Streaks of Silver 《On-hold/Slow Updates》

Chapter 6: Who knew ice cream could leave such a bitter taste in your mouth...

#I updated on time - yay😅😂. Please enjoy this chapter. It's the first chapter in Maia's perspective so I hope you like it. Please comment if you do. Also thanks for voting you know who you are 😆😉. I'll try to keep updating on weekends, but if I can update sooner then I will. #

Maia POV

In the comfort of the back seat I was beginning to develop an unhealthy appreciation for leather. In the snippets of conversation in this riveting car journey, Tyler had told me that he had recently refurnished the insides of his blue Volvo with leather seat covers. Interesting fact, these were the comfiest seats I had ever sat on. The comfort alone was enough to distract me from the suffocating awkward bubble this car ride had turned into. The destination wasn't exactly enthralling either. Hospitals still made me nauseous and just the thought of everything that went down there, my brother included, was enough to cause an emotional whirlwind to rage in my stomach.

It turned out, my plan to play cupid, went awry. Shakespeare should've sent me a heads up; that the making of epic love stories was a lot harder than it looked. The whole car ride was filled with a sullen silence that hung in the air. Not even Taylor Swift could break the quietness.

So I resigned myself to staring outside of the window at the quaint little cottages in nearby villages and cul-de-sac's. We passed sweet little town houses with families mulling about. Probably preparing for their succulent Sunday roast dinner. And the petite, wistful old ladies patiently waiting on the bench for their buses to arrive. Ticket in hand as they elegantly pinch it with their long protruding finger nails. I liked people-watching, glimpsing into the little pockets of people's lives. The sight of a little girl clutching her father's pinkie, as they pranced down the pavement, helped me forget my own pain. My own loses.

Nathaniel was the only family I'd known for the last few remaining years of my teenage life. With him gone it felt like a gaping cavity in my chest that never seemed to heal. I missed him every day and would miss his boisterous nature for the rest of my life. It was the little things that hurt the most. Never seeing his cheeky grin when I ate my rice Krispies in the morning. Or his annoying, but adorable over protectiveness. Nathaniel might've seemed like a Rottweiler on the outside, but on the inside he was a soft cuddly teddy bear. You just needed to break through the cracks in his walls built from years of self-preservation and defiance.

***

The car lurched forward and I was flung with it bracing myself on the back of Cassie's chair; with my seatbelt saving me from hitting it full force. I heard Tyler say some very colourful curses that would've made Nathaniel proud as we encountered bouts of traffic. Tyler did learn from the best. The cars spewed out of the hospital's car park. It looked as if we'd hit peak visiting times at the hospital. The muffins Cassie's dad and Patrick her little brother had made, survived the harsh jolt. Only because I'd wedged them in a tight gap between my shins and the back of Cassie's seat. I picked the basket back up and gently placed it on my lap.

"Sorry, are you guys okay?" Tyler asked with a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, a little shook up, but we're fine aren't we Cassie?" I said nodding and giving Cassie my Cheshire-cat smile as she stared out the car window.

"Uh-yeah totally. Don't worry about us." Cassie said turning a light shade of pink; a stark contrast to her sunlight waves.

***

It took us a whole hour for the cars to dwindle down to a small trickle and we were parked soon enough. Due to Tyler's punctual timing we still managed to be on time to pick up Cory.
When we finally arrived Cory's dad was already in the reception signing forms. His grey and brown streaked hair falling over his forehead. As he brushed it out of his eyes with his slender, but hairy fingers. The brown stubble on his chin and his silver fox sideburns only added to his mysterious wolverine vibe he had going on. With his fair hair and crystal blue eyes, he looked so much like his son. Almost as if he was a mirror image.