Hide Away

In For a Penny

The drive stretched obnoxiously long. Lore swore his ears were going to fall off with the way Jon and his mother were going back and forth as they drove from the campsite back to their inelegant home in Hackney. Luckily, they had arrived just before the sun began to set and Lore immediately went to his room to unpack his things. He intended to avoid the two quarrelling adults for as much as physically possible.

Before their trip, Lore had communicated with his girl about the details of their camp location and when they should be returning. So the fifteen-year-old was all but surprised when he heard the doorbell ring. His heart lept with joy as he raced down the creaky stairs and flung the door wide open.

Alvany Princeton was a sight for sore eyes. Jade's eyes flashed at his amber ones, crimson lips perked up in a sweet smile and waves of fire flowed neatly down the lass' back as Lore's sunshine shone on him. It was as if the girl's mere presence always seemed to lighten up his mood, hence the sunshine nickname.

Lore gazed at Alvany as if it had been years since they last saw each other, though only two weeks had passed. His lips moved soundlessly, like a fish out of water, until the girl snapped her fingers in front of his unblinking eyes.

'Is that how you're going to welcome your girlfriend?' the redhead teased as Lore smiled at her. He stepped over the threshold of the quaint dwelling and the youths shared a chaste kiss. Lore licked the sticky and sweet lipstick residue as the pair parted.

Alvany's cherry-red lips remained pursed in a flirtatious grin. She wore a bright lemony sundress that stopped just above her knees, and Lore couldn't deny how alluring she looked in it.Now this is what he had missed: his girl. She made him feel elated and at peace in his puny cracked world. He had missed the familiar aroma of strawberry mint and the taste of fruity lipstick. He craved the pure radiance of his girlfriend. 

She was like the first spark of a New Year's Eve firework: mesmerising yet enigmatic. He had missed her smile, her soft laughter, her sighs, her volatile attitude, her voice, and all the other things that made Alvany Princeton uniquely herself.

'I missed you, Vany.' Lore admitted after the two had untangled themselves from their smouldering embrace. He truly meant it; Alvany had stood by him through his darkest days, and he felt a sharp pang of remorse at the memory of nearly getting intimate with a stranger—a bloke, no less. The mere thought seemed absurd to him now.

The two headed into the living room, where a plate of oatmeal cookies had been placed on the centre table. He was surprised by how swiftly his crippled mother whipped up the pastry.

Lore felt a wave of nostalgia as he glanced at the dusty Polaroids lining the mahogany walls of the house. There were pictures of him and Alvany at summer camp, Mike proudly holding a golden trophy at the school's basketball finale, Mrs. Princeton and his mom playing cards, and his dad with the three of them dressed up for Halloween.

One particular photo struck a painful chord: the one at the very centre of the east wall, capturing a moment of magic between him and his father. In the picture, his father, with a flourish, pulled a rabbit from his fedora, leaving young Lore wide-eyed with amazement, clapping enthusiastically and grinning from ear to ear. Even now, Lore couldn't fathom how the late magician had pulled off that trick.There were a lot of things the lad had yet to discover about his late father, it seemed.

He sighed solemnly.

The memories of his past brought back a sense of yearning that made him feel hollow in a way. It was as if he wished to turn back the hands of time and race with his legs facing backwards and his body rooted in the future. He just wanted his father back. Was that too much to ask for?