Willa

Chapter Four: Eighteen

I stir slightly, my eyes adjusting to the light peeking in through the curtain in my bedroom. I feel a warmth across my chest, Allies hand strewn over my breast, a curious place to find it, and it makes me smile, because she will be horrified when she wakes up and finds it there.

My my what a way to wake up on my eighteenth birthday, with Alberta Anderson's hand upon me. I hold my hand over my mouth to stifle the laugh that escapes me.

Allies eyelashes flutter, before her icy blue eyes slowly open and take me in "Happy birthday" she says with a smile.

Her eyes widen as she realises why I smile at her wickedly, her hand removing itself like that of a rocket blasting off to space.

I hold my hands against my face, and vibrate with laughter "oh Allie, a happy birthday indeed. I made it to eighteen before I got groped" I say through laughter.

She sits up in bed and throws a pillow over my face.

"It was an accident. I can't help what I do in my sleep" she argues defensively.

"Clearly" I tease, removing the pillow and wiggling my eyebrows at her.

She finally smiles, and slips back down beside me, her arm wrapping around my waist once more, her head placed on my shoulder.

"I can't believe we are eighteen" she muses.

"Well, you have two days to bask in your seventeen year old glory before you meet me at the retirement community" I tease.

"I can't wait" she says sighing. "But I just know I'm going to miss you so much when you go to college... what will I do without you" she worries.

I stroke her shoulder "Allie, I will be home all of the time I am sure, you know I don't know life without you in it, how do you think I shall survive if I don't get to visit you often"

"So you will" she asks me.

I nod "of course" I reply.

I didn't know what was about to happen though. I couldn't have foreseen the engagement that was looming, but days away, and with that, and my announcement... life was about to turn on its head and nothing would be what I had expected. My plans changed then, how could I come home often? When I wasn't wanted, when all that lived there for a time was pain... no it was all about to change.

"What if you meet someone who replaces me" she asks, adjusting her head against my shoulder.

"Allie... I could never" I return, because it was more than true. Allie could never be replaced, it was impossible.

"And I could say the same for you, you may meet someone crazy good at pharmaceuticals with much more in common ,and realise I was quite a bore and a chore to be around. What then?" I ask jovially.

Allie looks up with a smile, and catches my eye as I gaze down to her " oh Willa, you are far from a chore..." she muses, her lips pressed together and lifted contentedly. "I shan't make a new acquaintance that will fill any void you leave, it is quite the feat to fill the shoes of Willa Jameson, and an impossible task, a fruitless mission that nobody will fulfil. Perhaps I will meet some new friends, but you will always be my best friend... you know that"

"I do, and you must too, you and I until the end of time, am I right" I ask.

She sighs lovingly "quite right" she returns, and I sit up as she falls away from me.

"Let's go and see what my mom has prepared for my birthday breakfast, because the smells coming under that door suggest it is quite a feast... and I'm quite starved"