Meet Me in the Hallway (HS AU)

seventy two.

"The brownie should be warm. That's the best way to eat them." Pa gestured towards the plate of warm brownie on the island.

Harry had woken up this morning and immediately wanted to go back to Nan and Pa's place. They had such a way of making everyone around them comfortable, so I was not surprised at his desire to go back.

Was I a little surprised that my grandparents were the first thing on his mind when he woke up to my naked self pressed against him? A little.

"They're bloody delicious. I don't know how you do it but I don't think it's possible for you to make something that tastes bad." I could hear Harry's smile in his words, words that were able to bring a small blush to Pa's cheeks.

Nan sat contently on a stool at the island watching the exchange between the two before turning to face me. Her tea cup was placed on the bench and she leant across to brush hair away from my face.

"I missed you so much, JoJo. You always have a place to stay here if you need it, okay?"

I nodded at her but before I could say anything, Nan quickly glanced to make sure the boys were still in their own conversation before tilting her head in the direction of the living room. Once we were sitting in the recliners of the living room, Nan took a breath.

"So obviously, this is not the same guy we heard about all those years ago, right? He didn't want to meet us but this one seems to love being around your Grandfather, heaven knows why. I like Harry, don't get me wrong, I wish Pa looked at me the way that boy looks at you. But I am your Nan and I am nosey. So what happened with Will though, how long have you and Harry been together?"

And so began the internal struggle that I had been trying to avoid. To tell her what happened to her Granddaughter, or dance around the topic and spare her the gorey details. I chose the latter of the two.

"We wanted different things, decided we were better apart. Harry graciously offered me his spare room and that's where I've been ever since. So at the moment I live with Harry and his sister Clem. They've both been so good to me recently, taking me in and stuff."

My answer seemed to be exactly what Nan wanted to hear because she dropped the topic immediately and called for the boys to join us in the living room. We spent the remainder of the day enjoying one another's company. I caught Harry's eyes on several occasions, his face showing a gentle smile as he watched me interact with my two favourite people in the world.

Pa prepared us lunch and dinner, claiming it was to save us dishes at the Airbnb but I knew deep down it was because he didn't want us to leave. It was cute watching him fuss over us and make sure Harry ate what he had planned, but at the same time it brought me a deep feeling of sadness.

We were due to fly home tomorrow and leave them behind. I didn't know when I would see them next but Harry was quick to reassure me that he would bring me to visit whenever I wanted and that I would never go a long time without seeing them ever again.

I fell asleep pretty much straight away when we got back to the Airbnb, cuddled up to Harry after he joined me a little while later. Turns out he had packed our bags because when I woke up the next morning, the clothes I had scattered around the room were nearly folded and placed in my duffle bag.

The plane landed at Melbourne Airport and we pulled into Harry's driveway at around 3pm. As much as I had missed Clem and Adrian, the thought of returning to face my problems had my heart pounding in my chest.

The house was eerily quiet as we walked down the hallway to dump our bags. There was a quiet hum of the tv coming from the living room but no voices. Cautiously, I made my way through the kitchen and into the living room to find the space very much occupied.

Michael and Adrian were sitting on the couch watching the motorsport playing on the TV, Clem sat quietly in the reading nook with a blanket draped over her lap and much to my surprise, Ella was laying on the rug staring blankly at the roof.

Her deep coloured bruising was still prominent on her pale skin and her eyes looked void of any emotion. The scene in front of Harry and I was quite sombre, four people who looked absolutely exhausted. It also triggered guilt inside of me, and I knew it would Harry too, knowing that they were cooped up here suffering while we were living life as if nothing happened.

A pile of bags caught my attention in the corner of the living room, some black bags and some blue bags. I looked to Harry for an explanation and he looked just as confused.

"Michael and Ella are staying here for a bit. I pulled the spare mattress out from under my bed and dragged it into the spare room. Adrian is going to stay here for a bit as well, I'm taking the last few weeks of this semester online so I can hang around here." Clem spoke from the corner.

The words shocked Adrian back to reality because his eyes detached from the tv and turned to us, offering us a sympathetic smile. "We're all going to be here to support one another, its what everyone here needs."

And we did need support, the next few weeks were going to be a struggle for all of us and there was no doubt in my mind that there would be a huge emotional toll on each of us. So the more people around to support everyone the better. It's what they all deserved, constant support from their friends.

I just wasn't sure where I fit into the equation now. Friend or Foe? Cause or Victim?

Time would tell.