Florence only looked up from her phone occasionally to direct Cole, she was so behind on replying to all her emails, there were over 13,000 there altogether, she tried her best to reply to tweets she was mentioned in, Instagram comments, Snapchat Messages and all the other ways her fans could contact her, she didn't want them to feel like now she had her book published she was too good for them in anyway, but it was an impossible feat trying to reply to them all.
"Here" she said, gesturing that Cole should make a right turn onto her road, he did, he had been quiet, the only noise he made was nervously tapping the steering wheel.
She reached over and squeezed his hand.
"Cole, its fine, they aren't the judgemental type"
He nodded, but it seemed like he couldn't really hear her.
They pulled up into the driveway and she saw her parents waiting at the doorstep.
When had they begun to look so old?
It seemed like their age had been slowly creeping up on them over the years and then when she had left the house for Chase's flat it had just all gone crazy, her mother's forehead was now lined and her father's 'smile lines' around his mouth now looked more like wrinkles, streaks of silver coloured his usual ink black mop of hair.
Guilt rushed through her, she had been putting off this visit for so long, making up excuses without remembering that the two people who had brought her into this world weren't immortal, she should be treasuring her time with them, not feeling a sense of dread at returning to her family home.
"Here we are" she said, barely a whisper.
Florence unbuckled her seatbelt and then waited for Cole to do the same before wrenching open the car door, he followed her.
As they neared closer she saw a multitude of different expressions on her parent's faces, yes they had know that Chase had a brother who she was trying to help... what they hadn't known was that this brother was genetically identical to the nurse their daughter had adored.
Her Father stared at Cole blinking every few seconds in absolute disbelief, her Mother seemed to snap out of the shock-induced trance the quickest, she nudged her husband and stretched out a hand to Cole.
"Nice to meet you, you must be Chase's brother"
Florence inwardly flinched, that was possibly the worst introduction to give someone who saw themselves as only a brother to a dead person.
Cole still took her hand and shook it, a forced smile on his face.
"That's me, you must be Mrs Clarke"
Her Father had put himself back together again, he took held out his hand.
"Nice for you to join us today"
"It's my pleasure"
Cole didn't sound like himself at all.
Florence's Mother reached for her and wrapped her into a hug, she breather in the cinnamon warmth of her Mother wanting to nestle between her shoulder forever, to be young enough to just stay here and not have to worry about tears or heartbreak.
Her Father was next wrapping her up in a peppermint scented embrace, Cole stood awkwardly to the side.
"Mum, Dad this is Cole" she introduced him probably a bit too late.
An extremely awkward silence hung in the air until her Father clapped his hands together
"Well there's a lasagna waiting inside, we wouldn't want it to get cold would we?"
They all nodded in agreement before stepping inside.
Dinner was strange, usually three seats were occupied, but her Father had dragged the wooden stool into the room, Cole sat slightly higher than the rest of them, looking stiff and proper in their usually relaxed dining room.
Florence tried to keep the conversation going, talking about the flat, about Cole's work, about her book sales, her Father's job and anything else under the sun that she could come up with, when she found herself talking about the weather she knew there was something deeply wrong.
"So Cole" her Father said when her Mother had gone to get the ice-cream for desert "How long are you planning on staying at the flat?"
Cole cleared his throat.
"I don't really know how long sir, until I get back on my feet"
Her Father tried to sound upbeat as he said
"Only we're really missing our little girl and we're just wondering how long your planning on keeping her"
Oh God.
Cole scraped his stool back making an odd screeching sound.
"Excuse me, I feel a bit claustrophobic"
Florence flinched as she heard the front door shut.
"What happened?" her Mother emerged carrying the tub of ice cream shooting them a questioning look.
She glared at her Father.
"How about you ask Dad that? If you don't mind I'm going to go comfort my friend, thanks for the dinner"
She picked up her bag and made to leave.
"Flo, I'm so sorry, this evening wasn't meant to go like this, tell Cole I'm sorry too this is just all so mu-"
But she closed the door so she wouldn't have to hear his reply.
Cole was walking across the road, his head bent looking like he was on the verge of tears, his head was bent so low and he seemed to be so engrossed in his own world, his own sadness that he didn't notice the car speeding round the bend.
Florence did.
A silent scream built up in her throat.
"COLE!" She screamed "COLE GET OFF THE ROAD!"
He looked up.
But it was too late.
The speeding car collided with his body with the most sickening crunch.
This couldn't be happening.
This could not be happening.
She was screaming, screeching an animalistic squeal of pain and horror.
Her parents emerged from the house, faces ashen.
"Oh God, Oh God"
She smelt smoke, burnt rubber and the scent of death.
"CALL 999!"
Neighbours were streaming out of houses now, all witnessing the utter destruction before them.
And she couldn't lose him too.
"Flo, Flo get back here!" her Mother sounded hysterical but she didn't pay any attention, she felt like she was floating, like she was watching the chaos unfolding from up above.
She walked over to the smoking car and saw an arm underneath, an arm wearing the shirt Cole had been wearing.
"Cole.. please" she whimpered, his hand moved slightly, like he was trying to reach for her.
Tears didn't even exist anymore.
"The ambulance is here" someone shouted "Clear the area"
But she wouldn't clear the area, if anyone tried to move her she screamed.
She wouldn't leave as they hauled Cole's barely moving body onto a stretcher, when they clamped an oxygen mask onto his face, when they loaded him into the ambulance and when they reached the accident and emergency ward.
This day could not be real.
If he died, she would surely die.