Wrong Place, Wrong Time ✔️

Chapter 1: Cake

I didn't get there in time.

A man trudged through the fog, his heavy boots breaking the frozen blades of grass. The tips of his ears and nose were pink from the cold and he drew his thick coat a little tighter around himself, careful to not squish the small bundle in his arms.

Trekking the familiar path, the man stopped abruptly outside a graveyard. He swallowed drily and made his way past the countless graves and stopping at a particular one.

Sitting down on the wet grass, he carefully cleaned the stone from the moss and scrubbed the inscription with his sleeve. Then, he cleared the area around the stone, swiping away the dead autumn leaves and replacing the wilted flowers with fresh, happy ones. Finally, he unwrapped the bundle to reveal a red velvet cupcake with vanilla icing- their favourite.

"Hey sis!" Jacob McKenzie smiled weakly, trying to stop his voice from cracking. "It's my birthday today. Guess what? I'm finally older than you."

He tilted his head back and tried to keep the tears at bay, exhaling a shaky breath. He took a bite of the cupcake and chewed it carefully and then licked the icing off his fingers. He could imagine Arya telling him to 'Use a tissue Jacob! Don't be gross!' like she always used to.

"Quit nagging me, Ree." He murmured in response, as thought Arya had actually spoken.

He could practically hear the eye roll.

With a resigned chuckle, Jacob tilted his head back and pressed his palms against the wet grass. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to ignore the biting cold that nipped at his hands and nose.

For a few minutes, he allowed the silence to drape over him. It was too early for even the birds and he enjoyed the solitude. Only when the silence become too oppressive did he allow himself to talk.

Like every year, the talk started with nonsensical babbling. He would start off with random and meaningful stories from the year- like how his restaurant was doing, how Marigold and Leah were planning to adopt soon, how angry Issac was when Sparklemuffin chewed through an entire stack of documents. Just little things he knew would make her smile.

It really hurt though. In the beginning, he blamed himself. Plagued with hateful thoughts like 'Why didn't I see it sooner?' 'It should've been me.' 'Why her?' It got so bad that Jess advised him to take therapy. It was hard talking to an absolute stranger on his feelings (his least favourite topic) and opening himself up to the pitying looks.

'I'm not the one who deserves pity!' He shouted on many occasions. 'At least I'm still alive!"

He was better now. Not completely- no, Jacob didn't think he'd ever be fully be better- but he was close enough.

Jacob talked until he ran out of things to say. He stood and brushed off the cake crumbs, watching the dark red pieces fall onto the dull grass.

"Well that's enough moping for the day." He said briskly, feeling the odd urge to say something poetic. "I'll be back soon. I just- I really miss you Arya. I miss my big sister... I love you." He pressed two fingers against his lips and held it against the cold, grey stone.

With a deep sigh, Jacob looked up and turned on his heels, walking away as the fog swallowed him whole. 

End. 

Short and kinda depressing chapter but the next one will be happier and longer!

I hope you guys liked it! 

Stay safe and thanks for reading :)