The Girl In Flat 25 (Simon "Ghost" Riley X F!Reader)

Chapter 5: Home For The Holidays

December 15th, 6:26 pm.

"No! I can't make it home for the holidays." This was the fourth time you had said this exact sentence, but your friend Gabbie couldn't seem to get it through her thick skull. She stared at you through the screen, her full lips pulled into a tight pout.

"But (Y/n), pleeeeeease? We miss you!" She fell back onto her bed, and mostly out of frame, dramatically, a long groan being pulled from her throat. "I want to see you! It's been over a year since we talked in person!"

Gabbie certainly wasn't wrong. Since you had moved to Manchester you rarely had the opportunity, or the means, to go back to the states and see your family and friends.

"What if you visited me?" You raised an eyebrow and leaned to rest your cheek on your hand.

Gabbie faked a loud gag, followed by a cough.

"Ew! No, I might catch the British."

You laughed and watched her sit up, frowning at the time on her screen.

"I have to go. My lunch break ends in five minutes and I haven't finished my food."

"Bye Ga-" She left the call mid-through your sentence, a common occurrence with her, and you sighed before clicking the red circle that dropped you from the call.

It's not that you didn't want to go home, you just couldn't. Your job was flooded, you were still in the process of finding a new job, and your finances were tight. You just simply couldn't.

Maybe next year, if your job allowed it. For sure. You missed your friends and your hometown, and especially your cousins. What you didn't miss was a lot of the people in your hometown, a small community with people who had nothing better to do than judge everyone else.

You also didn't miss the diner on 44th Street, coffee always tasted like boiled dirt (somehow).

You stood and picked up the heavy blanket on your couch while making your way to your balcony.

Fresh air would do you well, you decided.

The crisp chill hugged your face tightly as you shuffled to the loveseat, wrapping yourself tightly in the blanket as you sat down.

There he sat, in the same metal chair as always, eyes staring straight through you.

"Oh-!" You almost jumped out of your skin.

Why was he so scary?

He offered a blink and turned his head away from you, back to his people-watching.

"Hello, Simon." He just grunted, maybe offering a mumbled greeting back. "How are you?"

He sighed and stared at you, eyes drilling straight through you like you were a glass statue. His gaze was crushing and cold, it felt like he was smothering you in your skin.

"Do you need something?" Finally. Words.

What an odd question.

"I just wanted to talk, Simon."

"You came to the wrong person."

Your lips pressed together.  "I knew that."

"Then why do you keep trying to talk to me?"

"I..." You paused, mouth slightly agape, "I don't know."

Simon laughed a little, which shocked you. Genuinely shocked you.

"At least you're honest." He stood and moved closer to the black railing of his balcony that was closest to you and leaned on it. "I'll bite though. Why are you so interested in talking to me?"

You shrugged.

"You seem interesting." His eyebrows raised, just slightly and if you weren't really paying attention you wouldn't have noticed, and laced his fingers together.

"That's not the word I often hear."

You smiled, "It's the word I'd use."

He paused and after a moment of silence cleared his throat. "I have to... Go."

Standing to his full height he turned and quickly moved back into his apartment.

Well, there does that conversation.

___

Hiiiii sorry for the really super late update, and one with mediocre quality. The holidays had me busy. I'm going to try and update more in the future.