Part 3 is finally up! I'm so sorry for the delay, It's my first year of being out on my own, and have been busy with my studies! Also being home with my family has been eventful so I've been pretty busy!
Anyways, hope you enjoy!
Alone,
Cold.
That's all you have felt for the past year.
You have been living in your house which is crumbling apart.
The wooden base rotting slowly as you drag your feet across the cold wooden boards of the interior.
You stagger towards the closest wall, touching the wallpaper gently, which is now so brittle and fragile from the lack of heat that the house consumes, mixed with the dampness of the rotting wood, that it cracks by even the brush of your finger .
You sigh. Remembering the moment when your father first put up the wallpaper.
You were only two years old.
The pasting and the pure labour that he went through to make the home look fairly decent was atrocious.
'Maybe that's why he left..' you thought.
You walk up the steps trying not to fall due to the amount of layers on your body.
Without any source of ventilation for months you have been wearing layers and layers of clothing to keep yourself alive.
You haven't left the property at all because you were afraid that when you come back, the house would disappear.
There was nowhere else to go.
You couldn't go to Thomas. He is with his loving wife, who he seems very fond of, and you would not ever ruin that for him.
He's finally found love and is as happy as can be, while you're stuck here wallowing in your own misery.
It isn't fair.
But I guess your life is just filled with unfairness.
You never realized how awful your life was until you thought of everything you lost.
Safe Shelter.
Your mother.
Mr McKinley.
Love.
Thomas..
It all meant so much to you. And knowing that you will soon have to leave your childhood home and find better shelter and venture out on your own after months of confinement made you extremely anxious.
The art of letting go is not easy, but it is just something that you will have to pursue with, if you want to be in healthy and fairly happy shape.
But you couldn't stop thinking about Thomas and the events of departure between you two.
You remember him coming to the house, which was a lot less in shambles.
You confessed your love to him and he kissed you, obviously kissing back, he rejected your offer with many statements of reason.
"I have a loving wife, and we are more happier than ever! I can't have you in the way of that."
"W-what?" You say in shock, as he starts to walk away.
"You know I didn't mean it like that." He says.
"No, I know exactly what you meant, see I thought you actually cared about me, but I guess I was wrong."
"You know I care about you Y/n, we can't be doing this. We will never be more than friends."
He continues to walk down the path leaving you standing there, dumbfounded.
But as soon as he leaves your driveway, he turns his head to look at you with an apologetic look.
"It's just like you said before darling... The Past must stay in the Past."
That still hit you like a ton of bricks.
You look around, wishing that your house was made from bricks, so that you wouldn't have to worry about packing up your stuff and leaving.
Stupid Architects... They honestly have no brains when it comes to building. They knew that this plot of land gets severely damp in the spring so they decide,
'why not make it out of wood!? It's so much easier!'
Rolling your eyes you begin to pack your medium sized suitcase. Filling it up with the essentials.
The little amount of clothes that you own. Some makeup that you think would come in handy. Shoes. A blanket that your grandmother made you that you can remember using for the longest time as a child.
It was a fairly large blanket that you thought would come in use for later, in case you freeze out in the bitter night cold.
After stripping down to the very last layer of clothing on your back, you tried to shove all items into the bag. Except for your nicest dress.
You couldn't walk out in your ratty clothes, people will suspect that something is wrong.
You were perfect at hiding your problems.
Except from Thomas,
He could always tell when something was wrong and always found a way to make you feel better.
But now all of that needs to be put aside now..
You frown as you take your last step across the dewy floorboards.
Your home.
Your childhood.
It's all gone.
You step out into an environment that feels so foreign to you.
The chilly spring air comes in contact with your skin, stinging your face.
You wince at the Bright light, as
you're blinded for about 5 seconds. And you're welcomed by the unsettling surroundings around you.
It was so...
Dark.
The sky foggy and grey.
The trees dead, with not a single sign of blossoming.
'Strange, I guess because my life is dead, along with everyone who cared for me that the seasons go along with it.' You think to yourself as you step off of the property and make way towards the town.
Depressed and confused due to lack of sustenance and to actually take care of yourself you start to feel lightheaded but continue to push through your walk.
As long as you make it into the city or a safe place to park yourself for the night.
"Oh if only mother saw me now, she would be so disappointed." You say to no one in particular.
