He's My Mate

Chapter 4-- Marks and Whispers (cleaned)

I woke up to an empty bed around midday, the warmth of the sun engulfing me in its soft hold. Taylar had spent the night with me as comfort and I was going to spend a lot of time just  being next to her to make sure she didn't leave me again.

I looked around the room just observing everything around me in my new surroundings. The bed was in the middle of the longest wall with the end of it facing the white wooden door. The bed has two beautiful burnt wood side tables that matched the coffee table in the lounge room. To my right and left were two matching white panel windows which took up half the walls. They looked like they faced completely different worlds. The one to my right was overlooking the town; a place full of laughing, playing and people loving all chatting and enjoying each other’s company. The one to my left was framing the view of the forest; a place of mystery, secrets and creatures on the hunt not bothering to ask questions as it brutally consumed everything.

I sat by the window facing the town. I had spent enough days in the darkness of the trees to know they can sometimes be calming, peaceful, and even beautiful sometimes, but that seemed to be just a façade that I was all too willing but to unmask in my own self-conscious.

I turned my thoughts back to the town. So this was the place that Taylar has been staying at for all these years. It's quite nice, I guess. She seems to have had a much nicer life here than she did with mum and dad. Heck she even had a kid after all!  This town was good to her. I was interrupted by a soft but strong and calm knock on the door.

''Your sister wants you to meet her downstairs. You've got to shower and get changed first though.'' Jayce said taking a towel and some clothes into the en suite of my room. Before leaving again he stared at my neck and something flashed through his eyes, something I had never seen before but it was gone the second he turned and exited the door.

I studied the door for a moment confused before shrugging it off and entering the all-white bathroom. Something about the colour white just felt lonely, like nothing in the world bothered to join it to colour its lifeless self. Letting out a soft breath I sighed before turning the shower on and letting it heat up to my satisfaction.

After my shower and getting dressed into the black jeans and oversized black shirt, I made my way downstairs. Once I entered the lounge room I was greeted by the most amazing smell I had ever had a chance to inhale in a long time.

Food.

I walked past the lounges and straight to the kitchen where Taylar and Leon were cooking together. They looked so at peace and happy about it too until I made too much noise pulling out a stool from under the black marble bench, knocking them out of whatever serenity they had created before Taylarlooked up and smiled warmly at me.

''Hey Aiden. What do you want for breakfast? Well lunch.'' She gave off a soft smile and I saw Leon smile a bit too.

''Whatever you are making is fine.'' I smiled at them both trying to smell out whatever they were cooking. It looked like scrambled eggs or the beginning of French toast… or maybe both. I don't know.

''Apple juice right? You were never an orange juice kid when you were younger.'' Tay said before taking a sip of her half full glass of orange juice.

''Yeah'' I was amazed she could remember something so simple from 10 years ago. 10 years. Geez it’s been a long time.

''Hey guys what’s for lunch?'' I heard a loud voice before the fridge door slammed shut and a guy around my age, maybe a bit older, and a lot taller was pouring orange juice for himself and someone standing behind him.

''Rhyan. You know you could say good morning at least.'' Leon said to them before going back to fiddling with the eggs, toast and newly added bacon.

''Who's the kid?'' He said before handing a glass behind him and taking a sip of his own.

''Rhyan, Evan. This is my little brother, Aiden.'' Taylar said smiling warmly at me as she handed me my juice and went back to pulling out the plates.