Introduced (Reece Bibby fanfiction)

Chapter 27

The next morning was a Saturday and I woke up snuggled into Reece's chest. I lifted my head up and saw that Reece was awake.

"Hey beautiful" he said, brushing my hair out of my face.

"Hey" I replied, smiling. "I don't know whether I told you but I'm meeting up with my mum today at about 1 o clock. I don't think I want to go on my own."

"I'll come with you but we better get a move on because it half past 12 now" Reece said, sitting up and getting out of bed. I scrambled out of bed and grabbed some fresh clothes to put on out of the wardrobe. I didn't have time for a shower so I put my hair in a high ponytail and put on my everyday makeup, getting changed while Reece was in the bathroom.

I went downstairs to say hi to the rest of the lads and found my step brother sat in the living room with them. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Alice can I have a word with you for a minute?" He asked, standing up and walking towards the door. I nodded and followed him out of the room.

"Why are you here?" I asked him.

"I'm doing some music coursework with Charlie and I wanted to talk to you" he said, sitting on a stool in the kitchen. "I didn't mean to get angry at you in the hospital Alice, I was just worried about you. I didn't realise that you had got that bad again and I panicked when Charlie told me. I'm sorry."

"It's fine" I muttered, sitting across from him and looking down at my hands. "I'm sorry for getting that bad again and not telling anyone. I freaked out after everything that had happened."

"You've got worse since then though haven't you? And you weren't planning on telling anyone again by the looks of things" Liam said. I looked up at him, confused.

"You've not been eating" he said softly.

"Oh for gods sake. It was one day Liam, one day that I didn't feel hungry and you're blowing everything out of proportion" I replied angrily. It wasn't true. I did stop eating on purpose and intended on carrying on that way.

"One day is all it takes. I mean it this time Alice, I'm not having you go down the same route as last time of starving yourself" Liam replied, not a hint of anger in his voice.

"Just get off my back for once. I'm fine" I said standing up and reaching into the cupboard to get a cereal bar. I held it up to Liam before walking towards the door. "Happy now?" I asked sarcastically, walking away.

Reece was waiting by the door for me since we were now running late. He had got Casey and Tom to drive us to the cafe we were meeting my mum at because they needed something from the shopping centre.

When we got to the cafe my mum was waiting inside at a table. Reece went to get a drink and got me a hot chocolate and chocolate cupcake. He was purposefully buying food I loved so that I would eat something.

I sat down across from my mum and smiled weakly. She looked really ill, a lot different from the last time I saw her a few days ago. I hadn't really taken notice of her appearance the other night. She wore a scarf around her head because her hair was falling out due to chemotherapy and she was unhealthily skinny. She still looked like the mum I had a picture of, with her defined cheekbones and kind eyes and one of the loveliest smiles anyone will ever see.

"I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot the other night" she said. I shrugged.

"It's fine, I wasn't in the best of moods and it all just came as a bit of a shock" I replied as Reece came and sat down next to me. "This is my boyfriend Reece, the one I told you I lived with." Reece smiled and held out his hand for my mum to shake.

"Nice to meet you" he said, taking hold of my hand with his free one under the table.

"You too Reece" my mum replied, smiling back. "Now Alice there was something else that I needed to tell you but I didn't get a chance the other day" she carried on, turning back to me. I nodded for her to continue.

"When I left your father for someone else I moved to Cyprus with him to start a new life. We married a few months later and then I found out I was pregnant, with twin girls." She stopped, looking at me apprehensively to see my reaction.

"So you're telling me I have two half sisters?" I replied. "After all these years I have a whole other family that I didn't know about." I didn't know what I felt. In some ways I was happy that I had a family and in some ways I was angry that I never knew about them. My mum nodded.

"Yes and I'd really like you to meet them. The only problem is that we don't have enough money for them to come over here and we have arranged that when I die I'm going to be buried over there." The word 'died' made my stomach churn knowing it was about my mum, but she said it like it was just an everyday conversation. I didn't say anything, I didn't really know what to say.

"Alice what I'm trying to say is that we have invited you to Cyprus when I pass away to spend some time with your family. We would pay for it and you would stay in the house with them. I think it would benefit you knowing you have a stable family and I'd be happy that you'd met, even though I wouldn't be there." There was a hint of sadness in my mums voice there that made my heart ache. I didn't want her to die. I'd only just met her and she was going to leave me again.

"Will you come? Please?" my mum said, taking hold of my hand that was resting on the table.

"Umm... Yeah, I'd love to" I said although I don't think my mum was convinced. "It's just all a bit surreal you know. It's not the sort of thing I would expect to happen but I'd love to go and meet my family." It felt weird saying that, I've never felt like I belonged to a family before and now I'm going to visit one I never knew I had.

"Thank you so much, it means a lot to me. I'd love to stay longer but I have an appointment at the hospital. I love you lot and I'll see you soon" my mum replied, giving me a hug before walking out of the cafe. I leant my head against Reece's shoulder and he wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm proud of you babe. That was a big shock and you didn't get upset or angry and I'm proud of you for that. Now let me treat you to a McDonalds, I think you deserve it" he said. Usually I would have said no to a McDonalds but I felt really hungry and didn't have the energy to do anything else. I suppose it would give me a boost. I nodded and we stood up, walking to McDonald's around the corner hand in hand.