Ginny Carney has been running since she was 17; running from the small town that stifled her, from her 'wild child' reputation, and from the boy she left behind. Now 25 Ginny finds herself a college dropout with no job, no boyfriend and forced to m...
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The next morning I woke up a little later, my parents were already up and doing things around the house but I stuck to my routine. I made my coffee and my breakfast and sat at the kitchen counter looking at the house across the street. I had spent so many days sitting at that counter and absentmindedly looking at his house that when a light turned on I panicked. My mom came in to the kitchen to find me crouched behind the counter in the kitchen so that I was out of sight of the window.
"Gin? What are you doing?" My mom asked a confused smile on her face.
"Is he in the kitchen?" I whispered not moving from my position on the floor.
My mom looked at me like I was crazy but she looked out the window, "The blinds are down" she said slowly. I stood up feeling a little silly and settled back into my seat. "You're going to have to see him eventually you know" Mom said but I just shook my head, I wasn't ready for that and I was still trying to make things easier for him by staying out of the way.
He left the house that day. He looked disheveled; his hair was a curly, floppy mess and he was wearing sweatpants but he left the house. I felt creepy watching him get into his car from my bedroom window but I couldn't help myself, I was tied to him and as much as I wished I didn't I still cared so deeply for his wellbeing.
He got up on Sunday too. The lights turned on when I was eating breakfast but I didn't hide, he didn't open the blinds.
I was careful leaving the house on Monday morning; it was suddenly so much more real that he was right there across the street now that he was moving around, now that I'd seen him, now that he was leaving the house and there was a very real chance that I could run into him in town.
Beth came into the bakery like she did every Monday morning. She waved as she wheeled the stroller to her normal table. I brought over her usual drink and snack and when I was done doing the dishes and stocking the pastry case I went to join her. June didn't mind if I spent half an hour or so talking to Beth when she came in, she was used to running The Ladybird on her own anyways and just by being there I was allowing her to spend more time in the back baking.
I took Cindy from Beth so she could have a free hand and handed the baby my store keys to play with while she sat on my lap. "How was the rest of your weekend?" I asked Beth and she regaled me with stories of play group.
"I know it's good for Cindy to play with other babies I still hate Jeana" she sighed and I laughed. We had known Jeana in high school and if we had ever stepped a toe out of line in her presence she would be the first to turn us in to the proper authorities.
"I still can't believe she ended up with Billy Fisher" I said shaking my head.
"You still spending your weekends stalking your ex-boyfriend?" Beth teased and I rolled my eyes but she wasn't entirely wrong.
"I'm just worried about him and you told me to keep my distance" I offered in explanation trying to justify what I knew was borderline creepy behaviour. "He left the house on the weekend" I said.
"I know" Beth said quietly, "I saw his car at the bar, no one else around here has a car that fancy."
"Guess I'll be steering clear of the bar from now on then" I sighed
"I'll get Erik to give him a call, see how he's doing" Beth offered and I thanked her. I was having a hard time separating the boy I knew from the stranger he was now; the boy I knew would have come to me, he would have been angry and he would have cried but he had always worn his heart on his sleeve, had always talked too much. The boy I knew had hated to be alone and I didn't know what it meant that he had locked himself away and that now he was drinking alone.
I took my time walking home that evening wanting to spend as much time as I could out of the house. I noticed that the car across the street was missing as I turned onto our street and when I turned my light off and went to bed just after midnight the car was still gone.
I was startled awake a few hours later by a loud crashing noise and I tiredly dragged myself to the window. There was a car up on the lawn across the street, the tire tracks showing that the car had skidded and then gone over the curb before coming to rest on his mother's previously unblemished front lawn.
The headlights were still on when the front door of the car opened. "Shit" I swore under my breath as I watched him step out of the car and then stumble and fall to the ground. I reacted without thinking and rushed down the stairs and out the front door. I slowed slightly as I approached him; he was still trying to get himself up off the grass. He was so drunk he could barely walk, it was a miracle he had made it back to the house and that he hadn't killed himself.
"Miles are you OK?" I called now cautiously making my way towards him. There was no turning back now, I had announced myself, ready or not this reunion was happening. He didn't even turn to look at me but I saw his shoulders stiffen, "Miles" I said again and put a hand on his shoulder to let him know I was there to help him up. He flinched away from my hand,
"Don't touch me" he spat angrily still not turning to face me as he got up and started stumbling towards the door. I went to his car and took the keys from the ignition, turned off the headlights and shut the door. He was fumbling around in his pockets when I reached him on the front porch.
"Cliff it's me" I said accidentally slipping and calling him by his old nickname. The nickname he had gotten because his last name was Clifford, the name he had inherited from his dad who had died when he was a baby. The nickname his mom had given his dad and then him.
He turned to face me and I saw him close up for the first time in years. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was red from drinking but the years had been good to him. I thought I saw the recognition in his eyes and I saw his expression soften and I thought for a second he would talk to me, that he would let me help him but then his face hardened and he grabbed the keys from my hand.
"Don't you dare call me that" he growled angrily and I was left standing stunned on his front porch as he turned and unlocked the door and then slammed it behind him.
Author's note:
Well it finally happened, we finally met Miles Clifford! Sorry this chapter is so late my internet went down Saturday morning and we only got it back today but hopefully I should still be updating this Saturday.
Let me know what you think, and what you think should happen! I'm so surprised that people are reading let alone commenting and I'm really enjoying writing this one, see you on Saturday :)
