lover - leah williamson

the family reunion

november 3rd "21
newport pagnell, milton keynes

"Hi mum" she croaked

Niamh's mother simply just stood in utter shock for a couple of seconds before engulfing her daughter in the tightest hug Niamh had felt in a long time. She immediately wrapped her arms around her mother's body, breathing in her familiar and comforting scent; she felt at home. Quite literally. The pair remained in this position until they pulled away as Lisa began to raise her voice, out of excitement, to the other members of the household.

"Mick! Theo! Hattie! Come quick, Niamh's home!"

Niamh simply smiled in response and a light chuckle escaped as a wave of emotion hit her, once more, seeing her mother in the flesh after 6 months away. In Niamh's opinion, facetime doesn't do her mother, nor any of her family, justice; she thought the entire world of them and couldn't picture her life with them not in it.

Lisa spoke quietly to Niamh as she moved backwards to let her daughter back into her home, "Oh Niamh, sweetie, what are you doing here? Is everything alright? You look very tired darling."

"Everything's not alright mum." Niamh spoke, on the verge of tears as she tried to articulate the events of the morning.

"Oh, come here lovely." And her mother, once more, wrapped her arms around Niamh's small frame in an act of comfort.

The sound of footsteps travelling down the hall broke the pair apart as Niamh's father rushed over to hug his daughter too.

"Oh Niamhy, how we've missed you sweetheart!"

Niamh had missed her father just as much, he was her knight in shining armour for as long as she could remember. After all, he was the man who got the family so heavily into football, specially Arsenal. He was the only man Niamh needed in her life right now and, possibly, forever.

More footsteps were to be heard around the house as the twins fought to get downstairs to see their big sister. Harriet, the oldest of the two, managed to shove her older brother out of the way and her, surprisingly little for a 17 year old, feet ran as fast as they could and jumped onto Niamh and clung on as if her life depended on it.

Niamh mirrored her sister's actions, clinging to her just as tight, stroking her gorgeous, blonde hair as she did so. The sisters had always been close ever since birth; after all, Niamh always wanted a younger siblings and was given two. Hattie would have received her older sister's clothes up until the pair were the same size and were able to share and Niamh would always teach her how to apply makeup, style her hair or wear clothes properly- you know, all the "sister stuff", as Theo calls it.

"NIAMH!!" She screamed as she did so, giving a sarcastic smile to her brother, Theo, who now stood at the bottom of the stairs, his arm slightly aching from where his sister had shoved him. He walked over to his big sisters and picked up Hattie and threw her aside, just as she did a short while ago.

"What the bloody hell are you doing back here?" Theo laughed whilst snaking his arms around Niamh's waist and squeezing her tight.

"Matt. That's why I'm back." Niamh spoke loud enough for all of her family to hear. She felt now was the right time to tell them everything that had happened, so that she could start a new life back in Milton Keynes with the people she loved most.

"Matt? As in Matty? Why what's happened Niamh?" Lisa spoke with a concerned look upon her face that matched Theo, Hattie and her father's faces exactly.

"We got into an argument, he said things that I couldn't take much more of. It ended with him falling into my bed drunk off his arse right after he threw a glass of water on the wall behind me, and said some pretty vile things." She said, sounding quite angry as if she'd finally had a revelation that indicated how much of a tosspot he really was.