Already Gone | H.S

fifteen

We pulled up to the car park and the rain had turned into heavy showers. It reminded me of that day Harry and I ended things. I remember the feeling of wishing for the relentless rain to wash away my emotions but like most things in my life, I never get what I want.

"Just like how I remember it tastes," Harry's deep voice broke the silence after he had a chip slathered in gravy.

"The best things rarely change," I said quietly.

"That's true," he answered before taking another chip in his mouth.

I love salt and vinegar but vinegar just didn't seem to go well with the gravy. Harry agreed. Every time he would sleepover at mine, my parents would order a curry chip with peas and onions with extra vinegar. I never got the appeal. It sounded vile. Harry and I always got the same; chips, gravy and peas. It was one of the things we had in common.

After my parents passed away, we kept up the tradition of getting a chippy from Helen's for every sleepover where Harry stayed at mine. For a while, I struggled with going into that place because it used to be an unspoken thing that mum and I would pick up our food. I never used to go into Helen's without her but then Harry showed me that there is life after my parents, that they wouldn't want me moping over them for the rest of my life.

Harry started going in with me and we would get our usual before heading back to mine. Rebecca never fancied a chippy and to be honest, a part of me was thankful that I could keep the same small tradition I shared with my parents to myself. It sounds odd but it was so important to me.

"You know, I really miss Eddie and Gina," Harry confessed after another moment of silence.

"Me too," I whispered.

I could feel tears pooling in the corner of my eyes and it's been a while since I've cried over my parents. The last time was probably their anniversary a few months back. We were such a close-knit family and every day I carry this soul-shattering heartbreak.

My parents gave up a lot for me. They had me when they were young, both of them were still in Sixth Form. They never went to university because their world revolved around me. They wanted to give me the best of the best. My parents raised me whilst working multiple jobs; it takes a lot and I can't imagine what it was like for them. I owe them so much. Eventually, my dad made enough money to start his own consultancy business. To this day, I still don't know what he did.

"Sometimes when I'm home, I try to visit their grave," he admitted which shocked me greatly.

"What? I didn't know that," I replied, my eyes widened at the new revelation.

"They were a huge part of my life, you know that," he murmured.

I knew my parents were a huge part of Harry's life, the same way that Anne had been in mine.

I have known Anne for as long as I have known Harry. Robin came into their lives a few years later and I never bonded with him the way I did with Anne but Harry bonded with both of my parents. Before Robin entered their lives, my dad was almost like a father figure to him. In a way, I understood the bond that they had.

Despite not having any contact with Anne over the last few years, she was still like a second mother to me and she reminded me so much of my own mother.

After my mum passed away, Anne would spend any moment she could retelling stories from their childhood, when they were in school. It helped — it kept her memory alive. I lost both of my parents at the same time to a freak car accident. I never even got to say goodbye so to have that small piece of my mum made things a tad bearable.

"I know, I just didn't think you did," I spoke out after a moment of silence.

"Why wouldn't I?" He pondered.