Michael looked over when he heard Luke’s words, but he nodded in understanding, because it was the same thing he wanted - to see Cherry, to talk to her, to tell her he missed her, to fix things. But, he knew he’d screwed up bad, and he was certain he’d hurt Cherry in ways she simply didn’t deserve, so he wasn’t sure he deserved to see her again, especially after all this time. This was his chance to fix everything, though, to make up for everything he ever put her through, and he planned to follow through with it - and, if she ended up wanting nothing to do with him afterwards, he was sure he had no choice but to accept it, but he had to try, dammit, Cherry deserved that much. “I know what you mean,” he agreed quietly, “It’s been forever.” And, the reminder made him feel worse, because he knew it was his own fault. Hearing Ashton, he looked over, about to respond, wanting to question his friend on his scolding, but he paused when he saw flashing lights outside, his heart sinking when he realized it was a police officer. Had something happened to Cherry? Was she okay? Standing quickly, he felt his heart constricting with panic and concern - what was going on?
Calum listened quietly to his friends, but his mind easily became occupied by Amelia again, and everything he’d ever done wrong. He knew Amelia deserved a much better friend than him, and he knew he had no right to be here, intruding on a Christmas party that was meant to be for the girls and all of their families - the guys had gotten invited simply because their parents had let everybody else know they were coming home, and it had turned into a last minute Welcome Back party, too, - but he was also certain this might be his one chance to make it all up to Amelia, to make things right between them again. “It has,” he agreed quietly with Michael, offering a small nod, a small frown forming on his features, “Time flies. I guess we just forget all the important stuff in the process.” And, he hated himself for that, because Amelia had been so important to him, and there was no telling how many times he’d let her down, or how many times she’d needed him and he wasn’t there for her. Looking over at Ashton, he arched a brow. “Just being realistic, mate. Would you want to see us after everything?” Almost as soon as the words had left his lips, he saw the lights, too, and he felt a panic well up inside, causing him to stand to his feet quickly, going to the window to peer out - maybe the car was stopping at a different house and they were just seeing remnants of that, - but once he was at the door, it was obvious the car was there at the Sawyer house. He couldn’t make out much, the lights blinding any attempt, but he could feel panic racing through him, mixed with concern for Amelia’s safety, wondering if something had happened to her and that was why she wasn’t at the party yet.
“You wouldn’t want to be here, either, if you knew what beasts are behind that door,” Kensley huffed quietly, scoffing as she rolled her eyes, climbing out of the car, wishing she could be anywhere else in the world rather than home, aware of what waited for them inside. She’d survived this long without Luke, she didn’t need him popping back up now and ruining everything. “Isn’t it your job to not put citizens in dangerous positions? Because, if I walk through that door, I’m probably gonna kick somebody’s ass.” And, in all fairness, Luke absolutely deserved it. Nobody had ever been able to hurt Kensley as much as Luke had - and she’d never put as much trust in anybody than she had in Luke. It was a valuable lesson, and she wasn’t about to make the mistake of trusting him again. She hadn’t let anybody as close as Luke, and the tactic had worked so far, protecting her from facing that kind of hurt again, but she was worried that facing him now would make all of that effort crash down around her.
Elisa ducked her head slightly, wondering if maybe there was a chance that she could make a break for it and put as much distance between herself and the Sawyer house as possible. Her fingers curled into her palms, her jaw clenching, because this was completely unfair. Who did Ashton Irwin think he was to show up at their families’ Christmas party, anyway? He hadn’t been around in so long, why did he have to show up now? A part of her debated calling one of their friends to see if she could crash at their place, because anything would be better than walking into the house and seeing Ashton’s stupid face. “I’d rather be locked in a cell,” she muttered quietly but she eventually climbed out of the car, figuring she had no choice but to face her fears at this point. Lifting her gaze, she stared at the house for a long moment, her heart sinking with the knowledge of what waited behind the door, and her heart clenched painfully. “Let’s just get this over with, Charlie.”
Louis could feel the anxiety bubbling up in him as time passed, wondering if maybe she’d realized that it was him, maybe her parents had tipped her off, and maybe she wasn’t going to answer. Or maybe she wasn’t home and every apology line he’d rehearsed in his head would just be lost, because maybe she didn’t want anything to do with him at all - could he blame her? But as the thoughts passed through his mind, he saw the door open, and he paused with surprise when his gaze fell on Queenie, stunned into silence. It’d been so long since he’d last seen her, and he certainly hadn’t expected her to look so mature and gorgeous, the sight of her knocking him silent, causing him to struggle to find words. He was speechless in all the best ways, and he realized that probably made things worse; surely, she didn’t want him just standing there, being silent, especially when she realized who he was, and he could see the frown on her features. “Queenie,” he greeted eventually, managing to speak again, and he cleared his throat, shifting a bit, offering a weak smile. “Sorry, I know this is probably… Crazy, but I, uh… I wanted to see you. To apologize for everything. If you’d give me the opportunity to do so, that is…”
Sine paused in her channel-surfing when she thought she heard a knock at her door. Her brows furrowed slightly in confusion - she wasn’t planning on having company and she hadn’t ordered in, so she couldn’t imagine why somebody would be knocking at her door at this time. “Just a moment,” she called out, muting the TV before she stood up to go to the door, curious but cautious. Opening the door, she only opened it a crack for a moment but, when she spotted Harry there, she felt her heart drop. What the hell was he doing here? She felt herself tense as she watched him, but even after all this time, she could acknowledge that he was as handsome as ever, and the thought made her hate him all the more. Deciding not to give him the upper hand, she decided to play ignorant, arching a brow as she took him in. “Can I help you?” she asked, feigning as though she didn’t recognize him, as if she didn’t have a clue as to who he was - it was the least he deserved after everything, but she was fully aware that there was no way in the world she could ever forget him, no matter how much of an asshole he was.
December 6th, 2019 at 09:28pm