Alleyways - The Neighbourhood
Nicole hadn't slept at all that night. She knew that if she was to disregard her morning routine, her sleeping cycle would be effected largely. So at six thirty in the morning, Nicole left Nathan to rest and decided to go on a walk along the beach. It wasn't everyday that she woke up in a beach house, so she thought to make the most of it. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she could breathe again; the air was clean, the constant beeping of cars Nicole had grown used to had finally left her ears.
Nicole thought she would be alone for a few moments, though shortly after into leaving the house, she had already caught someone's attention. 'I'm presuming you're Nath's lady friend.' Though the voice had been calm and content, it had startled Nicole greatly. The man had come up from behind Nicole, dressed in a tank top and sports shorts. His build and facial structure instantly reminded her of Nathan, though he was a little taller.
'I'm presuming you're big brother Luke.'
'I saw you sneak out the back,' he told her as they walked down the beach together, pebbles moving beneath their feat. 'He's really gone beyond his league, how long you been dating?'
'Not long, we actually had our first date yesterday.'
'And he brought you home already? Wow.' Nicole furred her eyebrows together, confused by Luke's whole demeanour. 'It's a good thing, I think. How did you meet?'
The two chatted casually for a while, sitting down at the shoreline at one point. Nicole decided that she quite liked Luke, he seemed intelligent and easy going. She didn't get what Nathan had meant when he had called his brother a hard ass until the reason why the family had gathered arose.
'I'm glad he's dead.' Luke had stated boldly, looking out for Nicole's reaction, though there was a lack of one. She was simply listening as she watched the water ripple in front of them. 'He was a corporate prick who only ever cared about himself, abusive twat.'
'Is Nathan good at dealing with shit like this?'
'I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm kind of worried about how he's gonna deal with this. He's never really been one to talk about things that affect him, he's always kept to himself. Like when he left Brighton for the first time for uni. I don't know what happened, but the boy was a mess; he had these massive bags under his eyes and was skinnier than ever. Whenever I tried to bring it up, he shrugged it off. Sure, he got better, but he's carrying that shit with him. He's going to do the same thing with this,' Nicole's eyes had finally diverted from the waves and were looking directly at Luke, who was doing the same thing. 'You two must be pretty close if he brought you back here, try talking to him. You could get through to him.'
~
Nicole's mind couldn't let go of the words that Luke had spoken. They played on a loop in the back of her head throughout the whole time that Luke and her sat at the breakfast table with bowls of Frosties. She had never assumed that Nathan was pain free, but she had also never taken him as the silent struggle type. The two had more in common than she had initially thought.
Nathan was awake when Nicole returned to the room. He was lying chest down on the bed, the duvet reaching his lower back, his arms crossed underneath a pillow with his face facing the doorway. His eyes seemed dim, his face expressionless, though his manner altered to become slightly more like the Nathan Nicole knew when she walked in.
'You never told me you speak Spanish.' His tone was playful.
'Did I forget to mention that I, a tall brown girl with a slight temper, am Mexican?' Nicole closed the door behind her before sitting down on the floor next to the bed, just in front of the wall. 'To be fair, we are quite the rarity here in Britain.'
