Perfect

Chapter Forty Eight: My life is a one way ticket to 'pinch me'

"How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard?"

Chapter Forty-Eight: My life is a one-way ticket to 'pinch me'

Sunday was always my favourite day of the week.

When I was kid, it was the day that my father always had off from work and that my Mom would always make pancakes in the morning. I used to stand on a stool beside her and help her mix and stir whilst Dad danced with Sean round and round the kitchen to whatever was on the radio. It was also "Family Movie Night', where we'd take it in turns to pick out a movie and watch it on the sofa with homemade pizza in our pjs. It was always the day that I looked forward to, right up through my high school years before the accident happened.

Now, it was the day that Jayden always had off from filming or press or interviews and was the one day a week we usually had Keegan. We'd spend the day lying around the apartment, or we'd take Keegan down to the pool, or we'd make a den in the living room and spend all day watching films and eating chocolate.

"Keegan!" I called, heaving the picnic basket off the table. "Have you got the baseball? Jayden said he left it on the table for you!" Keegan went whizzing past me, ducking under my arm, and skidding to a stop beside the table. I smiled at him, ruffling his hair when he came to help me carry the basket. Jayden was out on the balcony on the phone. I could hear his voice through the glass, though I couldn't work out what he was saying. He seemed to feel me looking at him and turned his head towards me, catching my eye. He winked, which made my stomach drop down into my shoes. Ever since we'd said the 'L' word, Jayden and I had been practically fond of each other. It certainly didn't make Keegan very happy because it meant that we did the 'gross stuff' more often.

Today though, was a special day. Jayden had invited a few of our friends to go to Brax's Paradise, the little beach that he and Caleb had discovered as kids and named after Caleb's older brother. Keegan was so excited, it was almost impossible to get him to do anything. It had been a long time since he's been, and he'd never had any one to play with that wasn't Jayden. Caleb's girlfriend Rosie had a little girl and she was bringing her along. Keegan kept asking me if girls liked swimming or if they were boring like me and just wanted to talk.

Jayden shut the door to the balcony and locked it, sliding the key into his pocket.

"Are we all ready to go?"

"Yes!" Keegan raced towards the door and threw it open. "Come on come on! Let's go!" Both Jayden and I laughed. Together, we followed Keegan to the elevator, Jayden carrying the picnic basket and me the picnic rug.

"Jesse says he and Maxine will meet us there." I said, scrolling through his messages as we waited to reach the ground floor. Jayden nodded.

"Caleb and Rosie are already here. They're waiting for us out the front." I looked up into his face, He looked happy, relaxed. The usual frown lines that normally covered his forehead were gone and his eyes were smiling. It made me think back to the boy I'd first met when we were both roped into this. Angry at the world and angry at himself. Angry that people seemed to have a set vision of him that he had to live up to. Angry at the girl who came stumbling into his world completely oblivious to what she'd gotten herself into. Now, it was as though that person had vanished, replaced by a much happier person, who was happy with the work he was doing, the choices he was making and thankfully, with the girl who seemed to have finally found her feet. I reached out and took hold of his hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Let's go, then shall we?"

* * *

Keegan was allowed to pick the music and we spent most of the car ride to the beach listening to a noisy rap artist who's words I couldn't understand. I was in the back with Jayden and Rosie's little girl Abby was sitting right in the back with Keegan. Keegan was playing the drums on his knees, bobbing his head up and down to the insane beat. Jayden was laughing, looking over his shoulder at his baby brother. It made me sad for a few moments, wishing my brother could be here to share in one of the happiest moments of my life.