Home Could Be Anywhere When I Am Holding You.

I was finally moving now. I hadn’t spoken with Charlie for weeks. I guess being in London all the time would have taken a strain on our friendship. Hell, I’d lost a lot of friends since I spent most of my time in London. I barely spoke to people outside of work. Everything was so messed up now.
I groaned as I shifted the last box of my stuff up into the bedroom. The new apartment was littered with boxes. Kitchen, living room and bedroom, covered with junk.
“Where do you wanna start?” I asked Louise.
“Bedroom, seeing as I’ll actually have to sleep there tonight.”
I laughed, “that’s true.”
The room was actually a decent size, you could fit 2 double beds in across from one another and 2 small wardrobes. All of our stuff fit in easily, and after a few hours, the beds were assembled, as were the wardrobes.
“Living room?” I asked. She sighed and nodded dragging me into the new room. We had a sofa, an armchair and we’d just bought my favourite thing in the whole world, a chair that was big enough for 2, which was sort of like a love seat. I could sit there for hours and read.
I was sat cross-legged on the floor building a TV table when the doorbell rang. I looked at Louise who was slumming on the sofa. She disappeared and came back with Dan, who laughed at me sitting in the disarray of wood.
“Help?” I asked.
“No! You have got to be the man now, love.”
“I hate you.” I moaned, laughing.
“I love you too darling.”
He came and sat behind me, wrapping his arms around me, and kissing the back of my head. I sighed into him, relaxing for a minute.
“Come on, I have to get this done.” I sighed.
We both sat there for half an hour, and after a lot of laugh-ing, kissing, and DIY, we eventually got the TV stand done.
“Do you wanna go get some dinner?” Dan asked.
“As in takeaway or like out?”
“Takeaway,” he laughed. “Ready?”
I grabbed some clothes, brushed my hair and put on some make up before shouting a goodbye to Louise and following Dan down the stairs onto the street. We walked hand in hand quietly to the Domino’s takeaway. It was a nice quiet, not one of those really awkward ones where you have nothing to say to each other, but one of those ones when you’re totally comfortable around a person so you can just sit in silence and say nothing for a while.

--

It was my 19th birthday. Dan was completely unaware. I wanted nothing. I woke up feeling stupidly happy. I was 19. I was in my own apartment. With my sister. Away from them, the ones who had ruined my childhood.
“Happy birthday sis!” Louise screamed at me as she woke up.
“Thanks!”
“Here’s your present!” She thrust a small box at me and I raised an eyebrow.
I opened it and inside was a ring. It was stunning. A small blue crystal in the centre, on a golden band. My eyes went wide.
“How did you…?”
“It took me a while, but I got it the other day. Don’t worry, neither Dan or Phil know it’s your birthday.”
“Good, and I want to keep it that way.”
“I don’t know why you don’t want your boyfriend to know it’s your birthday. It’s an important milestone.”
“How is it? I’m turning 19. It’s not my 18th or my 21st so I don’t want a fuss. Anyway, I don’t want anything from him. He’s given me enough.”
“That’s cute, but I still think he should know.”
“Well I’m at theirs tonight, so would you like to come? But please, it’s just like normal.”
“Fine, fine.”
I slipped the ring on my middle finger on my right hand, smiled at my sister and kissed her cheek, and went into our kitchen, just as the post dropped on the floor. I flipped through the piles of bills and found one hand addressed to me.
I know that writing, I thought.
I ripped it open and found a long letter.
“Baby girl.
I am so sorry for how we acted. We never meant to push you so far away. We miss you so much, especially your father. He’s not coping very well. He’s the same as when she passed. He can’t deal with losing all 3 of you. No matter how he treated you when she died, he still loved you. He still does.
I hope everything is going well for you in London. I hope your apartment is nice and there are no problems. I hope you and Louise are well. I hope you and Daniel are still as happy as you were when you met him. I hope his friend is okay and treating Louise well, I overheard them talking on skype one night. They both seem like lovely young men. Hopefully, all four of you might come for dinner one night, just to make peace and so me and your father can see how our baby girls are doing now that you’re both so grown up.
I’m hoping this reaches you before or on your birthday. If it does… well happy birthday. Enclosed is a cheque to help with everything – food, bills, and some for you for your birthday.
Again, I’m sorry for the way we acted, please come to din-ner…”
I closed my eyes as I folded away the letter. I breathed. I didn’t want their money. I didn’t want anything from them.
“Hannah?” Louise called to me.
“Yeah?” My voice dry.
“Are you okay?” She frowned when she saw my face.
“Everything’s fine.” I told her as I hid the letter behind my back.