𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄, jann mardenborough

𝟎𝟕. Homeward Bound

𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅, 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐒, 𝐔.𝐊

Wednesday, 22nd of March, 2023

8:12am

Madelyn had managed to muster up the strength to climb out of bed with surprising ease. Even though she was running off a mere five hours of sleep due to the fact that she got home late, she felt good. After a splash of cold water on her face and a quick freshen up, she found herself stood in front of her wardrobe, contemplating her outfit for the three-hour drive that lay ahead. In the end, she chose a comfortable pair of jeans, a shirt and Jann's hoodie from last night (that she had also slept in).

She efficiently packed everything that she needed into her suitcase, her mind feeling a whole lot sharper compared to yesterday when she was stressing and not able to concentrate properly.

The thought of seeing her parents, her sister and the familiar shores of Brighton made her excited. Despite this, Madelyn really did adore her life in Cardiff. It was the city where she had grown up with her family, made incredible friendships, pursued her education, secured her first apartment, and held a job she genuinely enjoyed. Her parents had made the decision to leave their family home in Cardiff and settle on the picturesque shores of Brighton shortly after she graduated from high school. The move was prompted by her parents wanting to live closer to her older sister, Georgie, who had moved to Brighton with her long-term boyfriend Matt (now her fiancé) a few years ago. But her family supported Madelyn when she decided to stay. That's not to say it didn't come without its share of challenges, and that she didn't miss her family every single day. But never once has she regretted her decision of staying.

She always cherished these trips back home, as it was a chance to take a break and reconnect with her roots.

After hauling her suitcase into the living room, she walked around her apartment and checked all of the windows, making sure that they were locked and tightly closed. She switched off all of the power points and pulled the blinds down. She retrieved an iced coffee from the fridge and moved quickly around the kitchen island, grabbing her handbag that was hanging on the bar stool.

As she turned off the kitchen light, she felt her phone buzz suddenly in the back pocket of her jeans. Her hand instinctively reached for the phone, with her mind being momentarily elsewhere.

JANN

Morning beautiful, did you manage to get much sleep?

9:07am

The words displayed on the screen caused her breath to hitch and catch in the back of her throat. He had called her beautiful before, but there was something different about seeing it on her phone first thing in the morning that made her feel all giddy inside. Madelyn's cheeks flushed as she smiled down at her phone, quickly typing out a response.

MADDIE

Oh, so we're onto pet names now? Things are getting serious! 😉

And considering I got home at 2:30 this morning, I feel pretty good.

How about you? What time did Persol end up going home?

9:09am

As she made her way over to where she had left her suitcase, her phone buzzed once again.