Distracted by your thoughts once again you realize that you're now in the city.
"That walk keeps getting shorter and shorter every time I go." You say again to yourself.
That's when you realized you had no money to pay for food or buy any essentials that may be helpful for you. So what was the point of even leaving the house?
Oh right, you needed to get out before the house crumbles on top of you, crushing you into the foundations.
'I'd be better off there.' You think.
You think the lack of nutrition has caused you to forget things that happen 15-30 minutes prior to the current time.
You needed help, and badly. But you didn't have enough money to go to a doctor, so you just decided to forget about it, and continued to walk down the street.
All of a sudden you see a dark figure in the distance.
Alone,
Like yourself.
The figure starts to get closer and you realize that it is Thomas.
'Why was he by himself? I thought he was with that golden haired woman... Edith I think her Name was?..' You think.
'Stop thinking and start moving before he notices you!' You think again as you move faster.
But as you slowly increase your pace your energy seems to become less and less conscious.
Already extremely lightheaded once more you bump into a large figure.
Looking up you see that it's
William?! Shit..
"Y/n!? Oh my god is that you? How have you been? I heard about your-" he started asking a bunch of questions but you were too busy trying not to faint from exhaustion.
"I don't, feel so-" And then everything faded to black.
____
You awoke under warm sheets of cotton and silk . The place looking unfamiliar and mysterious.
You try to scream, but your throat is too dry from all of the tears you have shed.
Standing up in a quick manner, regretting your decision entirely due to lightheadedness, you decide to tip toe out to find the front entrance.
'The place is so dark and so large, how are you ever going to get out of here?' Was a thought that crossed your mind.
Walking down the large staircase you make your way down the stairs as quiet, and collected as can be.
The cold wooden railing sending a chill down your spine.
You run as quick as you can until you make it outside, slamming the door behind you.
Even if you weren't in the best of state to be walking out in the night, it didn't matter.
Nothing mattered more than you getting out of there.
You sigh at how far away the front gate is.
shivering as a cold night breeze brushes through your bones, you cross your arms over your chest to keep yourself warm.
You quicken your pace to a speed walking motion.
As soon as you get to the front gate you hear the sound of footsteps from behind you.
You whip your head around to see if anyone was there, but you were still alone like before.
You turn your head back around and a figure stands tall in front of you.
You scream but then feel someone cover your mouth and pick you up from behind.
"Let me go!" You thrash about.
"Y/n, calm down please." The figure behind comforts you.
"How do you know my name?! Assholes!" You say trying to kick the person in front.
"Thomas, keep her still would ya?"
'Wait what? Thomas... it can't be-'
Your thoughts are interrupted by the sight of your childhood friend.
the moonlight that captured on his pale ivory skin.
His long strands of raven black hair.
His shimmering blue eyes that resemble the daylight sky that you so dearly yearn to see.
"T-T.."
"Shhh darling, everything is alright." He comforts.
"Will you stop kicking now?" The person from behind laughs.
You nod and the person lets you down gently.
"We make a good team, don't you think?" You turn around to see your ex husband Will.
You try to run but Thomas catches you.
"Will, stay away from me! Please don't hurt me!" You beg.
"Y/n, darling, there is no need to worry. Will here has changed his ways, he even has a wife and a child."
"W-what? You have a child?" You ask shocked.
"Yes, And her name is Adelaide." Will replies.
"I love that name, I always wanted to name my-" your sentence was interrupted by the tickle that rose up to your throat.
You started to cough.
"Thank you so much William, I think I can handle it now." He nods to Thomas, who wraps his arm around your shoulder keeping you tight in his warm embrace.
"I wish you all well Thomas. And y/n, apologies for all of the wrong that I did in the past, I was not in the right state of mind back then." William speaks.
"I-it's o-o-okay." You say shivering, and Thomas pulls you closer.
"Feel better y/n, I hope to see you both around sometime." Thomas and you both nod, as Will walks past the gates.
"Here let's get you inside." Thomas comforts you, directing you towards the place where you just ran out of.
You keep silent the whole time. As he shuts the door behind you both.
You look up to see that there is no longer a hole in the roof of the ceiling, as you once knew.
Thomas noticed you were staring at it.
