Just Pretend

Chapter 59 - Late

Nick and Sadie wave goodbye as they pull away from my Grandparents house the dust from the dirt road engulfs the car in a caramel cloud.

"You ready for chaos?" I ask Noah his hand in mine as we walk up to the front door.

"Always." He smiles flashing his perfect white teeth then gently knocking on the rose red door.

"Coming!" My Grandma calls from the other side of the door my stomach knots instantly, the nerves from not telling them about our surprise visit.

The door creeks open revealing my wee Grandma standing in the door frame.

"Margo, Noah?! Och god! I can't believe you've come back so soon. Come in, in." She waves her hands frantically ushering for us to come inside. "Margo and Noah are here!" She calls through the house feet scamper down the stairs followed by girly squeals.

"Aaaaargh!!" Isla screams as she charges right towards me, her arms wrapping around my waist squeezing scarily hard for a five year old.

"Hey baby." I smile down at my younger sister. She seems much older than our last visit. She's slightly taller, her hairs longer and even more wild, a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks as we get further into the height of summer.

She takes my hand guiding us through the house towards the kitchen where the radio lowly hums "Big Love" by Fleetwood Mac.

"Margo! Noah! What a pleasant surprise." My Grandad smirks knowingly at us both. I turn to Noah who shrugs in response not looking any wiser than I feel. He either has a great poker face or really doesn't know why my Grandad looks so confident in himself.

"Come on sit. I didn't think you'd be back so soon. Tea? Coffee?" My Grandma barks words at us as we both take a seat at the kitchen table, Isla places herself between Noah and I.

"Tea would be lovely." I smile and Noah nods in agreement.

"Where is everyone?" Isla asks Noah looking at him as if he holds all the answers to the world's problems.

"The Americans boys are off seeing the sights of the UK, along with the Swede." He tells her earning a doll like pout in response.

"Hmmph..." Isla grumbles unsatisfied as two steaming mugs of tea are placed down in front of us.

I pull the tea towards me curling my fingers around the mug, my palms growing warmer. The music on the radio changes to "Girls on Film" by Duran Duran and I catch Noah shaking his head with a smirk on his lips.

"Your music taste is starting to make sense now." He chuckles to himself and I feel my cheeks flush.

"Hey, it's diverse. You never know what you're gonna get."

"It's more like whiplash." He banters earning a laugh from my Grandparents as they take their seats at the table.

"Um Go... what happened to your hair." Isla asks me suddenly her eyes study me innocently as if she didn't just knock all the air out of my body from the simple statement.

I look to Noah for help, then to my Grandparents who look just as lost as I feel.

I remember the day I had to call them and explain what had happened. Choking on my own words unable to get them out, tears rolling down my cheeks having to hand my phone to Noah for him to explain only making me cry harder reliving it over again. The weight of guilt he carried evident as he told them what had happened, his own eyes becoming glassy as he explained that he should have done more even though it really wasn't his fault at all. It was no one's fault.

"Grandma what happened to Gos hair?" Isla asks the question again and I feel the need to reach for Noah, to hold onto something stable, someone stable, my safety.