Being Blinded

Chapter Twenty-Five

This isn't the last time that we will all be together, it might be the night of our graduation but none of us are willing to just drop each other so fast. This is a family in all the ways that make it one, unconditional love and the ability to bicker and fight but love each other through it.

A stupid piece of paper- that really isn't stupid at all- isn't enough to break us all down, there's at least seven parties across campus. Not necessarily thrown by the graduating class either, or although we have all loved parties throughout our time here.

This night feels different, like getting drunk and surrounding ourselves with people that aren't this family wouldn't be right. Not for us. Though I don't doubt majority of us won't find our way to at least one more before we pack up and leave this home forever.

It's a concept that I still haven't fully accepted, job interviews next week at places I thought I'd be going for nutrition, the pressure of building relationships and obtaining clients has washed off my shoulders. Is it what I saw for myself? Hell no, freshman Rosie was full of nothing but confidence.

I think I lost that version of myself for a long while, but it doesn't feel like that anymore, stress doesn't mean no sleep, and family doesn't make my heart hurt anymore.

Things aren't fixed but they're better, I don't often like to admit that I'm wrong but there's a couple of things that I am glad to be wrong about. Thinking I'd never fall in love or have a family are two of the big ones, being wrong about my career sucks but it's not world ending.

Funnily enough a lot of the things that used to make me cry, only make me laugh right now. I used to be emotional and explosive, everything was so much all the time and now, when I get overwhelmed it's usually from love, or adoration, excitement.

Things are better.

"I'm just saying that we could have been doing this for months!" Cam complains, standing in the middle of the living room, hands on his hips as he gestures from where the furniture is pushed against the far wall and over the mattresses and pillows that litter the space now.

Imogen smiles fondly at her boyfriend, watching him push his long hair away from his shoulders in irritation, but she still shakes her head at him. "Do you really want to be woken up by Claudia and Hugo having sex?"

"Hey!" Hugo grins, "It could have been Alf and Rose too"

"Not a chance" I retort, "There are levels and you two remains at the top"

"Sureee!" Claudia grins, throwing a pillow at me from across the room, laid back against Hugo's chest who remains propped up against the wall.

"Just sit down, would you?" Imogen groans, yanking Cam back down to their mattress. "Cass, when do you have to move out by?"

"Well, I leave in three weeks" She hums, wrapping the elastic around her second space bun, blue eyes still shining happily with her comforter draped over her shoulders. "And Liz has someone lined up for two weeks' time, so only a week on this couch isn't too bad"

"I can't believe you're going to be the first of us to leave" Sophie frowns, and even as our happiness to be together remains, the reality of why we are isn't as easy to ignore as it used to be.

"Don't frown like that" Cam pouts, pulling Imogen closer into his side, "You two leave like three days later"

"Going back to Liz" Claudia steers, "Do you guys have plans to stay in touch or is everything all said and done?"

"I'm not planning to block her number and unfollow her from everything as soon as I move" Cassie laughs, smacking at Alfie's hand as it sneaks into her popcorn bowl again. "But friendship means knowing things about each other and I can never figure out what's genuine, I'm not distraught or anything, it feels more inevitable"

"What's crazy is she never seemed like that when I lived with her, even working with her before then. I think Liz's last partner did more damage than she let on... I'm sorry that you didn't get to meet the wonderful girl that I promised you"

"Oh, she was wonderful" Cassie smirks, "But just not in the ways you described! In any case she helped me learn more about myself and gave me an outlet for all the Mark-centred frustration, so I'll always be grateful"

The reminder of Mark's failure makes me laugh all over again, "I still cannot believe that he failed... and badly"

"And yet it all makes so much sense" Sam chuckles, "He was an idiot pretending to be intelligent"

"Just like Cam" Alfie nods solemnly, earning another pillow in our direction.

"Friendship over" Cam threatens, "Now I'm glad I'm moving away from you"

"OH!" Imogen gasps angrily, "You can't say that when Rosie's staying here with him, because then we come and they come you'll have no one to hang out with"

"Yeah!" Alfie nods, grinning ridiculously wide.

"I don't think I can even bare thinking about all of us not being a short drive from each other, or walking into each other's houses and not knowing who... or what, you'll see" Cassie sighs, and it's like that swallowing grief rolls back towards us.

"At least it's only New York and the city, imagine if we were all splitting up and going to different states" Sam shivers, "We won't be totally alone at least, although I think it's brave that you're going to live with Claudia and Hugo"

"Oh, believe me, I can't believe I said yes either" She laughs, "But I would be pretty stupid to turn down living in a penthouse, somewhere that's a ten-minute walk from the institute"

"And a twenty from us!" Imogen pipes up, "I know it isn't realistic, but I wish we were all ending up in the same place"

"I know" I pout, fingers sliding through Alfie's and squeezing him close, "But good luck getting him away from Granger now that he knows Marge has been looking after her for him"

"For us" Alfie corrects breezily, "Besides, Marge has investment properties and that gives us somewhere to live that has a big yard"

"But that means you're taking Salem away from me" Cam protests.

Imogen shakes her head once more, same smile glittering on her lips. "You know our apartment is pet approved right?"

Cam's entire body lights up in excitement, "Let's move right now then"

"Wow!" Sam cackles, "Doesn't take much to have you running from us, hey?"

"No wonder Granger loves him, he's one of them" Sophie laughs, "But at least you won't be thinking about the fact your sister is moving into this house, where everyone has had sex"

"Oh" Imogen grimaces, "I don't think I can ever look at Sienna again now"

"Is she excited to be starting here?" Cass wonders, "It's with a couple of other girls, right?"

"Yeah, Lila and Harriet, they seem like sweet girls but with enough personality to drag Sienna out of the house and into situations that'll help her make memories like we did"

"And maybe they'll get nice neighbours" Hugo points out, we might have lovely landlords, although strict, but that doesn't mean the townhouse joined to ours are. "Instead of soul-sucking zombie people"

I wince, "They weren't that bad"

"How many times have they responded to any of our attempts at friendship?" Imogen reminds me smugly.

"I think they'll be happy here Soap" Claudia nods, certainty in every word. "This house has done wonders for everyone's love lives... well bar Cassie but that's different"

"Thanks Claudie" Cass laughs, "But yeah, everyone's come together the way they were supposed too"

Alfie's breath warms against the shell of my ear in a low whisper, "I do love when we come together"

Claudia catches the red flush of my cheeks, drawing more attention to them as her spine straightens and her whole body perks up. "The two of you make me sick with your lovey whispering, but it was always going to happen. The universe is funny like that... hell, I'm happier than I've ever been and my brother's still dead"

the end