No Words (Conor Maynard Fan Fiction)

Chapter 18- The Way It Used To Be

"We're here" Conor said as I slowly started waking up. I was glad I was able to sleep the whole flight and I was even happier to be back home. I looked out the window as we got closer to the ground. I thought back to the last time I was at this airport, it was when I was leaving and I couldn't even cry anymore. Now I was back but with someone I care a lot about and that made me feel a whole lot better.

"You okay?" Conor asked me as he grabbed my hand and we made our way to pick up our bags. I nodded and smiled at him, letting go of his hand to take my bag. Conor rented a car and drove to a hotel I knew well and the smile on my face faded as I saw it. Bewley's Hotel. My dad used to be the manager here, I basically grew up in this place. My mom worked quite far away and she couldn't take me to her work when I was younger and so my dad always took me. I spent hours here and came here almost everyday after school. I had always had so much fun here, causing mischief most of the time but everyone knew me and loved me and so they didn't care.  I looked at Conor and he gave me a knowing look. I wondered how he knew that this was where my dad used to work but then I thought maybe he had asked Liz or Ben when  I wasn't around. I made a mental note to ask him later.

We stopped outside and Conor walked over to open the door for me. I sat in the car for a while, knowing that Conor was waiting but I couldn't move. There are so many other places to stay in Dublin but he chose this one. I was a little mad at him because I really didn't want to be here. I didn't want to see everything so familiar and be reminded of everything I had lost. This place was my second home and I had promised myself I would never come back because I knew it would be too painful.

"Why would you bring me here?" I asked him softly, pain in my voice.

"I thought it would be good to think about the good times and to stay in a familiar place." He said and I glared at him. "I don't want to be here. Take me somewhere else, please" I said but I knew it was no use because Conor was set on us staying here.

Maybe it would be a good thing to think about the memories, but all those memories involved my dad and he's gone. "No Kate. This will be good for you I promise. Not thinking about it, isn'y going to make the pain go away. Burying it, isn't going to make the pain go away. I won't even begin to understand what you are going through but I can help you and by us staying here, that's what I'm trying to do. Please Kate, trust me." He said, holding out his hand for me to take. After a few more minutes of silence, I took his hand and he led me inside. 

I inhaled deeply in, taking in the familiar smells. The smells of food being made in the kitchen not too far away although it always smelt as if the food was burning but it never was because it always tasted amazing. There was the smell of rosemary because that was the only plant they ever had here but I loved it. The rosemary were kept in pots throughout the entire hotel. Basically wherever you looked there was a pot but no matter how many times I step foot into this hotel I will always love the smell. The same old, grey carpets were covering the floor but they were kept in good shape and they matched the light blue walls. All the walls were painted light blue except for the walls in the hotel rooms because those were all painted different colours. There were paintings and pictures on all of the walls of different people and places from all over the world. 

The same old, wooden front desk was still in the middle of everything with the same familiar face standing at the front desk that I had seen all the time when I was a little girl. Martha Bradford. She had been like a cool aunt or grandmother when I was younger because my granmother died before I was born. She recognised me as soon as she set eyes on me and a huge smile formed on her face. She moved out from behind the desk and made her way over to where Conor and I were standing. She wrapped her arms around me immediately and I couldn't help but tear up. She was one of the people that had been the hardest to say goodbye to because I had known her for so long. She had offered to take me in when my parents died but she could not because she wasn't entirely family. 

She pushed me back to take a look and ran her thumb over my cheek. When I got older I came to see her less and less but I knew she understood and  I knew she forgave me. I was so happy to see her. "You've grown up so much Katie. You look much better than when I saw you last." She said, smiling. "And who's this handsome guy?" She asked as she turned to Conor.

"Conor Maynard. A friend of Kate's from Brighton" He said, holding out his hand for her to shake but Martha went in for a hug instead. "More than just friends I'm sure." She said, winking and taking my hand, leading me to the front desk, Conor close behind. Martha had always been able to read me like a book which was why I wasn't surprised when she knew that Conor meant more to me than just a friend. 

Martha checked us in, showed us to our room and said we should meet up later when she was finished with work.

Conor had booked a room with two double beds, probably incase I wasn't comfortable with us sleeping in the same bed together but I was comfortable and I wanted him next to me. I put my stuff on the same side of the room as him to let him know I wanted him next to me and he blushed a little. I smiled as I started to unpack my things. 

"So, we have the rest of the day ahead of us, I was wondering when you wanted to see your parents?" He asked as if it was such a normal question. "I don't want to see them at all but the sooner the better I guess" I said and he nodded. "We'll go get something to eat wherever you want because you obviously know the town better and then you can show me where the cemetary is." He said and I nodded in understanding, finishing the rest of my packing. 

I drove us to a small restaurant not too far away and Conor and I sat in the corner. "Looks like you know this place well." Conor said as we sat down. "I do." Was all I said as I picked up the menu. "Tell me about it." Conor said, the emotion in his eyes begging me to open up to him. It was just hard but I knew it would make the both of us feel better. I knew I could trust Conor.  "Well, almost every  friday night when my mom used to pick my dad and I up we used to come here and eat, and we always used to sit in the middle but now there isn't even a table there anymore. I know exactly what I wanted because everytime we came here I always had the same thing no matter how many times or how long I looked at the menu. I would say I was going to try something different but I never did and my parents always laughed at that." I told Conor and he had a big smile on his face. "They knew us so well here, it was our regular place but I got older, my mum got a new job and didn't pick us up anymore so we stopped coming here. But then I used to come here with my friends all the time but it was never the same." I sighed and Conor reached over to put his hand on mine, a comforting smile on his face. 

"Sounds great. Thank you for telling me. So what are you going to have that you always have?" He asked and I smiled. "The chicken strips. Not exciting I know but they just make them amazing here, better than anywhere else and they never tell me the recipe no matter how many times I ask." I said and he laughed. "We should come here more often." He said and I didn't know if that was such a good idea. It was great of Conor to bring me here this time but I wasn't sure about coming more often. It just reminded me of all the good times, which were postive memories but it also reminds me of what I lost and can never get back. I love Ben and Liz and I'm falling for Conor more and more everyday, I'm started to like Brighton a lot as well but there are times where I wish it would go back to the way it used to be. 

Conor and I finished lunch and as we were about to leave we bumped into a bunch of people.

Five of them to be exact.

There used to be six. They are my old friends and they all looked shocked to see me. 

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There it is :D Hope you enjoyed this chapter :D

xx