Flowers in the Window || W2S

20

nice lil chapter before the endgame of this book starts and I have to be sad about ending it even though I'm the one with the power to make it last.

The sweet aroma of vanilla candles filled your nose as you made your way back down the stairs. Chattering voices grew closer, and you stepped through the door, rejoining the party as you ducked under a few people and eventually managed to relocate Freya, who was stood holding a small bottle of beer in one hand and your drink in the other.

"Welcome back," she smiled, passing the cup back to you.

You took a sip and looked around the room. When Harry, Freya and Josh had all collectively asked you to come to a party that their friend JJ was hosting, you'd been a little adverse to the idea. Billy was still in hospital-having thankfully survived his stabbing without having to go into any kind of coma-and you'd wanted to be there for Wes if he needed you. But Wes himself had insisted you go, and after Margot found out her boyfriend was going, she'd wanted to go as well. So you definitely weren't alone, and your shyness had all but disappeared once the first drop of alcohol had touched your lips.

But the truth behind why you hadn't wanted to come out tonight ran a lot deeper than that. You hadn't felt safe in the slightest since that encounter with Maleficent-which Harry had taken to calling her since your unconscious incident at the steel mill. And that incident had left a severe mark on your psyche. You saw that monster's face everywhere you looked. And if you weren't seeing him, you were seeing your mother and her corpse. It was horrible. Not even Harry holding you as close as possible had been able to fully quell your fears or grief.

Mentally speaking, opening up to Josh that night had been one of the best decisions you'd ever made.

Josh had sort of become your omnipresent, protective guardian after that. He was always looking out for you whenever the two of you met, and that behaviour had soon transferred over to Freya-hence why she had only agreed to leave your side tonight to let you use the bathroom. He hadn't told her anything-just that you were going through a difficult time at the moment, and that you needed some friends. She'd obliged without a second thought.

You couldn't be too upset about the party, though. You were enjoying yourself, for the most part. JJ had a cool house-big and vibrant and full of booze, courtesy of his brother Deji-who apparently had some really cool stoner friends with equally cool parents. And you, Margot and Freya had laughed almost the whole night away together, only really being interrupted when Harry came by to make sure you were okay, and to top up your drink or steal you for a quick snack.

Speaking of Margot, she was weaving her way through the crowd now, a gorgeous brunette behind her. The girl locked eyes with you and immediately came stumbling over-tripping on someone else's leg-and hugged you tightly.

"We've not met properly yet," she said into your ear. "I'm Faith. I'm the one with Ethan."

You laughed. "Nice to meet you!"

The party continued in full swing, until Josh, JJ and another dark skinned boy-who quickly hugged you and introduced himself as Tobi-came over. You caught the smell of Tobi's drink as you pulled away from him, and instantly realised it wasn't alcohol. Apparently, he didn't drink.

"I am very much a man of God," was his explanation.

You liked talking to Tobi-there was something very relaxing about him. He felt like Josh, but less like a father and more like an older brother. JJ was a little obnoxious, but he was funny, with a great laugh, so you found yourself liking him as well. Margot liked him, too-their energies matched perfectly. It was sweet to see Margot making a new friend so quickly, especially after all the trauma she'd faced in the steel mill. In that moment, you felt good about everything.