I Want You

Chapter One

This is the hard bit. Saying goodbye. I've done it before and I'll do it again. I'm moving to university today. I can't wait but I'm also really nervous. University has been the plan since I started school- my mum would have it no other way. She's always loved the idea of me being this strong, independent woman. I think it's because at my age, she was the opposite. If I'm honest, I'm not sure I'm particularly strong or independent. I'm hoping moving to a new city will help with that. It feels like I'm starting a new chapter in the book that is my life. I just have to say goodbye to this chapter first.

"It's a good job you're taking Archie's car, no chance you could have put both of your stuff in your little car". Mum walked out of our house with my final bag. A bin bag full of clothes and handbags- I had shoved all of my stuff in big bags. I've never been the most organised and I hate packing. Archie's stuff on the other hand was all packed up in labelled boxes. He had arrived at my house half an hour ago to load up all of my stuff.

Archie, my high school sweetheart and boyfriend of five years and two months. We have been together since we were fourteen and met in science class. We sat together at the back and got told off every lesson for talking too much. It was the only time I was ever told off- I'm not one to break rules. There was something about Archie that I was just drawn to. His dark blue eyes, like the colour of the deepest part of the ocean, and his messy blonde hair which hung around his face. He is unbelievably pretty. He hates me calling him that. I think I've always seen a lot of myself in Archie, and that's why we get along so well. We're both pretty introverted and like the same things. It just works.

Archie asked me to be his girlfriend one week after we had met. It was in the playground after school, surrounded by our friends who thought it was the most interesting thing to happen all week. Since then we've not only been a couple but also best friends. I'm pretty sure that's why we've lasted so long, because we're best friends first and a couple second. Wherever I go, he goes. Which is why the car is full of both of our things- he will be joining me at university.

I took the bag off of Mum and shoved it in the boot. "I'm going to miss you." She pulled me into a big hug, her long blonde hair tickling my nose. Mum and I have the same long blonde hair but that's where the similarities end. Mum is tall, outgoing and obviously pretty with blue eyes. Where as I am short and quiet. I wouldn't say I'm not pretty but I'm definitely not what I call turn back and look again pretty. And my eyes are brown, which I got from my father, pretty much the only thing I have got from him other than a Christmas and birthday text every year.

"Sorry to break it up girls but we need to get going." Archie walked up the driveway towards us. The sunlight made his messy, blonde hair shine. "You text me when you get there." Mum said as she hugged Archie. Archie reached out his tanned arm towards me and I joined them both. Squished between the two of them I felt tiny. It was the same last September when Archie and I left to go to Australia for nine months. Us three had stood in the airport for five minutes hugging. And crying. Having spent nine months away from Mum, I knew it was definitely not something I was going to do again. Archie and I had an amazing time of course but I missed home a lot. I hoped I wouldn't be quite as home sick at university.

~

It was hot for mid September and I had my window rolled down as we drove into the carpark for the halls that Archie and I would be staying in for the year. We parked up and I sat in the car whilst Archie went to collect our keys. We had decided not to ask for rooms in the same flat- as much as we love each other, we also wanted to use this opportunity to make some new friends, separately.

We decided to check out our rooms on our own and meet back at the car in five minutes to start unloading our stuff. Archie told me my flat was on the ground floor which I didn't mind because it would make unloading the car much easier. I opened the door to my flat and was greeted by a long corridor with three doors down each side. The first door on my left had a window and as I glanced in I saw a kitchen, table and small sofa. It was very basic but I'm not sure what else I expected. The other five doors were windowless and were numbered. Five of us living here then. Archie had said I was in room five so I went to the end of the corridor to my door and found it open.

At first I didn't question why he was in my room. I think I was more shocked by the size of this guy. He had to be at least a foot taller than me. He was stood looking out of the window so I couldn't see his face but his hair was jet black and cut short. He was also dressed completely in black, in what I thought was a long sleeved shirt before I realised his arms were covered by tattoos, not sleeves. The way he was leaning on the window sill made his arms tense and I couldn't help but notice how strong they looked.

"I assume it's your room I've been hiding out in?" His voice made me jump. How long had I been stood here staring at him? He turned around. He was even more overwhelming from the front. His dark eyes almost matched his hair. "Hiding out?" I asked.
"From my mum and sister. If this is your room, that makes you my sisters flatmate." He smirked. "Good luck with that."
He walked around me and out into the corridor.
"She's in here if you want to come and say hi." I followed him out into the corridor and into the room next to mine.

I knew they were his family immediately because of the matching dark hair and eyes. His mum was stuffing pillows into their black pillow cases and the girl on the floor, who I assumed was my new flatmate, was organising a pile of photos in front of her.
"Wow Kai, we haven't even been here fifteen minutes and you've already found a female." The girl gave Kai a sarcastic clap.
"She's your new neighbour." Kai replied and gave his sister the middle finger. The girl shot to her feet and looked at me. She was much taller than me, not a surprise when her brother towers over me too.
"I'm Mia." She looked me up and down and the smile on her face told me that I was going to like her.
"I'm Charlotte, everyone calls me Char." I started fiddling with the skirt of my green floral dress- I never know what to say when meeting new people. Especially people like this. Mia, Kai and even their mum, seemed like the kind of people who owned every room they walked into. They have that aura, it's difficult to explain. "So, Charlotte." Kai said raising his eyebrows. "Are you alone or is someone helping you move in?" Oh, Archie. "My boyfriend. He's probably waiting for me outside actually. He's got his own stuff to unload though, he's moving here too." Mia gave me an incredulous look.
"What?" I asked her, confused. "You've moved to university with your boyfriend?"
"We've been together for ages, it just made sense."
Kai huffed a laugh. "Well if your boyfriend has his own stuff to move in, then you'll need some help." Kai rose from the desk he was leaning on. "Lead the way, Charlotte."

He walked behind me down the corridor and I could feel his stare branding my back. I was suddenly very aware of how short the back of my dress was. "You really don't have to come and help me."
"Well you've claimed my hideout and I won't be any help to my mum and sister now the heavy lifting is done." He shrugged as if to say what else am I going to do. I nodded and pointed towards Archie's car. Archie was leaning against the boot, his blue jumper tied around his waist. He stood as he saw me and Kai approaching.
"Made a friend already?" Archie asked, gesturing towards Kai.
"This is Kai, my flatmates brother. Kai this is my boyfriend, Archie."
Kai raised his eyebrows, "I see."
I see? What does that mean? Archie looked just as thrown back as I felt.
"So you don't go to university here then?" Archie asked Kai.
Kai scoffed. "No, I don't." Why was Kai acting like that?
"Could you grab a couple of those bin bags on the back seat?" I nudged Kai towards the backseat of Archie's car, wanting to get them away from each other. I walked around Archie and opened the boot.
"I can help you Char, and then we can unload my stuff together after?" Archie looked desperate- he didn't like Kai. I'm not surprised. Kai couldn't be any more different than Archie and I. Where we were quiet and reserved. Kai seemed to be arrogant and in your face. Archie had never found much in common with guys like Kai. To be honest, Kai seemed to be everything in a guy that usually made me roll my eyes. However, he had offered to help me and it was a hot day- I wanted to get this done quickly. I grabbed a couple of bags from the boot and gave Archie a smile. "We have a lot of stuff, we should take all the help we can get." Then I walked back towards my flat, Kai in tow.