Aberration

Chapter 22

As we pulled into the long driveway memories come flooding back. The outside looks the way I remember. Old brick lining the house as beautiful stone work is weaved on the walls.

I open the door and step out of the car. It feels weird being here again, but strangely comfortable in a way. I open the trunk and heave my bag out of it, grunting in pain as it tugs down half my body. Clumsily closing the trunk I stumble slowly up the driveway, the weight of the bag weighing me towards the ground.

A light hand on my shoulder makes me jump and spin around despite my aching shoulder. Liam's warm face slowing my heart as he takes my bag from me leading me into the flat.

Just like the outside it was exactly the way I remembered it. The familiar cinnamon smell invading my senses, almost making me feel at home. But I'm not.

We step up the dark oak stair case and I run my fingers up the metal rail. I can hear the boys and Lauren chatting downstairs as I follow Liam to my room. Or what used to be my room. I hold my breath as he opens the door and I follow him in. There's a pang in my chest as I realize it just the way I had left it. Two years ago.

Liam sets down my bag next to the dresser, turning to look at me with a small smile. I hold my hands together in front of refusing to look at him. But I'm relieved as he crosses the room in a swift movement, bringing me into his arms.

I bury myself into his chest, wetting his shirt with the tears I didn't know was pouring out if my eyes. His chin placed on the top of my head and giving me a right squeeze.

"We've missed you." His voice comes out strong but weak in the same way.

I want so bad to tell him everything. To just sit here and explain to him how I haven't stopped thinking about them since the morning I left. To tell him how much I missed them and want everything to go back to the way it was. But I don't.

Instead I just cry harder. He gives one last squeeze before wiping my tears and walking to the door.

"Come down when you're ready." he says with one last soft smile.

I stand in the middle of the room not trusting my body to move. After 5 minutes I walk over suitcase and start to unpack but stop myself. I don't dare to open up that door again of having to repack and leave. So instead I just dig through my suitcase grabbing my baggy pajama pants and white T shirt.

I quickly change and grab my bathroom bag. It amazes me how much the room stayed the same. Including the bathroom. I open the draws and sure enough, they're the way I left them. All the soaps and washes I had left here still the way I had organized them before.

The lump grew in throat again at the sight of all it but I swallowed it back down. I washed my face, shedding it from the load of makeup, then brushing my teeth.

I stood at the edge of the bed, silence overwhelming my thoughts as I dared to climb into it. This ruining its ancient state from 2 years before. The feel of the comforter brought back better times and sleep.

My stomach had other ideas when it woke me up 3 hours later. I hadn't eaten my dinner at the restaurant and I'm starving. I pad quietly through the hallway and down the stairs. An uneasy feeling overcomes me as I make my way through the dark. I reach the kitchen and the clock reads 2:34.

I search through the pantry, the amount of food piled up was uncanny. Settling on goldfish I grab the tiny snack pack and turn around only to see a figure leaning against the counter.

My eyes go wide and lump returns as the same green eyes bore into me. Harry.

He looked different. His body toned and muscular under his black shirt. Tattoos littered his arms and metal hung from his bottom lip and eyebrow. He had a new dark aura about him.

We just stood there, looking at each other neither if us saying a word. I couldn't help but notice how his curls were pushed back off his forehead, leaving tiny flew away curls to stay dangling.

"Im sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." I mumble weaving my way through the kitchen. I feel his eyes watch me as I walk up the stairs and into my room.

What the hell was that? I rip open the goldfish packet, popping a few into my mouth before placing them on the bedside table. This has been the fourth time I've caught him staring at me and in starting to get a weird feeling, besides the one I've already been feeling since I arrived today.

I wake up the next morning and get into the shower. Blow drying my hair and pulling on black leggings and sweater. Poking my head out the door I peek down the stairs to see everyone gathered in the den. Like old times.

Stop Ava its not like that anymore. But despite what my conscious tells me I take a deep breath and start down the stairs, trying not to draw any attention to myself. But just like everything else in the past 24 hours, that doesn't go my way either when everyone silences as I take a seat next to Lauren.

"Hey Ava," Lauren says breaking the silence and I silently thank her.
"We were gonna go shopping today, wanna join?"

I do need some new clothes, especially since its starting to warm up, but I really don't wanna go shopping. Plus, if everyone go's shopping, I'll have the flat to myself and actually get to relax.

"No thanks." I say quietly with a smile.

"Are you sure? Well I'll get something for you." she reassures, standing up and grabbing her purse. The boys follow her out the door and I feel the tension evaporate. I let the air out of my lungs and make myself a bowl of cereal.

I wander around the house walking through every room. To this day the theater room is still my favorite. Taking a seat on the cold leather of the couch, I wrap myself in the knit blanket. The DVD closet opens revealing a surprised Harry. But he quickly returns back to normal, or what his now normal is, and puts in a small disk into the player. Even in sweats his beauty radiates. Stop Ava that's enough.

"Oh im sorry..I thought everyone went shopping..." I apologize softly, earning only an annoyed look from him? He's obviously ignoring me as he sits down in the recliner and stares at the tv.

I roll my eyes and stand up to leave. Who pissed in his Cheerios. Instead, I walk out the back door, taking in the fresh air as I walk down the small hill. I see the tree that I had fallen out of before and stifle a laugh. My ignorance back than never seizes to make me laugh. I sit at the base of the monster tree, looking out onto the small pond. I always wondered why the boys never came out here. It was perfect. Quiet and peaceful.

"What are you doing out here?" a deep voice snaps.

I turn my head to see an irritated Harry standing a few meters behind me. Turning back around I feel a new found confidence from his words.

"Sitting. If thats okay with you?" I say back sassily.

"Well it's not now get inside."

"And who are you to tell me what to do?" I didn't like where our first conversation in two years was heading, but I wasn't gonna let him treat me like a child.

"An owner of this flat thats who. And honestly, I don't care to have another replay of what happened before."

He's talking about me falling out of the tree. I scoff. "I'm not stupid enough to climb a tree again Harry, and I can take care of myself thank you."

I fold my arms across my lap and close my eyes. Where did all this anger come from? A tug on my arm forces me up and pulls me up the hill. I hit his hand and pull it from his grasp.

"Would you stop?" I yell tugging my arm to my chest and finishing climbing up the hill. I knew Harry had changed, but not in the way I thought. Obviously something inside him changed to. I stumble into the house and up the stairs tripping on my own feet halfway up. A chuckle is heard from behind me and I turn around to shoot Harry a glare from where he stands at the bottom of the steps. An amused look displayed across his face as I finish my climb up. My cheeks are hot with anger and embarrassment as I throw myself onto my bed. As that where I stay until they arrive home.