Red Rooms I Simon "Ghost" Riley x Reader

64. Glimpse of the past pt.1

I forgot that it must be around christmas time and I couldn't just...ignore it lol
So whilst I do establish Ghost and Pearl not really celebrating it bc of their troubled past, she does join him on his journey to his hometown which has become an annual ritual for him to somewhat connect with his deceased family xxx

♡♡♡

You’ve never been to Manchester before.

Looking out Simon’s car window your curious eyes took in all the new impressions this city had to offer.

You knew that this was not a real vacation.

Simon would head back home every year for his mothers birthday, which happened to be on December 25. He told you about how it’s become some sort of ritual for him by now, keeping the house intact as well as looking after her grave. It meant a lot to you that he let you come with him, even though you still weren’t sure if it might be too intruding.

He did not make it seem that way but you sure did notice him being quieter than usual. Understandably so.

You were driving slowly through some suburbs until eventually the car stopped at a dead end. Ghost let out a deep sigh as he looked at the house to his left before switching his gaze to you on the passengers seat. He then proceeded to take out the keys and leave the vehicle. Getting out yourself, you took in your surroundings. It was quiet. Peaceful. A neat row of old, historic houses leading down the street. Some of them decorated with christmas lights, making the whole street appear like it’s straight out some christmas romance. Only thing missing was the snow though.

You hear Ghost behind you closing the trunk as he pulls his gym bag over his shoulder and rolls your pink suitcase next to him towards the old, detached house at the end of the road. You felt slightly embarassed at the size difference between your bags, yours looking like you packed for a 2 week vacation whilst he kept it pretty simple with his.

You slowly dragged your feet after the lieutenant, carefully walking up the flight of stairs as the man in front of you let go of your suitcase to fiddle away some spiderwebs from above the door. Once he’s finished he gets the keys out of his thick, grey fleece jacket and opens the door, a loud squeak escaping it and welcoming you two inside.

The smell of books & dust was the first thing you registered. Ghost put down the bags and walked straight forward along wooden floors to the kitchen area, opening the sliding door that lead to the small backyard. The cool air wiped the smell off your nose instantly.

“Need some fresh air in 'ere, feel free to close it if you get too cold.” He says quietly whilst opening some kitchen cupboards to store the groceries he bought beforehand. You just nodded, still feeling like an intruder. Like you’re not actually supposed to see this.

His childhood home.

The whole house had something depressing to it, that was out of the question.

The living room walls were coloured a nice shade of dark green with a matching velvet armchair in the corner next to a big bookshelf. Lots of wooden furniture filled the living space, dust covering a good amount of them. The curtains were tacky and yellow, you could tell that they’ve seen better days. You stepped aside as the tall figure of his walked past you to close the curtains, checking the empty street outside first. You could see how tensed up he was.

He then proceeded to walk up the stairs in the corridor, leading to the top floor. As you decide to step into the open kitchen area to check it out, you hear him call your name, hastily making your way up the stairs yourself now.