November Dreams (M.C.)

Chapter Seventy

               

Michael

They all kept staring at me; I knew what I must have looked like to them. It was like seeing a phantom, a mirage. Truth be told I felt like a ghost, but not in the sense of being dead. I felt as if I were levitating, as if only air could pass through me. It was surreal to be back here in front of these faces that I thought I had left behind for good. To be in front of them now and not in dream-form was a miracle of its very own. 

No eyes were dry, but none of the tears shed were out of grief. No one had lost that day; instead, tears of joy dripped down every cheek as we stood slowly, brushing off our pants and shifting on our heels ever so slightly, all unsure of where to go from here. We all exchanged glances, not sure which of us should speak first.

Luke cleared his throat suddenly, scratching the back of his head as he spoke.

"W-what now?" His voice cracked as his eyes flicked between all of ours. You could see the uncertainty in everyone's eyes as the circle fell silent again. November shifted closer to me than she already was. I felt as her fingers found mine, lacing together tightly as she looked up at me with a soft smile. Her fingers squeezed mine gently, sending a beam of reassuring warmth up my arm and throughout the rest of my body. She told me everything I needed to know with one embrace.

I swallowed hard as I opened my mouth, my lips chapped and cracked.

"I think the best place to start is back at the beginning—take things slow and rebuild everything we lost. We owe it to ourselves and each other. I don't care how we get there, I just want us all to be alright again."

We all exchanged desperate looks as if to silently communicate that we all felt the same. These people, they were my family. The last two years had thrown things at us that I didn't even think were possible and we were all different because of it. We weren't shiny and untouched, we were scarred and bruised but we all made it out, even if it was by the skin of our teeth. It was safe to say that things would never be normal again; that was impossible after everything that had transpired.

But we would come close. Eventually, we would get there.

//

November

We all spent the rest of the day in that backyard, each reveling in one another's company. It had been so long since it had been the six of us; or rather, it had been forever since we were all vibrant and alive at the same time. But things felt calm again. We felt like the pieces were slowly finding their place once more.

It had been made clear that without one of us here, the rest would fall apart. We were all dominos in a chain, dependent on the stability of each other for the sake of our own.  But I wouldn't have traded that for anything. To be able to lean on these people, to be able to call them my family brought me an indescribable happiness.

And then there was Michael. Michael was my home, my four walls, my safe place, my heaven. It would always feel surreal though, like I was hanging in a dream with him around. I would never be able to forget what happened, the things I caused, the harm we caused each other. It was irreparable. But we would be the glue the other needed. We would fix what we broke in each other.

When something breaks in your home, you don't replace the whole house. You take time and you fix it; you spackle the holes and replace the windows, you shine the floors and cover the cracks. Ever rough edge you smooth over because this is where you live, this is the place where your life happens. That's what Michael was to me. He was the thing that made me feel alive, the place I put my heart in. 'Home' is just an idea. At the end of the day, 'home' doesn't have to be four walls. It doesn't even have to be a place. For me, home was a person; it was green eyes and a crooked smile, it was a bright laugh and a steady heartbeat. I had come to realize that he would always be my refuge, no matter how tattered.

We all shifted to the edge of the grass as the sun began to set and the glow of the city illuminated the backyard from afar. We scooted close to one another, our hips touching lightly in the dirt. Michael slung his arm around my shoulder and let me fall against him, Luke and Czara following suit. All of our eyes watched the multitude of colors burning in the city; the buildings twinkled in the distance just like tiny stars planted on earth. The silence was comfortable as we all sat in that line, breathing in the night air like we used to when times were simpler and things weren't so complicated.

It was a safe assumption that none of us knew what tomorrow would hold, or the next day or month or year. Truthfully though, I don't think any of us really cared.

Michael looked down at me, his smile wide and his eyes sparkling as he planted a soft peck on my head and brought his hand down to mine. He laced our fingers together and I watched Czara and Luke did the same. I turned to Luke, holding out my hand for him. He took it in his without hesitation and a soft smile on his lips. A moment later all six of us now sat hand in hand under the jet black sky, saying everything and nothing all at once.

This is how I would remember these people and this is how we would stay as long as the fates would allow it.

We wouldn't let the colors fade to grey again.

We had finally all burst into colors.

He had returned to life.

They were all I needed.

He was all I needed.

Nothing would ever change that.

Nothing would ever change us.

//

Well everyone, this is the final chapter! Its been a long time coming and I'm actually really proud of what I've created. This is the first fanfic I've ever written and thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read it.

Stay tuned for my other Michael fic and a Calum one I'm currently working on. I cant wait for you guys to read them!

Haley xx