Typical.

Chapter 10: Return

I landed in the familiar airport. The only thing I bothered to bring was Evie’s paint set and her dress. I’d just stay at home. Or at Evie’s, but something told me her mom wouldn’t be too keen on it.

My heart felt heavy as I jot some notes down in a notebook while the plane ascended. I want you here with me, like how I pictured it so I don’t have to keep imagining, I wrote, then the pressure in my ears began and I braced myself for it. I hated popping my ears and planes always bothered them.

Something great.

That’s all I wanted.

Is it too much to ask for something great?

It’s funny, how time works. The whole saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder?” That’s complete and total bullshit. Absence makes you forget. In the time I spent away from Evie, when I’d been out touring, I completely forgot about what she meant to me. She had become an afterthought and every part of my life just sped up. I forgot how much she really meant to me. I forgot how she always made me laugh and smile even when I was angry. I forgot how well she knew me. I didn’t want to forget her ever again. And when she was here, time slowed down, I relaxed and enjoyed the moment.

Come on, jump out at me. Come on, bring everything.

I sat on the plane in my seat, uncomfortable as can be, with piecemeal of a song splattered all over the page. I thought of Evie’s art. I thought of how talented she was. I smiled when I remembered of the painting she gave me before I went on the X Factor. It had been a blur of colors, abstractly creating a microphone. It still hung on the wall in my room at home. I’d be sure to take it and bring it back to London with me. Evie was so wonderful and supporting the whole time I was on the X factor. The first time, when I was kicked off, she had hugged me tight and patted me on the back and urged me to continue on, even when I’d wanted to quit singing altogether. She had taken me to this pasta place where we always went on each other’s birthdays and we ate our feelings together. I smiled and leaned back. So many happy memories with Evie… so many to be made.

Evie’s dress was folded in my lap. Honestly, I didn’t want to give it back to her. I wanted to keep it with me so I could keep a piece of her so I wouldn’t let time get to me—so I wouldn’t forget her.

All these thoughts flashed across my brain as the plane began to descend and the fragments of the song started to come together. I just had yet to come up with a title and the structure. That’s okay, though, I was satisfied.

I slowly made my way out of the plane, being careful to not be seen—my hood stayed over my head, my glasses on my eyes. Holding the painting set and dress in my hands I hailed a taxi and made my way home. I paid the driver more than I was due, and thankfully, he didn’t notice me or ask any questions.

My house was a brick structure. It wasn’t big, wasn’t small. Nothing special. Just home. There was ivy growing on either side of the front door. Pretty much every aspect of my life had changed, apart from this. My house was exactly the same. I didn’t realize how much I appreciated my family and hometown until I was gone. I walked past the lamppost, illuminating the darkness. I didn’t even notice that it was midnight. I didn’t care. My parents wouldn’t care, considering I hadn’t seen them in forever. I’d been home a grand total of five days in the past year. I rang the doorbell and I saw one of the dark windows light up and a figure move.

The door swung open. “Liam!” said my older sister, Nicola. She threw herself on me and I hugged her back. I forgot how much I missed my family.

She dragged me back inside.

“What are these, Liam?”

“Oh, they’re Evie’s. I was going to return them.”

“Oh, so that’s why you came back,” she said, unable to suppress a smile. She was the first person to call Evie and me getting together. She called it the first time we ever played kick-ball together. I, of course, always denied it.