The things we never had

Chapter 7

After we finished getting to know each other for the night, everyone excused themselves, saying good night to Char and Alex. Will and I walked up the stairs, heading to our bedrooms.

"Well, how do you like everyone so far?" Will asked.

"Everyone's fine, but Rome's being a bit of a bitch though, right?" I replied.

Will laughed. "Does he have personal beef with us or something?"

"Honestly, I don't know. It's a bit weird though."

Will spoke softly, "Look, Nicole, here's our plan. Tomorrow, I'll ask when your birthdays is, then we we'll decide if it's best for us to stay here. If not we can start, I don't know, maybe looking into me adopting you or something."

"Okay," I whispered. "But lets wait a couple months  to make our decision."

"Okay," Will nodded. When we reached my door, he smiled, "Goodnight, Nicole."

"Night, Will," I said back. I entered my room and headed to my closet, grabbing one of my new silk pajamas, a towel robe, and slippers. Then I headed to the bathroom.

I undressed, putting my clothes in the hamper, and set up the shower to the perfect temperature. I can't explain it, but it felt nice to have everything in place. I began my hair wash routine, then washed my face and body, exfoliated, and stepped out of the shower. I put on the towel robe, went to the linen cupboard in the bathroom to grab a towel, wrapped my hair, and returned to my closet.

I sat at the vanity, taking it all in—thinking about how I now lived in a mansion, with a room the size of a flat, and a vanity literally filled to the brim with products. Smiling, I reached for one of the skincare drawers, took out my skincare products, and went through my usual routine. Then, I quickly applied lotion to my body, unwrapped the towel from my hair, and started my hair care routine. I debated whether I should diffuse it or let it air dry, but feeling awake and not bothered by the time difference, I decided to use my brand-new supersonic hair dryer. I attached the diffuser and dried my hair, finishing in about 30 minutes.

I went back to the bathroom, grabbed my pajamas and underwear, and quickly changed into them. Then, I got the Apple shopping bag, sat down on the couch in my room, and started setting up my new phone, iPad, and MacBook.

Half an hour later, once everything was set up, I decided to video call my friends. They picked up quickly, and we started talking. What I loved about them was that they knew I didn't want to talk about everything that had happened, so they didn't push it. Instead, we just chatted about other things, like it was a normal day.

We laughed and joked, diving into the latest gossip and sharing random memes. They caught me up on all the little things I'd missed—who was dating who, the latest school drama, and even the silly stuff, like which teachers were still giving too much homework. It felt good, almost like I was back home, sitting on my bed with them, instead of in this huge, unfamiliar mansion.

They asked about my new place, and I gave them a quick tour of my room. Their jaws dropped when they saw how big it was, and we all laughed when they joked about how I was now living like a celebrity. It was the kind of conversation I needed, just something light and easy, nothing heavy or complicated.

As the night wore on, I felt more relaxed, more like myself. It was as if, for a little while, I could forget everything that had happened and just be a normal teenager again. When we finally said our goodbyes, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. I climbed into bed, pulling the soft blankets around me, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.