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Twenty-Three

I had snuck out from SJ's as soon as I could in the morning before he had a chance to wake up and both of us be forced to make polite conversation. My plan wasn't to stay at his to spend time with him; it was to have some company and a distraction that wasn't connected to some other circle of my life, which he happened to fulfil. Though in hindsight sight, it didn't really help me at all. My mind had been jammed like a record on repeat that was ineffectually replaying itself over without any further conclusion of what to do. Almost seems naive to have thought sex would chase my worries away, when, if you look at it plainly, sex had birthed most of my dilemmas.

My only thanks right now was the idyllic bursts of sun breaking over the roofs of the houses surrounding me, as I sauntered down the sleeping street. It had only just turned 6am on Friday, which was reason enough for the lifeless neighbourhood. Wrapping my arms around my torso, I fended off the light breeze that whisked past me and focused in on the fact a change of clothes was needed before I could even start to plan out my day. The impromptu sleepover with SJ had meant I was subject to wearing yesterday's white summer dress and bedraggled hair that I had chucked into a high ponytail. Before I could think over the decision of skipping school, I needed to fix myself up with a basic day-to-day routine.

Shuffling my arm into my handbag, I reached for my phone which I had avoided looking at this morning in anticipation of confronting more messages from Alexander. I knew some point soon I needed to speak to him before he noticed something was off and coaxed it out from me.

As I predicted he had messaged me late last night, most likely when he was lying in bed next to Caitlin and when I was having sex. It was the usual text he would send after we hadn't seen each other for a few days, telling me that he misses me and wants to see me.

Without wanting to admit it to him out of fear of sounding cheesy, I missed him too. If only there was a way, we could be in our own world without worry of his wife or just about every other person we knew catching us. That would be nice, and not to mention absolutely impossible.

Letting my daydream die, I slowly swiped away his text making a mental note to reply later, as there was no rush to text him back this early in the morning. While also, giving me some time to procrastinate more.

Stashing that issue aside, I popped my headphones in and carried on walking to notice I wasn't too far from my house now. The walk had been as laborious as I envisioned, though I could thank my mind distracting me from most of it that I wasn't fully present to take it all in. My body had just been a vessel guiding me from A to B, along the perfectly kept sidewalks that complimented the grand houses stemming from it.

Rounding the corner, I kept walking briskly eager to get back to mine for a much needed shower to make myself feel somewhat more awake. It only crossed my mind that this was in fact Myles' road when he quite literally ran into me turning into his street. A small yelp left my mouth from the air in my lungs being slammed out, while he stifled his surprise to catch me from falling backwards against the pavement.

'Shit! Sorry!' He gasped in reaction, as he anchored me back on my feet, 'What are you doing?'

His hands were clammy, as they imprinted onto my arms, firmly holding me in place. The warmth of his palms was welcomed causing goose bumps along my skin from where the morning chill had disappeared. Myles' face donned his usual frown he wore around me now, except now it was glossed in a sheen of sweat that illuminated his complexion in the warmth of the emerging sun.

'Just walking home.'

My urge to pry his hands from me was overcome by the solace his touch gave me. Instead I stood still in place, allowing myself the time to reconcile my thoughts as the memory of our last conversation set in.