JJ POV:
I knock on the door of my childhood home, feeling a little too uncomfortable to just walk in with Spencer. I hear a few foot steps and look up to the rude boy beside me, he frowns and my eyes practically beg him not to start.
The door opens and a gust of warm air hits us. "Jennifer!" my mums arms wrap themselves around my neck as she hugs me tightly. "how are you my darling, you worried me when you hung up on me so-" her eyes move to Spencer who smiles and waves awkwardly. "Oh."
"Um mum, this is Spencer. He's uh- um my-"
"Her friend." he finishes for me and a knife pushes it's way through my chest. He just called me his friend.
My mum smiles and invited us in, I walk through first and Spencer follows his frown reappearing. We enter the kitchen and my father climbs out of his seat. "My baby. We missed you." he grabs my cheeks and kisses my forehead. "Who is your friend." he looks at Spencer with a smaller smile than the one he had previously.
"This is Spencer." I gesture towards him and step out of the way as my Dad reaches for his hand. Again Spencer waves awkwardly and my Dad frowns. "Is there something wrong Spencer?" A tense feeling fills it's way through the room and Spencer attempts to break it with his rambling. "No I- uh, the number of pathogens passed through a handshake alone is staggering, it'd actually be safer if we kissed..." he rolls on the balls of his feet and pauses for a breath while frowning "but obviously I don't want to kiss you." he frowns further. "not that you're... Oh" he stops before digging a deeper hole and continues to frown while also smiling.
"Germ freak eh?" My dad laughs at him and Spencer's face grows red. I hear him mumble something and I know that's when I need to change the subject. Things can't blow up on the first day.
"Where are we sleeping?" I look at my mum and she turns on the kettle while answering me. "You have your old bedroom JJ and your friend, well we wasn't expecting him, but I guess he can have the spare room." Spencer frowns and I lead the way up the stairs.
"The spare fucking room?" he grunts and I laugh at him. "You're the one that said we're only friends."
"We are only friends." Spencer says while opening the door to the spare room. The knife digs deeper as he dumps his bag on the bed and faces me. "What next?" he continues like he hasn't just ripped my heart out. I sign one minute before practically running into my room. I couldn't speak, if I did I probably would have burst into tears. I also place my bag on my bed, but then join it with a sigh.
"Brings back memories?" I look up to find Spencer leaning against my childhood doorway. My room isn't the same as it was all them years ago, the walls are now white instead of pink and all of my old things are packed into boxes. This place is practically another spare room.
I smile up at him and he takes a seat beside me. "I wish I could visit my old room." He places his hand on my thigh and I instantly stand. "let's head back downstairs?" I suggest and proceed down the steps without waiting for an answer anyway. "uh, ok." he follows me and we join my parents in the kitchen again.
I spend a few hours talking to my mum and dad about how things have been, leaving Spencer to look around the room in his awkward manner. I look at him occasionally as he looks at the walls and the paintings on the fridge door. I also notice them, but I know where they're from. They're my cousins sons.
It's getting pretty late and for some reason I still feel tired, even after all of that sleep on the train. I yawn widely and my mum smiles. "Tired?" I nod and she suggests we all head to bed. "The family is coming over tomorrow, you're going to need your sleep!" My dad laughs and mirror him. I know that my family can be pretty loud and I definitely will need my sleep.
When we get upstairs I say goodnight to Spencer and leave him alone in the hall when I close the door to my bedroom. I feel bad, but we're just friends right?
I change into my pyjamas and climb into bed. My thoughts are whirling with Spencer and what's actually going on between us.
Spencer's POV:
"Germ freak eh?" her dad laughs at me and I can feel my face growing red, why is he trying to embarrass me? "fucking bastard." JJ's head shoots in my direction and I pray she didn't hear me.
"Where are we sleeping?" She looks at her mother. "You have your old bedroom JJ and your friend, well we wasn't expecting him, but I guess he can have the spare room." she shrugs and I frown. I was expecting to be sharing with JJ.
We head up the stairs and I speak my mind. "The spare fucking room?" I snort in disapproval and she laughs at me. "You're the one that said we're only friends."
"We are only friends." I say while opening the door to my room for three nights. I can't bring myself to look at her face, don't want to know how those words effected her because it kills me just saying them.
"What next?" I ask and face her with my best poker face. She holds a finger in the air and rushes into her room. When I reach the doorway she's sat in her bed completely in a world if her own. "brings back memories?" I ask while leaning against the wooden door frame. Her eyes meet mine before scanning the room. She smiles up at me and I take a seat beside her. "I wish I could visit my old room." I say while thinking back to my childhood. I probably could've gone to visit if I didn't put my own mother in a fucking loony bin. Guilt overthrows me and I place my hand on JJ's thigh. She stands almost straight away, "let's head back downstairs." she makes her way out of the room before I can answer. "uh, ok." I follow her to the kitchen where her parents are still congregating.
I can see it in their face that they don't like me, the way her father laughed at me and her mother full on touched on the fact that they weren't expecting me. Not even covering the fact that they also don't want me here.
JJ and her parents get deep into conversation leaving me to stare at the walls. There's family photos hanging on each of the walls each with a different coloured frame that looks home made. One photo stands out more than the rest though, it's an image of JJ and her parents with another young girl. The girl looks older than JJ and her hair is just as blonde. She's not smiling as much as the others and her body language shows she's also not as happy. JJ never told me she has a sister.
I look around further and my eyes find the drawings and paintings on the fridge. Maybe her sister has a child, the paintings don't look old so I know they can't be JJ's. I feel eyes on me and I peel mine from the fridge.
I look at JJ who is now yawning. "tired?" the older blonde woman asks and JJ nods. "Maybe we should all head to bed?"
"The family is coming over tomorrow, you're going to need your sleep!" JJ joins her father laughing and stands. I sure hope her family aren't the crazy type, the ones that make you join in all of these games and site around the piano. I follow her up the stairs and she stops in the hall.
"Goodnight Spencer." she heads into her bedroom and closes the door before I can answer. Leaving me alone in the hall.
I make my way into the spare room before JJ's mum and dad also come up stairs. The room is fairly small and at the very back of the house. There's a small chest of draws beside the single bed and a canvas of London on the longest wall.
I take a seat on the bed an pull out my pyjama pants. JJ's present falls out with the shirt and I remember I have to wrap it. It only takes me about three minutes to cover it in red paper with little gold presents printed on every inch. The wrapping isn't great, but I don't usually do presents... not even for my mum, so it's a good first try.
I place the badly wrapped gift in the top drawer of the cabinet beside the bed and change into my pyjamas.