"Yes, We finally got it patched up, Edith insisted on it before.." He stares at the floor and brushes off the rest of the sentence.
His face read anger and sadness. Yet he seemed genuinely content.
He was acting real strange, but you couldn't put your finger on why he was acting this way.
He takes his arm from around your shoulder. And you take off your shoes. Feeling a chill go through your body as your sock feet touch the cold abandoned floor. Then you started to slowly walk towards the staircase.
Just as you were about to touch the cracked wooden railing, Thomas interrupts you.
"Why did you run out?"
You stayed silent.
"Y/n, speak to me."
"Why did you take me back here when you could have been at home with your loving wife?"
"Y/n, Edith is dead." Thomas looks at you and his face saddens.
You realize that what you have said was completely rude and hurt him.
"Oh I'm so sorry.. I didn't-"
"Just let it go darling, there is no need to apologize."
You nod, still feeling horrible for ruining the mood.
"May I?" Thomas asks.
You give him a confused look, and then he sweeps you off of your feet with his arms supporting underneath your legs as he started to walk you up the stairs.
"Thomas! What are you doing?" You giggle.
"Taking care of you. You must get better." He says stern.
"But I'm too heavy for you to be carrying me up these stairs! This is not right.." you say putting your face into his chest.
"Nonsense! You're as light as a feather!" He continues to walk up the remaining steps and takes you towards what you assume is the bedroom you were in earlier.
As you enter the bedroom, you see the bed sheets all sprawled about from before.
Thomas gently places you down on the bed, you get yourself situated and he pulls the sheets over your body. The silky material brushing against the exposed parts of your body.
You hum, soaking in all the warmth of the sheets.
Thomas smiles at you, as he turns around to leave.
"No!" You randomly outburst.
"What is it darling?"
"C-could you stay with me? I've been alone for too long without a single person crossing my path, I-I can't do it again, I-it was too much for me to handle." You started to panic.
"Shhhh Y/n, don't worry, I'll be here, no matter what." He comforts as he walks over to the other side of the bed, sitting beside you.
He takes a strand of your hair and starts to meddle with it.
You feel content as the panic slowly fades away, but are still confused as to why he let you stay in his home.
"Why did you feel the need to save me? I don't understand, after not seeing one another for a long time, rejecting my proposal. you just decide to take me into your home and let me destroy your hospitality with my presence?" You sit up quickly staring at him, as his hands are forced away from you.
"You were passed out on the ground I didn't want you to almost get hit again by a carriage. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if you got hurt!" He explains, but you don't buy it.
"There has to be much more than that Thomas! Before you didn't care for me! They were all lies! And now you expect me to believe that me being passed out is the only reason why you brought me here!!"
"Yes!! God! Just because you're a woman doesn't mean you can read right through me, because you can't!!" He yells.
You're taken aback by this comment. And you start to tear up.
"Because I'm a woman, you think that I just go around trying to get the truth out of all men?! I'm the definition of truth! do you realize the HELL THAT I'VE GONE THROUGH THOMAS? NO! BECAUSE WHILE YOU WERE PRANCING AROUND THE TOWN WITH YOUR LITTLE WIFE, I HAVE LOST MY MOTHER, THE ONLY PERSON WHO EVER CARED FOR ME! SHORTLY AFTER I FOUND MR. MCKINLEY DEAD UP AGAINST MY FAVOURITE TREE WITH A KNIFE IN HIS CHEST. SO I WAS LEFT ALONE TO SURVIVE! I HAD LITTLE TO NO FOOD OR CLEAN WATER, AND OUR HOUSE WAS IN SHAMBLES! IT'S PROBABLY DOWN TO ITS FOUNDATIONS BY NOW! AND I NEVER LEFT THE HOUSE BECAUSE I WAS SCARED! SCARED THAT IF I LEFT, ONE MORE THING WOULD BE GONE! But then I realized that everything I know is gone, and that there is nothing else for me in this world. So, what the point in even tryi-."
"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Thomas says sternly, embracing you in a hug.
"YOU DON'T GET IT!" You push him away hard.
"YOU WERE LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE! YOU HAD PROPER SHELTER, ALL THE FOOD IN THE WORLD, SOMEONE TO LOVE YOU. WHEN ALL I HAD WAS A BROKEN HOME AND A TRAIL OF REJECTION FOLLOWING ME WHEREVER I GO!"
