Love on Notes

25

I hugged Harry.

— Until next time.
— You take good care of yourself, Liz, and if that Trevor comes back, you let me know.

He was looking at me in all seriousness. I knew he would use violence if Trevor ever frightened or threatened me again. I wasn't going to lie to my brother, but I didn't want him to get into trouble over this either.

— I'll keep you posted. But if it's about you committing murder, I'm not so keen on that.
— Well, he'd better not come near you then, he said threateningly, before waving goodbye to Daniel.

My brother gave us one last wave and then went down the stairs. Eve had left for a medical appointment a few minutes earlier, so I was left alone with Daniel.

— You can go home if you want, you know, I said, breaking the silence after a few minutes.
— Well, I'd just like to know you're really okay so I can leave you, but I'm under absolutely no obligation to be home, so tell me seriously if you want me to stay. I can understand how stressful the situation might be.

In fact, his presence reassured me, but I wasn't going to keep him at home forever either. I tried to look confident.

— No, don't worry, you can go, I can manage on my own.

He raised his eyebrows.

— Are you sure?
— Yes.
— All right, then. You call me if you need me, okay?
— Okay.
— Thank you for the pancakes, I really enjoyed them, I need you to make them more often.
— You'd have to give something back too.

He smirked at me.

— I'd do anything for your pancakes.

I felt my cheeks turn pink at his less than innocent words. He winked at me before leaving the flat.

As I closed the door behind him, I realised that Daniel had just spent the day with me, even though I'd been unconscious for a while. He'd also met my brother. Mad with joy at the thought of this, I started to dance before my headache called me to order. I sat in my reading chair for a few minutes and then decided to go out and do some quick shopping to buy myself something to nibble on.

On the way, under a greyish sky, I came across Simon, shivering under his blanket.

— Hello, Simon, how are you? I asked him as I knelt down.

Surprised, he looked up at me and smiled. He seemed so happy to see me that I felt a twinge of sadness.

— How do you know my first name?
— A friend who knows you told me about you.
— Do you know Daniel? he exclaimed, sitting up.
— Yes, for some time now! And how long have you known him?
— Several months, I think, I'm not sure. What day is it, please?
— Friday 9 November.

As he continued to shake, I felt bad for him. Noticing that his hair and beard had grown, I had a little idea that might please him.

— When was the last time you cut your hair and shaved your beard?
— I don't know, it was a long time ago.
— Come on, I said as I stood up.
— Where to?
— Let's go to the hairdresser.
— But no, it's not up to you to look after me.

I smile at him.

— Maybe not, but I'd like to take you to the hairdresser.
— Are you sure?
— Of course.
— No, I don't want to tarnish your image.
— What do you mean by that?
— I don't want everyone looking at you the wrong way because you're hanging out with a homeless guy like me.

Hearing his words broke my heart. How could he think that?

— I couldn't care less how other people look at me, I reassured him. So, are you coming or not?
— Okay yes.