Forked Roads Back

14 - ARCHIE

IT'S BEEN A LITTLE over a week since that dream, and seeing as Christmas is now just around the corner, I've thrown myself into making the flat as Christmassy as I can... mostly for the distraction.

Today is always the worst day. It's Matt and Tessa's birthday today - they're twentieth birthday - and to be honest I can already tell it's going to be a bad day, since it's storming outside, and that it's nearly one in the afternoon and I'm still in bed. I don't have the energy to think about anything, or do anything.

I lie in bed for another half an hour, listening to the sound of silence, when I hear my phone buzzing from across the other side of my room.

I lift my head up and groan, not wanting to get out of bed. But it's buzzing like crazy, so I can only imagine it's Millie sending me instructions for airport pick-ups next week.

That was one piece of good news that came this week. Millie's exams are all finished, so she'll be heading over here in a couple of days time to spend Christmas with me. I had been resigned to be on my own, but then when she texted me, I was immensely relieved. The thought of spending Christmas on my own - despite being resigned to it - made me feel even more alone than I ever had. But as Millie was coming, I'd decided to go all out, seeing as last Christmas we didn't even have a tree.

The apartment is decked in decorations. I'd bought every kind of Christmas light available, hanging them up all over the living room and kitchen, as well as on the balcony. There is a huge tree in the living room, which is nearly two feet taller than me. That's the only thing in the whole apartment I haven't decorated - because Millie made me promise - but the rest of it is decked head to toe in Christmas.

As my phone keeps buzzing, I pull my pillow over my head for a moment before sitting up properly. I feel devoid of energy, so before tackling Millie's list of things to do, I decide breakfast and coffee is needed first.

With one last sigh and a yawn, I swing my legs over the side of my bed and finally get up and leave my room.

As I walk across my apartment to the kitchen, the bones in my legs and my ankles click numerous times, as well as me aching all over from my physical therapy session and as I lean down to inspect what food I have in my fridge, my back clicks too.

"Jesus," I say out loud, groaning as I stand up.

I had one more month of physical therapy left and I was glad of it. Despite only using basic machines, with weights I would have been able to do in my sleep back in school, after coming back from a separated shoulder and four leg surgeries, it takes time.

To take my mind off the fact Millie might not have been coming, I did extra sessions too, to show her how far I'd come. And as my back clicks again as I sit down, I'm starting to think maybe I'd taken it a little too far.

As I pour myself a bowl of granola - which seemed to be the only cereal left in my cupboard since it had been a while since I'd gone shopping - I can still hear my phone buzzing in the other room.

I walk over with my bowl and swipe away Millie's messages without reading them, sticking my phone in my pocket before going back to my cereal. It was probably her ringing over and over about all the Christmas decorations she wants me to get, despite me already putting everything up. Christmas is still a big deal to her, and I don't want to take that away from her. And I'm thinking, maybe some of that Christmas spirit will rub off on me eventually.

My phone is buzzing in my pocket non-stop. "Christ, what the hell is going on with my phone!" I mumble to myself.

I look at my phone and it seems I've missed nearly sixty-five phone calls from Millie, which was a bit intense. She had been known to butt dial me, as I'm on speed-dial one, but I had a horrible feeling this one wasn't a butt dial.