Payton’s POV
Just as I closed the front door, there was a knock on it from the other side. Peering through the peephole, I saw Dylan stood there, with a worried look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, opening the door. I’d only just closed the door, what could be so important?
“I j-just…” he stammered. “I just wanted to make sure you were going to be okay. I never asked. You’re a little drunk and I’m not sure you should be left on your own.”
He was looking down at the floor again, looking more nervous than when he was in my car the other day. If that was even possible. I thought about it for a moment before opening the door a little further to let him pass.
“Do you want some coffee?” I asked, conscious of him staring at me. I don’t think he expected me to let him in after that little moment outside. My mind was debating with itself whether I should let him in, but in my heart, I just felt like I should. So I did. He was just caring. We could have a couple of coffees and sober up and then he could leave and go back to his Grandparents’.
“Yeah, sure.” He replied, and continued. “I just want to make sure you’re okay, you’re-“
“Drunk and you don’t think I should be left alone, right?” I asked.
Who was he trying to convince? Me or himself?
“I get it. I'm drunk. Stay if you must” I told him, in a slightly acidic tone of voice. He looked shocked at the way I’d spoken to him. He wasn’t used to that. I’d only taken on the sarcastic tendencies since he left, he never saw that before. Did he really expect to come back and find the same Casey he left 8 years ago? I was never going to be the same person; too much had happened for me to be the same person I was back then.
“Sorry” I mumbled, passing him a mug with some coffee in it and walking through to the lounge to place mine on the coffee table. “I’m just tired” I said, flopping back onto the sofa. I sat there for a moment thinking of the first couple of days after Dylan had left.
“Come on, Casey, you need to go to school” Mum said, banging on my bedroom door.
“I’m not going” I shouted back to her, tears threatening to fall each time I thought of school. I wasn’t ever going back to school if Dylan wasn’t around to take me. He’d always wait for me on a morning and take me to school. He went to the sixth form in the school, so we could spend another couple of years together at school, and then next year, when school ends, we were both going to college together. If Dylan wasn’t there, I wouldn’t be doing anything ever again! I had it all planned out down to the tiniest details. I’d stay in the house forever. I didn’t ever need to leave. I didn’t even need to leave to shop. There was internet shopping. I could do it online.
I heard a sigh from the other side of the door. “Fine, Casey. Ruin your life.” Mum said, angrily. “Do you think this is what Dylan would want you to be doing? Do you really think he’d want you to be sat here all day pining over him? Because I don’t, Casey. He’d want you to be happy.”
“I’ll NEVER be happy” I snapped, “I want Dylan and only Dylan! If I can’t have him, I don’t want anyone else!” and turned my music on full blast, to drown out her voice.
“Penny for them?” Dylan asked, watching me, closely. I looked at him, confused for a second, wondering what he was talking about.
“Huh?” I asked, staring blankly across the room.
“You’ve been sat there for the last 10 minutes, with several expressions on your face. One minute, it was sadness, and then it was anger. When do you get to the happy part?” He asked, jokingly.
“Oh, sorry” I apologised. “Do you want to watch a film?”’
“Am I that boring?” he asked.
I’m sure it was a rhetorical question, but I answered it anyway “Slightly”
Dylan shifted in the chair, looking uncomfortable. “Uh, ok, which film do you want to watch?” he asked, getting up to look through our DVD collection. “What about…” he began, flicking through the DVDs.
“Texas Chainsaw Massacre?” he asked, holding up the case and grinning.
My eyes widened. “That’s Nathan’s” I whispered. “I’ve never seen it.”
He put it in the DVD player and sat down next to me. Dylan knew I didn’t like scary movies. He used to put them on when we were together and I’d scream the house down, practically jumping on top of him. As the movie started, I snuggled into him and closed my eyes. If he wanted to watch it, then fine, he could. But I wasn’t. Every so often there were screams and people shouting, but I tried to ignore them, just burying my face into Dylan’s body, just willing it to end. About half way through, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer and putting his chin on my head, watching the film over me.
I woke up in the morning and Dylan was asleep. He must have fallen asleep whilst the film was on because the TV was on standby. I got up and made my way to the kitchen, made myself a coffee and sat at the Dining table.
After 2 weeks of procrastinating in my room, barely leaving my bed, I’d been physically dragged out of the house. My brother, Benny had knocked down my bedroom door, before picking me up, kicking and screaming and placing me on the front lawn.
“What the hell was that for?!” I screamed in his face. “Do that again and I’ll knock your fucking head off” I spat.
“I’d like to see you try” he warned. “You’ll barely scratch me”. Ok, maybe he was right, I wouldn’t be able to knock him out, but he’d certainly regret it if he did it again.
“When I said I wasn’t leaving the house, I meant it” I shouted. “This place doesn’t feel right without Dylan here.”
“it may not feel right without him, but you’re going to have to get used to it, Case, he’s not coming back!” he said through gritted teeth.
I suddenly felt anger wash over me. How dare he say that the love of my life was never coming back? He’d come back one day, I knew he would. I swung my arm back and went to punch him, but he ducked, so I kneed him in the balls. As he was gasping for breath, I pushed him over and got on top of him, straddling him and hit him over and over and over.
“Case!” he shouted at me as I hit him again. “Stop it” he winced. He rolled over and pinned me to the floor by my arms, so I couldn’t move. “Stop it, come on.” He soothed. “I know you loved him, but you can’t spend the rest of your life like this, you have to let go and move on”
I let my head hit the floor. “It’s too late.” I cried. I’m never going to be able to get him out of my head now” Benny got off me and sat next to me and I curled up into a ball on the lawn.
“What do you mean, it’s too late?”
“Hey” I heard a voice from behind me and jumped slightly.
“Hey, Dylan,”
“How long have you been awake?” he asked, mid yawn.
“About half an hour. Do you want something to eat?” I asked, getting up out of the chair, and pouring my untouched coffee down the sink.
“No, I’d best get off before Nathan comes back, eh?” he smiled. I loved that smile.
"Ok" I whispered, not really wanting him to go.
“Um, if you need me…” he trailed off, as he handed me a piece of paper.
I nodded. “Thanks.”
As I unlocked the door for him to leave, he bent over to kiss me on the cheek and walked away. I shut the door behind him and burst into tears.
.
YOU ARE READING
Lost Souls (Completed)
RomanceThe day Dylan moved away with his family and left Casey behind was the worst day of Casey's life. But now, Dylan's back. And he just can't get Casey out of his head. But does she want anything to do with the man that left her 8 years ago. And what's...
