Forked Roads Back

108 - ARCHIE

THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES feel like the longest in my life.

Ignoring the storm, I shoot down the road and wait for an agonising twenty seconds as the gates open before I can pelt down the driveway.

"Please be okay, please be okay," I mutter to myself as I stop engine, grab my stuff and dash into the house, running straight into the kitchen. "Tessa?" I call

Panic is pressing against my chest as I skid to a stop in the kitchen. I hear a few footsteps behind me and I whirl round to see Millie, who is trying to hold back tears.

"Millie, where is she?" I ask breathlessly.

She points towards the living room, where she's just come from, and I don't say anything as I run as fast as I can to find her.

When I turn the corner, my heart breaks into a thousand pieces.

She's sitting in the corner of the big sofa. She's absolutely soaked, and she's curled herself up into a tight ball, hugging her knees to her chest. She's pale as a sheet, wearing only a t-shirt and jeans, visibly shivering, her wet hair dripping down her. Her eyes are closed, and she hasn't seen me come in, so when I come to a stop in front of her, she flinches.

"Tess?" I whisper, my heart breaking for a second time in so many minutes.

She hears my voice and opens her eyes, fresh tears starting down her cheeks. She pulls herself into a tighter ball, but she at least lets me come closer.

Kneeling in front of her, I see a black bag on the floor, and when I look into the opening, I see some clothes, a stuffed teddy and two broken photo frames. But I ignore that for now, all I care about is her.

"Tess?" I whisper again and she lifts her head.

I don't touch her, not right away, but tears come to my eyes as I look at hers. They're devoid of brightness, and that spark I love so much has completely gone. Emptiness is radiating off her, and I want nothing more than to hold her in my arms.

Lowering so my eyes on her level, she slowly tips her head up to me. I put my hand on her knee, a soft touch, telling her that I was here, and that I can give her whatever she needs.

For a split second, I realise this is probably what she looked like all those years ago, but I push that out of my mind as I reach out my other hand to stroke her cheek, catching as many tears as I can.

"What do you need?" I ask, my eyes holding hers for a moment before she closes them, fresh sobs wracking through her, so painful that she starts shaking further.

I want, so badly, to ignite that spark in her, to see that beautiful light that radiates behind her green eyes. I want to hear her laugh, to see her smile. But right now, I need to prioritise getting her warm.

"Tess, I'm here," I tell her, rubbing a hand over her leg, back and forth, to try and warm her up a bit. I'm worrying she won't come back to me, but after a few more minutes, her head lifts again.

"Archie."

It's so quiet, I would have missed it if I hadn't been looking at her. She holds her head up for a second, but I don't need to look at her to know she's too exhausted to hold her head up. She puts her head back onto her knees, but she moves her hand on top of mine.

Her hands are like ice, so I kneel up off the floor and scoop her up into my arms.

"Come on. ,Tess, let's get you warm and into some dry clothes."

She barely moves as I hold her close, her head resting against my shoulder and chin, and I try to control my own tears as she shakes in my arms.

Still curled into a ball, as we walk up the stairs, she relaxes very slightly. She's absolutely freezing, so I walk straight into the shower, turning it on, moving out of the stream of water until the room fills with steam. Keeping her in my arms, I sit down, holding her in my lap.