"Rejection? Why should you ever feel rejected?"
"Because of you! You're so oblivious you asshole! I confessed my love to you, you gave in and then tricked me and turned me away. That really struck a nerve. You were so distracted from your amazing everyday life that you never took a minute to spare for me! Your childhood friend, who loved you more than anything in this world." You say looking down at the sheets.
"Loved?" He asks stunned.
You were seriously annoyed with him.
"That's it, I'm done." You say, getting up and storming off out of the room.
You ran quickly to the door next to you and locked it. You see that it's another bedroom.
Must've been Edith's..
You slid down to the floor, your back pressed up against the door, as you bring your knees up to your chest.
And the tears start to form in your eyes, coming down like a waterfall.
"W-why am I here?" You sob.
"Y/n, darling. Open this door!" Thomas demands, banging on the dark wood.
"Go away Thomas, I'm not opening I-it." You spurt out."
"Are you crying? Oh darling please don't cry, everything will be alright.."
"STOP SAYING THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE ARIGHT WHEN ALL IT IS, IS A LIE!! I'm not going to be alright because I haven't been taking care of myself and I'll probably die sooner than what is expected of me, which is fine because I'll finally be reunited with people who care for me! Also the man in which I loved doesn't seem to feel the same way, so no I don't think I'm leaving this spot, EVER!" You start to sob again.
"Please don't say that, just come out and you can talk about this, with me, your childhood friend."
"That's just bullshit and you know it Thomas! You would never understand! That is all I will ever be to you isn't it? Your 'childhood friend'." You mock.
The other side went silent and you sigh in relief.
"Okay, the reason why I rejected you, was because I was with Edith, and I didn't know that I loved you until I married her. And when she passed, it was heartbreaking, I was alone, just like yourself, and I didn't know what to do with myself. I went on long walks to try to forget everything. Then when I saw your beautiful silhouette in the distance, it came to me. I made the wrong decision all along, I was so caught up in finding someone who actually cares about who I am and not my past, that I was oblivious to the fact that I had the perfect person right in front of me. Right down the street."
"So I understand why you won't open the door for me, I've been a horrible friend, I was just afraid that you only loved me out of pity."
You start to tear up, and you get up from you sitting position, unlocking the door.
You open it revealing a smiling Sharpe.
"I would never love you out of pity Thomas, you're just so perfect, and I'm just a mess."
"You're not a mess. Come here." He says embracing you in a hug.
You sob into his chest. And back out right away.
"Oh Thomas I'm so sorry! I'm getting all my tears on you, ruining your nice suit." You panic.
"Y/n, shhh it's alright, it's just one of the many benefits of wearing dark clothing. If you were to spill something on it, it's not as noticeable!" He laughs.
You smile at his cheekiness.
"There is that smile, it suits you better." You look up at him and see his adorable smirk.
You can feel your face heat up and you look to the floor.
"You know, you look quite ravishing as a tomato." He teases, referring to your face.
"Stop It! You're going to make it worse." You laugh covering your face with your hands but Thomas grabs your hands away from your face.
You stare into his blue orbs and you slowly bring his and your hands towards his face, touching both sides of his jaw.
He drops his hands, wrapping his arms around your waist.
You lean in towards each other as both of your foreheads touch.
"I-I never thought you cared for me.." he said.
"I could say the same." You spoke, giggling.
"You're so beautiful." He says pressing his lips to yours.
His lips felt so refreshing, but abandoned for a long time. He deserves so much more than what he had.
You give in as you kiss back, wrapping your arms around his neck as he lifts your legs up around his waist. Pushing you up against the wall. You rub your fingers through his silky locks.
He moans at your former gesture. And you smile, continuing the kiss.
After a few minutes you both back out and Thomas stares at you with pure lust in his eyes.
"Marry me.." he pleads.
"I've been waiting for this moment, for as long as I can remember." You say excited.
"So is that a yes?" He asks worried.
"Of course!! I love you so much!" You say, smashing your lips onto his in a passionate manner.
—
Finally you and Thomas are reunited, and all of your troubles have come to an end.
Who would've thought that being separated for so long would bring you two even closer?
And nothing would ever get in the way of that.
Because you were childhood friends
And that is just the beginning...