ALONE

-TWENTY ONE-

Speeding to the door with Cheeto on her heels, she unlocked it to Rey's face. "Hi." He said with a smile.

"Hey?" She retuned quizzically locking it behind him.

He took his shoes off and set his jacket on the bench. "So did you get your dad's note?" He ran a hand threw his golden hair.

She nodded crossing her arms over her chest. They walked into the kitchen and he sat at a chair at the island. Mea stirred the pot in two ways. "So un, not that I don't like it, but why are you here? And how did you know about the note.."

He sighed. "I'm here because your dad called me and asked me to tell you."

She nodded. Entirely confused, but immensely intrigued and worried.

He pulled out a dogeared, folded paper and began to scan and read it to her. He'd read it many times already, she could tell.

"Your dad explained to me that he likes me. He wants me in your life, and he also told me about your families situation. He wants you to know he flew out for business this afternoon. He is selling this house and signing for the divorce. He said he loves you and he'll see you in two to three weeks. He also says he bought you small house downtown and asked me to take you there. Its stocked with food and your furniture. All the bills are being sent to him. You need to be moved out by tomorrow night, and to take and leave whatever you want. Theres also a specific book you need to take with you. He left it on his nightstand." Rey looked up at her, and his face broke.

Mea had slid down to the floor and was crying a river. Mea finally broke. All that happened hit her like a semi and it wasn't at all what Rey wanted. "Hey know," he cooed gently sliding down next to her. He wrapped his strong arms around her and whipped her tears away with hid thumb. "Lets move you out tonight ok?"

She exhaled and agreed, feeling sick to even be in the house.

Mea told Rey he could fill a plate with dinner and to come up when he was done. In all honesty, she just wanted some time to herself to cry. She closed her sisters door and her parents door, and walked into her room. The first thing she saw was a note, another from her dad and that the furniture was gone. It said that he'd moved it so there would be less work. There was still plenty.

Mea put on a gloomy record and played it quietly. Turning around slowly, she tied her hair into a bun. "Time to pack." she said softly as a few tears left rivers down her cheeks.

Mea started by pulling some boxes out of the hall closet and filling one with her pictures and lights along with her art supplies. She filled another with her clothes and sheets, and another with shoes. Then she took a deep breath. And another one.

She walked over to the one shelf in her room and pushed off every ornament watching each fall and shatter. It felt good.

"What was... Never mind." Rey said in her doorway. He had rosy cheeks and the light shaun in his eyes and made them sparkle. Mea noticed how foolish she must look and crossed her arms turning to her books and records.

"Sorry." She said to the floors as she heaved them all into the last of the boxes. "I don't know what I was thinking."

He knelt down and crossed his legs looking at her. Mea felt his eyes on her and the heat in her already flushed cheeks. She could hear the light buzz as the filament burned. Heard the way the wind blew against the house as though it was whistling its song. And noticed how empty the room felt and how full she felt at that moment. Then It happened. And it was perfect.

Rey leaned into her, his sent musky as his breath mingled with hers. Her heart thumped in her chest as she pulled nervously at her sleeves, and he smiled at her. She couldn't meet his eyes, those bluer than blue eyes. But he lifted her chin and she had no choice but to stare at them. He gaze trailed to his lips and they formed a perfectly imperfect smile. He was so close she could have easily counted his eyelashes, or notice the way his eyes had grey dots in them. An then he kissed her. His lips soft against hers, almost like a whispered promise. A promise of somebody to be there for her. And she held onto the promise.

Then he began to laugh and she blushed. She went back to the records and the books and the boxes, and Rey caught her arm, "Im sorry I laughed, but you are just so beautiful."

Now Mea laughed.

As they filled the car with the last of her things, she hugged Rey. "Thank you." She said into his shoulder. He nodded opening her door for her.

As they pulled into the driveway of a small house silhouette, Mea noticed that the house was were he father and her used to drive by all the time. The kelly green paint was peeling slightly, and the roof desperately needed to be redone. The curtains were falling off their poles, and the door screamed to be repainted.

"Ill help fix it up?" Rey offered. "We have next week off for the teachers convention."

Mea nodded, unbuckling her seatbelt and heading up to the door. The metal burned cold in her hand and creaked as it turned. Stepping in she found the lights and flicked them on.

Her small yellow couch was sitting in the front room on a beige hardwood that seemed to be everywhere in the house. Her mattress was set with her bed frame and A small tv sat with an antique table. A tiny wall cut out lead into a small kitchen with a couple of mismatched chairs and an old table that needed some love. A screen door looked out onto a minuscule backyard. There was one set of stairs that went up to one room that appeared to be the the attic. Mea would use it as her room. The washroom was extra small and sat next to the base of the stairs. Overall, she really did like it.

"Not bad hey?" Rey said resting his arm over her shoulders. She looked and noticed that he'd brought in all the boxes already. She looked up to his eyes and saw the concern and smiled. Somebody actually cared.Mea reached around him into a hug, and thanked him again. "So want to just crash on my couch an we can get started unpacking another day?"

Mea agreed.