A Silhouette and Maybe More

Unexpected Welcome

Walking through my front door never seemed so unfamiliar, I had been cooped up in Dan's house for almost 3 weeks and I can't even remember what it feels like walking into my own house. That cinnamon smell welcomed me back into the place I grew up. I did miss home. As my mum closed the door behind us my dad came rushing down the stairs desperate to see me and to see that I was safe.

"Hi dad." I said, my voice almost completely disappearing. Like always, he welcomed me with open arms kissing my head.

"I'm so glad you're safe, I was so worried about you."

His touching words caused my throat to tense up, I am not crying they're just my parents. Even though I was already part of adulthood they still treated me as though I was a child that constantly had to be under supervision, I wanted that freedom of being able to look after myself, but I can't blame them, I would probably be the same for my child, any parent would. My father disappeared into the kitchen making me a cup of tea as a celebration of my arrival, I patiently waited in the lounge with my mum while she sat across from me staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Do you think I wouldn't notice?" Her voice was stern but quiet, like she was making sure that my dad couldn't hear. "That boy you were with, he's a murderer Amelia how stupid can you get!"

Well this was a change of mood.

"Mum, he's not like that-" I tried to explain however she interrupted me, like every mother would when their child tries to explain themselves.

"I'm just trying to look out for you! What would your dad think? He's been looking for him for weeks. Is he your friend? Is he that friend you've been staying with? Amelia do you know how dangerous that man is? He's killed someone!"

"Mum! Just for once listen. You don't know his story, you can't even begin to judge him."

"All I know that he's killed an innocent man and that's all I need to know."

I guess my mum is who I get my quick judging from.

"Well if you knew him then you would've known that that 'innocent man' wasn't so innocent."

My mum was silent, she wasn't sure how to respond and knew that I had the upper hand of the argument. Just as my dad walked through the door I stormed past him lightly brushing his shoulder almost spilling the tea, and up to my plain and dull room that has been the same since I was 13. That was it, I knew from that moment on that my mum would tell my dad about Dan, I was in a dead end dilemma.

All I could think about was Dan. What if the police turned up at his house exactly after I returned home? He would think that I had confessed causing utter betrayal and hatred, something I desperately didn't want, I loved him too much for him to hate me.
I needed to tell him...wait, what's in my back pocket?

I pulled out a small folded up piece of paper that revealed to have numbers on it along with a scribbled line of writing.

"Don't forget me, I'll be alone if you do." I read aloud, this was his phone number. The comfort of being relieved came my way, thank goodness. With my phone in my hands, my thumbs danced at record breaking speed across my screen.

'Dan, please be careful. My mum knows, I didn't tell her I promise she recognised you, they're looking everywhere for you. Stay safe.'

I got nothing after that. Not a single notification that he had read it, or that he'd even given me the right number. Slowly as the hours past I was beginning to lose hope on Dan. I couldn't bare the thought that the police might've already found him, I wouldn't be able to see him if they had, I would be bound to these four walls to make sure that I would never be able to see him again.
That night had been the worst nights sleep I've ever had, constantly restless and troubled-minded. His absence had a massive impact on the way I acted, thought and felt. It was simple, I couldn't live without him.
---------------------------------------
Like I had predicted, things went back to normal just months after I came back. Since then, Dan still hadn't contacted me. I spent my days religiously checking my phone for something I knew wasn't going to be there, it soon became a bad habit and I couldn't go anywhere without my phone, paranoid that he would call me and that I'd miss it. My mum did end up telling my dad and he did not take it well. We had fallen out because I refused to tell him where Dan was, one reason being that I didn't actually know where he was, I only had an idea of where he could be, but I still wasn't going to tell him where his house was situated. I made an oath that was completely unbreakable and I would never in a million years begin to think of breaking it.

Three months past within a blink of an eye despite the - what seemed like ever lasting - boring days where I would do absolutely nothing but keeping an eye on my phone. Every night when my dad came in from work, I was terrified that he would come in claiming that he'd found him but fortunately Dan was still missing. I lay on my bed listening to the music that played from my speakers, suddenly the volume dropped, something I recognised as a sign that I had a new message...could it be?

'I'm sorry.'

Sorry? What for? Has something bad happened? After three months of complete neglect and ignorance he finally texts me this? I needed to know what he was sorry for, I needed to know that Dan was safe.

'What for?'

Then that sentence popped up on my screen.

Number not recognised.