When We Were Young - George Daniel

CHAPTER FOURTEEN (her explosion)

August, 2009

I knew it was him the second that I saw him. His long legs bent up in an attempt to create room for pedestrians but failing miserably. A cigarette between his lips and a mopey look on his gorgeous face. He looked different, yet still the same. His hair longer and still fairly shaggy around his face. It seemed darker now.

I walked up to him slowly, wearing a huge smile on my face. I wanted to surprise him but I was sure that he'd notice me before I could.

He had his head leaning against the bricks of some house as he looked up at the sky and I wondered what he was thinking about. I hoped it was me.

I stood next to him, watching, waiting.

"Do you mind?"

"Not at all," I spoke with a smile.

Our eyes made contact not a second later and a look appeared on his face like he'd just seen the birth of Christ.

"EVIE!" He yelped, jumping up so fast and enveloping me in a bone crushing hug. "What the fuck!?" He was laughing in shock as he squeezed me and I squeezed him right back.

"What are you doing here!?" He screeched as he put my feet back on the ground.

"I'm home! I graduated last week," I told him happily.

"Fucking hell," he scratched his head in shock. "Y-you," he looked me up and down and I suddenly felt self conscious. I didn't feel I looked the best right now, obviously I wasn't expecting to see him and if I had I certainly would have put more effort into my appearance.

"You look beautiful," he finished, his voice returning to it's normal, actually deeper, level.

"Thanks Georgie, you look not so bad yourself," I retorted.

My crappy day had suddenly turned into the best day I'd had for as long as I could remember. George and I walked along towards his house talking non stop. He was so much more mature now, so handsome, so tall. I couldn't believe it.

"Home mum," George called as we walked into his house. I'd only been here once before I moved away so I didn't remember an awful lot about it.

"Hi honey!" Amanda called back, coming into view and spotting me. "Whose your friend?" She asked George with a friendly smile at me. No wonder she didn't remember me, it had been five years.

"Mum, it's Evie!" George spoke happily, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me into him.

I giggled nervously. "Hi Amanda."

"Oh Evie! My God! Look at you!" Amanda shrieked. She ran over embracing me into a hug similar to the one her son gave me not thirty minutes ago. "You are stunning my love!"

"Oh, thank you," I smiled awkwardly. Damn all these compliments I had no idea what to do with them. Amanda stood back looking at the two of us. "I'm so glad you've come home, George missed you terribly."

"Mum.."George whined. "Enough, we're gonna go catch up in my room." 

Amanda pressed her hands together in a prayer like formation under her chin smiling happily. "I'm just so happy for you two. If you need anything, just call out!"

"Okay mum," George groaned as he put his hand on the small of my back and led me up the stairs to his bedroom.

"Sorry, she's quite excitable," George said as he closed the door.

"It's alright, she's so lovely!" I picked up a record on his desk, looking it over. "Fleetwood Mac, I love them."

"You do?"