BBQ time).
I made my way to the barn, admiring all horses until I found my own.
Mom surprised me with him when I was 15, and I named him Biscuit (I don't know), although he was as white as snow.
"Hello" I walked up to him and he looked at me for a while then whinnied. I smiled. "Up for a little run!"
I couldn't find any saddles so I decided I would go bareback. We set out towards the endless stretch of field my grandparents had as a back garden.
Nothing could quite compare to riding a horse at full gallop towards absolutely nowhere; it was pure bliss. That was until your horse stopped abruptly and threw you right off and you flipped & fell.
"Funny one, boy. Now stay still" I patted him before trying to lift myself back on. Biscuit took off and I rolled & fell on my side again.
My weak attempts continued until I heard another horse stop beside me, this one with a cute brown coat and a guy on top of it. The guy got off and looked at me. "That horse doesn't belong to you, give it back please"
"Excuse me? I let you know my Mom gave me this horse when I was 15! The hell this isn't my baby"
His brown eyes lit up. "I'm so sorry, you look so different!"
"You know me?"
"Who doesn't know Charlie Brown around here," he stretched out his hand. "Nashville gal, up with the high ballers of LA, marrying rich"
"Don't know about the last one" I chuckled. "You're Hunter aren't you? I heard about you"
"Always nice, and what's up with you and the guy?"
"I can explain to you on our way back, I need someone to vent to" I started to get back onto Biscuit.
"Well" he shrugged. "I'm all ears"
*filler chapter*