the new year

seventy-three

S E V E N T Y - T H R E E :
one month later. . .

It had been one whole month since David got charged for the offences he committed, one whole month of Oak finally feeling free, it was a preternatural feeling that she never thought she'd ever get to experience. Obviously, they were still waiting for his court date to get him properly sentenced but there was way too much evidence to suggest otherwise. Oak knew that whenever the day came around she'd have to testify against him and, of course, it was going to be difficult but she was now much stronger because of everyone around her, she was internally and externally grateful for them.

During this last month, it had been a whirlwind, she managed to lift this eighty-thousand-tonne weight off of her shoulders and just live. Things with Harrison were great, they still hadn't labelled what they were but they reckoned they both knew, they'd been seeing each other a lot, just to spend time with each other and talk and other things. The band had finished their debut album that they'd been working singlehandedly on for the last year and a half and had got it confirmed by their label and had gotten a suitable release date, it was the strangest feeling all four of them had ever felt, they could've never imagined this being their reality. Oak had to also, unfortunately, leave El Bessi because of their rise in 'fame', she knew it was going to have to happen one day or the other. Mattia cried, quite a lot. He threw a little farewell drinking session with all of the staff to wish the girl luck in her future, she also cried, quite a lot.

Oak had also been flat hunting for herself, she thought it was about time she left home, she was certainly old enough to do so now. Tom and her mum were slightly down about the fact that she'd be leaving, she reassured them that she was still living in Manchester and that they'd see her all the time, that eased them slightly but they were still saddened by it. Louise had offered to help her with looking for somewhere decent to live and the girl appreciated the gesture.

One month wasn't a long time, granted, but she'd managed to be able to do all of the things she wished she didn't fear as much in such a short time, she managed to be her fucking self for once and it was euphoric.

"I don't think I want a leather sofa, don't particularly like them," Oak told her, now longer-haired friend who had offered to help with the designing of Oak's soon to be flat. She wasn't going to purchase anything just yet as she hadn't got the thumbs up from the housing agency about the flat she wanted, it was a waiting game.

"I've got a leather sofa!" Elias responded with his eyebrows raised in mock offence, the cheek, Oak had told him that she liked his black leather sofa, she had said, and he quotes exactly it's very chic, it looks great--now though, she doesn't like them.

"I mean I don't like them for the appearance I want to have," She corrected herself apologetically to her friend who was elegantly sprawled out on her bed, his feet locked together in the air as the pair skimmed through housing appliances on the internet.

"You better fucking mean that you hurt me then," Elias frowned jokingly again, his eyes doing that puppy dog thing. They'd been in this position for the last half hour, just slumped about with some random snacks that the girl could find, Brandy was laying her head on Oak's back, something that she did often, she was the literal cutest.

Brandy also kept licking Elias' feet when she got the chance, he wasn't best pleased because he said the sensation was the oddest thing he'd ever felt, he also joked and said that it wasn't her job to do that, it was Lucas'; naturally, Oak was disgusted by his remark but also wasn't surprised, he probably did want Lucas to suck his toes, it was his way of showing affection, apparently.