The boy who broke me

28.

My feet pound against the familiar gravel road for the last time.

After Ryan and i leave for college, moms moving into a smaller place because she doesn't need such a big place all to herself.

She's not selling it yet, she says it holds too many memories to just put in the market amongst a million other houses. Neither Ryan and I disagreed, we grew up in this house. It's the place that holds the most of dad.

I run around the block and then make my way back home to help pack the last of our things into the car. The sky is grey and gloomy but kind of beautiful in its own way.

I place my last box into the back of my car, the boys and I decided that we'd go in two cars and not have to drive twice. Addy would drive with me since her parents already had a moving truck take her things over earlier today.

"You got everything ?" Shane asks.
"I think so." I nod, mentally ticking off everything I had to remember.
"Well if we forgot something, it's only a hours drive."
"I guess." I say, not ready to leave yet.

"Hey. The house will always be here. It's not moving." He says and pulls me into a side hug.
"Yeah. But we are." I sigh.
"Sorry Ry." He squeezes me one last time before heading back into the house.

I sit down underneath our tree and take it all in for the last time. Mom buried dad's ashes in with the roots of this tree when she planted it in his memory so that he and the tree would grow together and ever since then I've kind of had a soft spot for a tree. Maybe it's weird but it's also something resembling dad.

"HONEY ?" Mom calls.
"OVER HERE MOM."
"Here you are sweetheart." She sighs and sits next to me.
"I thought I'd say bye to dad."
"Oh honey, you're not leaving forever. You can always come back."

"I know. But it wouldn't feel right not to say bye."
"I get it, I can't let a day go by without having a morning coffee right here."
"I'm going to miss you so much mom."
"I'll miss you too, my Rylin."

Ryan comes up and pulls us both into his arms at once.

"Oh, I'm going to miss both my babies." Mom sniffs.
"Those are some pretty big babies mom." Ryan laughs.
"Oh come on. You so are a baby." I laugh.
"Am not." Ryan whines.
Mom laughs and kisses both of our cheeks before she says her final goodbye and heads off to work.
•••

"So I'll sleep over at least twice a week and help you with your studies as much as I can." Addy says, planning out how the next four years of our lives are going to work out.

"That sounds great Ad."

"And I'll be doing my courses for the cooking and hostess type of thing."

"You're really going to do it. My best friends going to run a hotel."
"You're best friend is going to try and run a hotel." She laughs.
"And this is what you want ?" I ask.

"It's been my dream. I always used to dress up in my moms high heels and my church dresses and walk around the hotel and talk to the guests in my best posh British accent." She laughs.
"It's always been meant to be." I say and smile at her.
"Yeah." She sighs.

I drop Addy off at the hotel and promise to help her unpack as soon as I've got my own things sorted. My apartment is on the ground floor of the building and the boys are right next door.

"We'll help you unpack, that way it'll go quicker." Ryan says as he places a box into the room that will end up being my bedroom. A part of dad's gift was that he furnished each of the apartments especially for the two of us.

"Thanks." I say.

We unpack most of the boxes and then move onto the boys. We get most of it done before Ryan turns to me and asks a question that stuns me.