You Are The Reason

Seb

Seb

It was so hard keeping it a secret from her. I was so excited, and I couldn't wait to share the good news with her, but the usual pessimistic side of me was afraid of jinxing it if I said something too soon. I had told McKenna that Dave couldn't buy me out of the shop, but that wasn't the case. He was more than happy to buy the shop from me. Once everything was put in motion for the sale of the shop, I began packing up my flat. Everything I knew I wouldn't need right away I put in a self-storage unit. I just knew I needed to get to London to be with her as fast as I possibly could.

It took a few weeks to get the shop officially sold. I decided to sublet my flat until we made a decision about where we were going to live. If we decided to stay somewhere else, then I would put my flat up for sale. Once all my affairs were in order, I packed up my clothes, Cello, and Doom, then headed to the train station. Part of me wondered if it was a smart idea to go to London without warning her first, but I just knew deep in my heart that she would be just as happy to see me as I am to see her. The last few weeks apart from her had been torture.

I was thankful the train wasn't too crowded. I was able to sit by myself, away from other passengers. There's nothing I hate more than to have to make idle conversation with a complete stranger. As soon as I stepped outside the train station, I immediately saw Nicky and Elladine there waiting for me just as they had promised to. Nicky had been a really good mate back in the Villa. Out of all the other guys, he's the one I got on with most. Despite that, I never confided in him about my feelings for McKenna. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when he called me out of the blue the day McKenna got back to London. Ella had filled him in on all the details. Nicky apologized for not seeing it and being there to help me. Ever since that day, Nicky and I continued to talk to each other daily. If we didn't talk on the phone we at least talked through text. It was nice having someone I could talk to who knows what it was like to be in the Villa and knows both me and McKenna very well. I of course told Nicky about the sale of the shop, and I had to make him swear to keep it a secret from Elladine. I knew how close Ella and McKenna were, and I didn't want to risk McKenna hearing the news from anyone but me.

I smiled as I approached them. Elladine immediately pulled me in for a hug, and Nicky wrapped his arms around the both of us. I couldn't help but smile at my friends. It was so good to see them, and it made me so happy to see how blissfully happy they still were together.

"It's so good to see you guys," I smiled at them both. Ella bent down to look into my pet carrier. She gasped when she saw them.

"Oh my goodness! They are beautiful!" Ella stuck her finger through the wire door to scratch Cello and Doom's heads. "You're so sweet. I could just eat you up." Nicky laughed.

"I'm glad they're girls. I might be jealous otherwise." Elladine stood and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"It wouldn't matter if they were. You're stuck with me." Nicky tucked her long hair behind her ear as he kissed her nose.

"No one I'd rather be stuck with." I watched them and was surprised. Normally PDA's like these would have disgusted me, but seeing them so in love just made me wish McKenna was there even more. We loaded up my bags into their car and headed to McKenna's flat. Luckily, McKenna had given Elladine a key to her place not long after the show ended.

Once we were inside, I released Doom and Cello to explore their new place while I set out their food and water. Elladine put away the shopping I had asked her to pick up from the grocers for me. I was planning on surprising McKenna with a special dinner. I wasn't the best cook in the world, but pasta was pretty basic, and I had been practicing my recipe since she left.