The uber winds down different streets and I watch as the houses come into view, white washed and weather bitten. It's the perfect place to relax and reset but the tension inside the car paints a different story. Everything feels off. There's an awkwardness in the air that no one seems to know how to address.
Folio drums his fingers on his knees. Nick stares straight ahead unwilling to make eye contact. Jolly looks like he wants to disappear, drowning us all out by wearing his headphones and keeping his eyes closed.
Then there's Noah.
He hasn't said much since the airport. He's quiet, not cold or distant just locked away with his own thoughts. He subtly squeezes my thigh to let me know he's still there but everytime I try to give him a reassuring smile he returns mine with his own that doesn't quite reach his eyes.
"Okay, I think this is you guys." The drivers voice cuts through the tension but it doesn't soften.
"Thank you." I squeak, my voice not sounding quite like my own.
We one by one get out the uber, the uncomfortable silence falling over us like a blanket. Noah already has my bags in his hands before I can protest, His expression unreadable against the beating sun.
Nick grabs his own bags from the trunk mumbling thanks to the driver and quickly makes his way up the cobbled path. Folio pulls up the hood on his hoodie his eyes quickly dart between the house and us like he's trying to figure out the right thing to say. He kicks at the gravel instead grabbing his rucksack and shoves his hands in his pockets following Nick.
Jolly lingers pulling his headphones off and letting them rest around his neck, giving us an awkward smile he grabs his own bags and trails behind the others.
I turn to Noah, his jaw flexes his gaze fixed on the cottage. My hand finds his and gives it a quick squeeze, bringing him back to me.
"Hey, are you okay?" I ask quietly but I know the answer.
He's not.
"Mhmm..." He hums his features softening. "Let's get inside." He squeezes my hand pulling me towards the path.
I hear a high pitched squeal from the cottage and instantly my mood lifts.
"Oh my god! Sadie?!" I turn to Noah my voice matching her pitch and finally a genuine smile spreads across his face.
"It was supposed to be a surprise but I think our bad behaviour might have spoiled it." He replies sheepishly.
"Who planned this?" I ask as we get to the front door of the house where Sadie's stood on the threshold, her red hair wild and her grin bright.
"Noah and I did. I wanted to surprise you all. Keeping it a secret from Nick was a struggle." She turns winking at him making his cheeks flush with warmth. "C'mere." She pulls me into a tight hug knocking the air out of me. She smells like Sadie, spice and floral, familiar and nostalgic.
"I missed you." I whisper into her ear, the weight of my words not quite conveying how much they carry.
"I know Mar, I missed you too." She smoothes my hair with her palm and gently pulls away to look at me properly. Her eyes search my face, a flicker of concern behind them and her brows furrow. "Is the baby okay?"
"Yeah the baby's okay." I smile but Sadie knows something's up, her gaze shifting between Noah and I.
"Okay... come in before Noah combusts from brooding in the sun for too long." Sadie teases dragging me closer into the cottage, the smell of oranges and vanilla hits me hard forcing me to stop dead in my tracks and take a deep breath.
YOU ARE READING
Just Pretend
FanfictionMargo Brown, twenty five year old writer is desperate to pave her own path and to get out of her small town. A month before she is due to put down new roots in a new city her best friend Cassidy invites her along to a concert playing it off as Marg...
