Coming Home (A Ricky Wilson Fanfic)

Chapter 42.

The rest of the day I helped Jaime unpack. As night fell, we finally had emptied all the boxes. We were both knackered and decided to order some Nando's. We sat at the table eating our chicken in silence. Jaime didn't eat much, most of the time she was picking at her food with her fork. "What's the matter?" I asked her once I had finished my dinner. Jaime looked up with a sad look on her face. "Now that I'm here, I'm going to have to face Ben. I can't keep hiding from him forever." I was surprised when she brought up Ben. We hadn't talked about him ever since I asked her about the phone call. "I'm just not sure if I'm ready." she continued. "What if he doesn't want to see me? What if I choke again?" she buried her face in her hands and I leaned forward putting my elbows on the table. "What if he does? What if you don't?" I asked. She let her hands fall onto her lap and looked me straight into my eyes. "Oh, I don't know!" she almost yelled. It was then that I made the decision for her. "You know what? Tomorrow we'll go to Ben's Bar together. I won't take no for an answer." Jaime stared at me, her eyes widened in fear. "But..." "No buts, I'll see you tomorrow." I said my goodbyes and left a startled Jaime behind.

The following day I went to pick up Jaime. It took a while for her to open the door and I almost thought she'd chickened out. "You ready?" I questioned. "No not yet, come in." I closed the door behind me and made my way into the living room. Jaime looked as if she had a rough night. Her eyes were slightly swollen and her hair was greasy from sweating, as if she had worked out for hours. "I'm going to get ready. You can wait here if you like" she said. I nodded and turned towards the kitchen to grab a glass of water. The plates and take-out boxes from last night hadn't been touched. I threw away the boxes and washed up. After I had drunk my glass of water I walked back to the living room to see if Jaime was ready to go. She hadn't come out of the bedroom yet, so I knocked on her door. I heard the sound of her rummaging around. "Jaime?" I hesitated to open the door. A second before turning the knob she came rushing out the room. "I'm sorry, let's go." She said. I had a feeling Jaime wasn't her usual self today.

Standing in front of Ben's Bar, I glanced over at Jaime who stood next to me. She seemed fine, but I knew that on the inside she must have been terrified to face the man who had always been like a father to her. Suddenly she turned around and walked away. "Woah there! Where are you going?" I quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "Let me go, Ricky! This was a bad idea!" she exclaimed, struggling to get out of my grip. "Jaime, look at me." I softly said to her. Reluctantly her eyes met mine. My heart skipped a beat. "You can do this, I believe in you." She held her gaze for a few seconds and finally slowly nodded her head. She sighed and we made our way to the door, me still holding onto her wrist to make sure she wouldn't back out again. I let her enter the pub in front of me and followed soon after.

Author's note.

Hi! Already 42 chapters long and still going strong! I haven't done an author's note ever, so I'm not quite sure what to write. First of all, thank you to all who have read and/or are still reading. It means a lot, that at least one person is enjoying my first attempt at writing. I'd love to hear from all of you and what your thoughts are. Please feel free to comment, vote and share your ideas or questions with me. :)

xxx Sabine.