Only One I Call Home

Chapter 7 - "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you..."

Chapter 7

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

-       Ralph Waldo Emerson

January 2012:

“Well I guess this is it.” Rob smiled small. “I guess this is where we say goodbye.”

I nodded once before hugging him. “Thank you so much for everything Rob. I wouldn’t have made it very far without you. You kept me sane when I wanted to rampage.”

He chuckled and kissed my forehead. “You’re like a little sister to me, I hope you’ll visit sometime in the future.”

I sighed. “Of course I will.”

I heard footsteps jogging towards us and I turned around and opened my arms just in time for Trey to crash into them. He nuzzled his face in my neck and hugged me close. I tried to move away but he refused to let me go.

I heard Rob laughing from behind us and Trey let me go.

He wasn’t wearing his cardigan; his arms were cold and bare without it. He was clutching it in his grip tightly and eventually he handed it to me. I frowned and shook my head but he insisted.

“No, keep it please. I’ll sleep better at night knowing that you have it.” He whispered.

I smiled. “I’ll sleep better beside it.”

He sighed heavily and then grabbed my hand tight. “It’s all come so quickly. I don’t want you to leave yet.”

I nodded once. “I don’t want to leave yet.”

He hugged me with one arm and kissed my cheek. “I wrote down my phone number and email. When I get settled on the outside I’ll text you my address and you can visit or something. I don’t know we’ll work something out.”

I nodded and grinned before handing him a little piece of paper with my phone number and email. “Now you’ve got someone to use your daily phone calls on.”

He laughed and pulled me into him again. “God, I love you.”

I shifted in his arms and stood up on my tiptoes and kissed his lips one last time. “I fucking love you too.”

“Alright you two, enough is enough.” Rob smiled. “It’s time to go, Laurel.”

I nodded once and gave Trey one last squeeze before I let Rob lead me down the hall, towards the front door. I looked back when I got to the gate and waved to him. He was close to tears, I could tell. I sighed and shook my head before mouthing ‘goodbye’.

The moment I got outside there was no way of seeing inside the centre and it was like reality had slapped me in the face. Rob buckled me inside the passenger seat of his car and when he started the engine I jumped. It had been a whole year since I’d sat in a moving car. He drove out the driveway and through the electric fence and then we were on the road again, back in civilisation.

“I’m going to take you back to my place first.” He told me.

I frowned. “You mean you don’t live there?”

He rolled his eyes. “Very funny but no, I don’t. Anyway, I’ll let you get changed and all that. Prepare for the reunion.”

I groaned. “I think I like prison better.”

“You won’t be saying that when you have a glass of coffee and a piece of my famous red velvet cake.” He told me.

I forced a laugh but all I could think about was the cardigan in my hands. I brought it close to my face and breathed it in. It smelt exactly like Trey did. I wasn’t aware that he had his own scent until now. I couldn’t even describe it. It just smelt like him. Like home.