A Long Walk Home (Sequel to Left Alone in the Dark)

Chapter 10

The phone rang a couple time, a couple seconds later I heard Patrice's breathing on the other line.

"Claire?" Patrice asked. I wiped the tears out of my eyes.

"I don't even know why I'm calling you to be honest." I said crying into the phone.

"Wha-what do you mean?" Patrice asked concerned.

"I'm alone Patrice. I have no one. My mom, she died in her sleep a couple hours ago, my dad died three years ago because of a heart attack, my sister is in the fucking army, God only knows if something will happen to her" I said sobbing.

There was a long pause.

"I have nobody." I said again.

"You have me Claire" Patrice said sighing.

"No I don't, because if I did we'd never have this argument. Patrice you just don't understand me. We aren't meant for each other and we never were. We are better off as a friends, nothing more than that" I said.

"But I want more than that" Patrice said. His voice became shaky, which signaled to me he was beginning to cry.

"No you don't Patrice. We both know that once we try again it won't work out." I explained.

"Claire, when are you coming back to Boston" Patrice asked worried.

"I've made my decision, I'm staying here"

"What?" Patrice asked quickly, "you don't belong there. You belong here with me, with Marilyn, even with Brad. You deserve to be with the people who love you" Patrice said making me cry even more.

"I don- I don't know" I shrugged.

"Claire, deep down inside you know the answer." Patrice said.

"Okay fine, see you next week-"

"No see you in a few hours" Patrice cut me off, "I don't care I'm coming to see you" Patrice said confidently.

I quietly thanked Patrice. "It means a lot" I said.

"You mean a lot to me. That's why I'm doing it"

Patrice hung up the phone and I sat back on the sofa.

I browsed around the house and saw a bunch of picture frames of my mom and I when I was younger.

Tears streamed down my cheek and I left the house, taking my suitcase.

I checked into the nearest hotel and asked for two separate rooms.

"I'm sorry but we only have 1 room left. It has 2 queen sized beds though" the front lady claimed.

"Okay I'll just take that" I sighing.

I dragged my suitcases to the elevator and pressed the button to my floor.

It was a pretty decent room, two beds, one bathroom...

I flopped onto my bed and looked up at the ceiling. "Why does life have to be so damn hard" I mumbled.

I slowly dozed off to sleep, and woke up a few hours later to the sound of knocking on my door.

I looked through the peep hole and saw Patrice, with a small suit case next to him.

I opened the door and immediate hugged him. He was shocked at first but then hugged me back.

"Thank you" I whispered.

"I missed you" Patrice said kissing my forehead, "a lot"

A grin grew onto my face once I smelled his scent. It's like something I needed in my life right now.

"Can I take you out for dinner?" Patrice asked once he finished unpacking.

I bite my lip and Patrice smirked. It was cute.

"Um that would actually be great" I said holding my stomach.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked a few seconds later.

"Well I was thinking your favorite restaurant growing up?" Patrice asked, with that same cute little smirk.

I though for a moment, and then I thought of it.

"Holy crap! There was the pub down the road of the first niagara center. I'd always go there but I don't know if it's still open" I said.

"Well there's only one way to find out!" Patrice said taking my hand, leading me down to his car.

He opened the door for me and I stepped him. I have him the directions and we made it, it was shockingly still open.

"Let's go!" Patrice said excitingly. I giggled the way he jumped around in excitement like a little child would.

A waitress sat us down and Patrice ordered beers for the two of us.

"So what's good here?" Patrice asked.

I laughed, "well the wings are amazing here, probably not better than Boston's but it's still good" I said.

"Then let's get a whole plate of wings to share between us" Patrice said licking his lips in delight.

"Is that even in your diet?" I asked giggling.

"No but today's a special day, because I'm taking the girl I love most out to eat for the first time in forever" Patrice said, staring at me. He was lightly smiling but I blushed.

I don't know what's gotten into him. Just yesterday we were yelling a each other and today he's acting like I'm his princess. Hopefully it's not just because he feels bad for me.

A huge stack of buffalo wings met its way to the center of our table. Patrice and I gazed in amazement at how beautiful the wings looked.

"Let's goooo" I said making Patrice laugh. We both started munching down on our wings like little children. Our hands and faces were covered in hot sauce but Patrice and I didn't really care.

It was the wings that satisfied us, not how people would think about us.

"Oh my god these are amazing" Patrice sighed out, full of eating wings.

I lounged back in my chair, wiping the sauce off my mouth.

"Claire do I have anything on my mouth?" Patrice asked.

"Yeah just a little" I said taking his napkin, and wiping his mouth off like a parent would do to their kid.

"thank you" Patrice said, looking at me with his big brown eyes.

As I began catching into a stare, I looked at the floor and we left once Patrice paid the check.

"Can we go for a walk?" Patrice asked,

I agreed, "yeah sure it's Beautiful outside" I said looking at the buildings, and lit up streets.

"Not as beautiful as you though"