The Dying Light

5

I opened the car's trunk with a cigarette hanging in mouth as Anna quickly went over I few details that I needed to remember for the weekend. Once I had both suitcases out, I turned around, took a puff of the cigarette and decided to interrupt her semi-rant.

"Hey" She stopped talking and looked at me. "It's gonna be fine, alright?" I noticed an old woman already looking at us through the window as the car was parked right in front of the house. "Come on, babe" Getting in my sweet boyfriend role I kissed her forehead and softly caressed her cheek before taking both suitcases and making our way to the front door.

I could sense that Anna was nervous by the way she kept on biting on the dead skin of her lip. I was about to tell her to stop when the door opened, revealing a boy who was around my age. He eyed me from up to down before cracking a smile.

"You two took forever" He said in a deep voice. "Hey, sis" The boy, who I assumed was Ian based on what Anna had told me, hugged his sister.

"Ian, this is Sam" I offered him a shy smile and my hand to shake. 

"Yeah, I know who he is. You didn't tell me you were dating Sam Fender" He shook my hand. "I've seen you play at a few festivals this summer, man. You're awesome" My smile grew wider at his words.

"Thanks, man. I try my best to always put on a good show" I replied.

"Ian, let them come in" The voice of an old woman echoed down the house. 

Ian rolled his eyes and step aside so we could come in. "Let me get these for you" I handed him the suitcases and he quickly disappeared upstairs with them.

"Here we go" Anna whispered before leading me further inside the house.

"Darling" The old woman said. "Come here" Anna smiled and walked closer to her grandmother, leaving me standing there while looking around the place to feel a little less anxious about this situation. "You've blossom, love" The old woman told her granddaughter. 

"Nan, I want you to meet Sam" I quickly turned my head back to them.

"Hiya" I quietly said. The woman stood up and walked closer to me, examining me.

"Have you ever been to Scotland before, young man?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah. My mam used to have a house around here actually, I spent quite a few summers in there" The answer seemed to be enough for Anna's grandmother, who gave a warm smile. 

In fact, the house that the woman lived in seemed to have come out of my wildest dreams since she lived in the middle of literally nowhere and was surrounded by nature. I had always wished to go back to Scotland ever since my mam decided to move back to Shields, and being right there with Anna was enough for me.

"Oi" Ian called from behind me, with a football ball in his hands. "You play?" I glanced at Anna, who was nodding for me to answer.

"Haven't had a proper game in a while, so I guess I'm a little rusty" I confessed.

"Enough for me, let's go" Ian started walking out of the house. I sent a nervous look at Anne, who stood up in the tip of her toes to kiss my cheek.

"Go" She whispered.

After a few penalties scored in silence, Ian decided to speak up about his real intentions of asking me to do this odd activity with him seeing that we were both almost in our thirties.

"What are your intentions with my sister?" He spoke as I did a few tricks with the ball, action that I stopped once I had processed the question.

"What do you mean?" I asked, shooting the ball without much strenght.

"What is her for you? Are you planning on breaking her heart? Is she just another girl for you?" I lifted my eyebrows as my mouth was slightly opened.

"Has this interrogation ever worked out for you?" Ian shook his head and smiled, taking a pack of cigarettes out of the pocket of his jeans.

"You smoke, right?" I nodded as we quickly left aside the sport for a quiet talk while smoking. "Listen, I have to be honest" I turned to look at him. "I'm sort of a fan, alright? So I know about your ex" I exhaled the smoke as I released a sigh.

"Emily?" He nodded. "Well man, I don't know what you want me to say about that. It was mutual, the break up I mean, and we didn't hurt each other in any way if that's what you want to know" I looked down, at my Gazelle, while I could feel Ian's eyes on me, waiting for an extended explanation. "I just didn't want to settle down, and that was it, really" I lifted my shoulders.

"Right" He mumbled. "So no cheating or anything of that sort happened?" I shook my head. "Great, 'cause if I ever find out that you are seeing other girls behind my sister's back I will come get you" 

"Right" I said. I took a quick look around, taking in our surroundings while I felt my tracksuit pants getting wet as we were sitting down in a wall that was dumped because of the slight drizzle that was falling down. "Your sister and I are just getting to know each other by know so no need to worry" I offered him my best smile.

"Boys" Anna called us out from the distance. "Dinner is ready" I quickly stood up and tried to clean my pants the best way I could before walking to the house, where Anna was waiting for me at the door.

"How was it?" She asked.

"Nowt to be worried about, the usual if you hurt my sister I will kill you kind of talk" I leaned to kiss her cheek.

"My parents are here" Anna informed me with her cheeks all rosy because of my previous action.

"Right, Rose and Peter?" I asked her, Anna nodded and me before holding my hand and leading me to the living room, where a table was already set and ready with an overwhelming amount of food.

"Hey" I shily greeted my fake in-laws to catch their attention before sitting down in between Anna and Ian. 

"Hey, boy" Peter greeted me.

"Hi Sam, it's a pleasure to meet you" I turned to Anna, whose face informed that she had had a previous conversation with her mam, where my name was mentioned.

"Nice to meet you two" I smiled at the welcoming family.