"SILENCE LAY STEADILY AGAINST THE WOOD AND STONE OF HILL HOUSE, AND WHATEVER WALKED THERE, WALKED ALONE."
or
IN WHICH a girl with a traumatising past that left her feeling weak falls in love with a man that finally makes her feel strong.
INSPIRED...
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In the middle of the afternoon while she was sitting on the couch working on editing a few photographs and drinking some tea out of her cup of stars the last thing Eleanor expected was for somebody to urgently knock on her front door. So when somebody did she almost jumped out of her skin in shock.
It took her a moment to calm herself down and plenty of deep breaths to get her breathing back to normal but when she finally did she stood with a sigh and closed the lid of her laptop and left it sitting on the coffee table as she went to answer the door.
She slid the locks open and tentatively opened her door to peek outside, but who she saw out there shocked her more than the loud knocks had, standing out there in the pouring rain was her twin brother, the twin brother she hadn't seen since before her wedding.
"Oh my god Luke. Come inside, you're soaking." Nell rushed out, ushering her twin into the warmth of the apartment.
"Wow this is a real nice place Nellie" Luke mumbled gazing around the large apartment.
"Thanks. What's going on Luke?" Nell asked placing a gentle hand on her brothers back and ushering him into the living room.
"I didn't know where else to go Nellie. It was just so cold and so dark and I didn't know where to go." Luke rushed out and it was then that Nell noticed his eyes, his pupils dilated and the redness. He was high.
"Oh Luke it's okay. You're safe here. Sit down" Nell soothingly told him pushing him to the couch ignoring the fact that he was high for now as she placed her hot mug of tea into his hands to warm him up "drink that." She ordered and immediately he did as told.
"Where's Nik?" Luke asked finally noticing the absence of his sisters husband.
"At the store.... do you want anything Luke?" Nell asked.
"A smoke. Have you got a smoke?" Luke asked looking around, spotting the clueless lighter on the coffee table but not seeing any cigarettes lying around.
"Yeah. Yeah hold on, we'll have to go into my office. Nik says that the smell clings to everything and he doesn't like it" Nell laughs remembering his complaining last time she had smoked in the living room.
Without complaint Luke lays down the mug and follows his sister through to her large office. It's a medium sized room, cozy, filled with dark furniture and neutral colours the only bright things being the mustard yellow chairs sitting next to the window. Cameras and photos scattered around the room , books overcrowding the shelves. All in all it's completely a Nell sort of room. As they enter Nell points Luke over to the chairs next to the window while she walks over to her desk, opens one of the drawers and pulls out a battered pack of cigarettes. She pulls two, one for each of them, out of the packet and then placed it back into the drawer. As she walks towards Luke she picks up an expensive looking green crystal ash tray and she leans up to crack the window open before she takes the seat opposite her brother.
The ash tray is placed down on the windowsill and she lights both cigarettes before handing one off to her brother. For a while the both of them sit in silence, simply watching the rain pour from the sky.
"I'm proud of you Nellie. You've got a real nice life" Luke finally speaks breaking the silence that had settled between them.
"Thanks Luke" Nell smiles softly as though praise and acceptance from her twin was the most important thing in the world.
"He's good to you right?" Luke asked after another beat of silence.
"I couldn't ask for anybody better because I don't think they exist" Nell confirms.
"Good... that's real real good" Luke smiles taking another drag of his cigarette "Listen Nell I'm sorry that I stormed in here and messed it all up for you"
"Oh Luke" Nell sighs laying a gentle hand on her brothers knee "you didn't mess anything up. I'm glad that you thought to come to me when you needed help. We're twins, we stick together no matter what"
"I'm just really sorry I'm like this" Luke sniffles with tears gathering in his eyes.
"I know. And I'd wait an eternity for you to get better" Nell tells him.
"Would you drop me off at a rehab centre Nellie?" Luke asked his sister.
"Of course. Now?" Nell asks.
"Yeah... yeah they've got a spot open" Luke tells her bringing a beautiful smile onto her face.
"Okay... yeah good" Nell smiles "let me just put some shoes on and I'll call Nik to let him know where I've gone okay?"
