Unfamiliar Ceilings

Mark had called my mum after Dean left the night before my departure. He told her I was coming home and he told me she apologised for what was said, which he seemed confused about. I forgot I hadn’t told him. He didn’t mention that until we’d gotten to the National Express terminal, where Anna and Johnny were waiting outside. We walked together, as a big group of people, across the almost empty building to my coach stop.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” Anna mumbled, hugging my shoulders tightly. “Ring me whenever you want to, alright?”

I nodded. Anna and I hugged for a little while longer before Johnny cleared his throat. Anna smiled at me and moved awkwardly away, like she was trying not to touch Johnny. She avoided his eyes as he did hers. Johnny wrapped his skinny arms around my body and held me tight.

“Forget about him, Leila,” Johnny whispered. “You’ll do so many amazing things with your life, I just know you will.”

I smiled and held onto him tighter. “I’m scared.”

“I know.” He stroked my back. “We all are.”

I felt my eyes filling up again, but I was sticking by my no-crying thing, so I blinked them back before I just closed my eyes and leaned into him. Out of everybody, I’d miss Johnny most. I loved Anna and everything, but Johnny was my first real friend in a long time, not just over the past two months. Mark tapped my shoulder and told me the couch was leaving in about five minutes.

“I’ll miss you,” Stephanie said, hugging me tight before passing me along to my dad. He looked at me and smiled, really sadly.

“Send your mother my best wishes, and call me if she gives you any more hassle.” I nodded and hugged my dad. “I love you, Leila. Keep in touch.”

“Love you too.”

With a last goodbye to my friends and my family, I climbed up the stairs onto the coach and turned on my iPod. I looked for a song, settling on some Lydia and looked back out of the window. Just as the coach started pulling away from the curb, I spotted a dark haired figure standing beside Johnny. I frowned and watched as I left everything I loved behind me.

*****

“She’s leaving in half an hour,” Johnny said, sticking his head around his brother’s bedroom door, clearly still irritated with him. Dean just stayed lying in his bed, not thinking, not speaking. He would have stopped breathing if he could’ve helped it.

“Dean,” Johnny said, coming into the room. “You know if you loved her, really, truly loved her, you’d at least come and say goodbye.”

Johnny left the room as he spoke those words, letting out an aggravated sigh. Dean sat up in his bed and thought, I’m being stupid, I have to go get her.

He ran his hand through his mess of hair and got out of bed, changing into whatever clothes he could find as quickly as possible. Once he was dressed, he ran down the stairs, out of the front door and down the street, as fast as his legs would carry him to the National Express terminal. He felt a stitch develop in his right side, but ran faster.

Minutes later, he saw the building he was searching for up ahead and ran faster than he thought he could. He had to get to her; that was his motivation. The sliding doors slowed down his flight, but once it was open he flew again, pausing to look around. He spotted a girl with bright pink hair, standing next to a departing coach. He ran through the open doors, past her and his own brother, the coach had only just pulled out and seemed to move in slow motion.

Dean searched the rows of seats and saw her near the back. Leila. She hadn’t seen him. He just stood and stared at her through the window, feeling something heavy land somewhere between his struggling lungs. At the very last minute, before the coach left the curb completely, she looked up from her knees and saw him staring at her. He saw her face twitch and he thought he saw a smile, but she just frowned and looked away.

When he couldn’t see her anymore, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see his brother. Johnny said, sadly, “Too late, she’s gone mate. Let’s go home.”