'Til I Found You - (A Nathan Sykes Love Story)

Chapter 5 - I'll Be Your Hero, Whose Standing Strong

'How could she do this to me Nath?' I sobbed into his chest. Things were how they used to be again, I'd be wrapped in his arms as he comforted me, except this time Mollie wasn't there and mum wasn't drunk, not to my knowledge anyway. 'I'm sure she has a good reason for it Frey' he whispered rubbing my back. He traced his name in my back with his finger, every now and then twirling a strand of hair around it. Since he was young, he's always had a fascination with hair, so much so that when he was eight, he decided to chop off one side of my hair and took it home for further examination using the telescope he had gotten for Christmas. Being so young, he hadn't realised that a telescope is used for examining the solar system and not strands of stolen hair. His mum wasn't very pleased when he came home with a fist full of my hair, but my 'mum' didn't seem to mind. She looked at the bright side of it and said that 'it saved money on the much needed haircut' that I was getting anyway. Of course the money saved, although it wasn't much, was used to pay off just a portion of mum’s credit card bill after a shopping spree, another dangerous habit of my 'mums.' Did I also mention that she smokes 40 cigarettes a day, and smokes an odd joint here and there. 'I'm not mad that I'm adopted, it's just she never told me. I'm 19, I'm not a child!' I said, breaking free of his grasp. 'Come here' he whispered pulling me back into his arms. ‘Oh look! There’s Freya the baby mermaid!’ he laughed pointing to a picture that had fallen loose from one of the albums. I picked it up and traced my finger over the figure that was once me. ‘Why can’t I go back to those times? The times I was carefree and happy and couldn’t give a fuck about my mother’s drinking?’ I asked sighing. ‘She must have adopted you when you were very young if she has photos of you as a baby’ he added. I cocked my head back on Nathan’s shoulder. I made kissy faces as I stared at him upside down, my head still resting on his shoulder. He leaned in and quickly pecked me on the nose.

 'How about we jump into bed with a tub of chocolate ice cream and watch....' 'Annie!' we announced in unison. Annie was my favourite film as a child. One of my well known catchphrases is 'again, again, again!' which originated from watching re-runs of the film. Annie was a bit like me. Although I have a mother, if that is her real name, I never had a father although I longed for one. I want to find him one day and my real mum seeing as though the woman I thought to be her was lying to me. The task facing me was even bigger than first estimated.

I lowered myself down onto the grass, leaving my phone behind me, instead dragging some of the bags that I had packed that morning. I had to avoid mum by all costs, knowing that at this time she was either heavily intoxicated or hung over. Thinking it over again, I returned for my phone just in case Nathan wanted to contact me. Entering the house since she threw me out almost 24 hours before hand, I tiptoed around, trying my best to be as silent as possible. I gathered some warm blankets from the hot press and some spoons from the drawer. Trying not to make any noise, I gently moved the small spoons around looking for some big ones. Unfortunately as I tried to be quiet, I was extremely noisy. The shuffling of small feet could be heard around the house and that’s when I realised that I was in trouble. As it became louder and louder, I realised the extent of her state. She dragged her feet along the timber floor, causing a thud. Doors creaked open sending me into a state of shock. I needed somewhere to hid and quick! Wrapping myself up in a tiny ball, I shoved myself in the cupboard.

It was a terrible idea! Not only had I forgotten that I was claustrophobic, but I also forgot that my phone was shoved in my pocket. She shuffled around, opening doors before slamming them with all her force. The fridge opened numerous times, no doubt to get more alcohol. Her boozy accent filled the house as she began singing a slurred melody. I put my ear closer to the cupboard door to make out the familiar tune. ‘Hand you another drink, drink it if you can’ seeped through the gap in the door, followed by the sound of a can opening. That’s when I felt it. My phone started vibrating in my pocket, before Max’s sweet voice clogged the air. ‘The sun goes down, the stars come out, and all that counts, is here and now, my universe will never be the same, I’m glad you came.’ I was incapable to remove it from my pocket, unable to see it in the dim light. The footsteps loomed and before I knew it I was staring up at her ragged face. ‘Yo-ou’ she mumbled squinting a little. She grabbed me by the collar and pulled me up the stairs. Falling on the middle step, she pulled me up the rest this time by the hair, severely cutting my legs and hands. ‘I told you last night to leave’ she spat throwing me to the floor. ‘How dare you come into my house? You are not welcome here and I told you that before. Do you not understand English you stupid little slut?! I’ve had enough of your scrawny little arse sitting on my expensive sofa all day doing fuck all! It’s time for you to take care of yourself because I’m sick of looking after you. Let’s see how you like life on the streets!’ she spat laughing smugly. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ I screamed. ‘Tell you what? That you’re an inconsiderate little good for nothing slut? I thought you knew that already?’ she laughed stuttering over her words. She took a step back, almost stumbling. ‘Why didn’t you tell me that I’m adopted? Were you ever going to tell me?’ I asked bringing up the situation even though I hadn’t planned on doing so. ‘You, you know nothing about my life. Don’t, don’t assume things before you know the facts’ she warned turning on her heels unsteadily. She slammed the door behind her, leaving me sobbing intensively on the floor. My hands began damp from the tears, my back sore from hunching over.