Touch The Sky | ✓

Nine

Much to my disappointment, Terry doesn't come with me back home. My worry about him has only increased in the last week, because he seems so distracted and just... not okay. The feeling that he's hiding something from me just won't go away.

Not only that, but Rose is still acting weird, too. The pair of them, actually, seem to be very distant. She won't open up about anything that's going on, although I often see the worry plastered on her face. Many times, she's been coming back late and going out to do things or 'see family', which would be fair enough, if it was usual behaviour.

Once or twice last Sunday, I noticed that she and Terry having hushed conversations when I was not there, but I just tried to shrug it off. They're allowed to be friends without me, too. I can't complain, when I've often wanted them to spend time together or to get along. After all, it makes my life easier when my best friend and flatmate gets on well with my brother. I don't even feel like they're leaving me out, I'm just concerned about them both.

As I sit on the plane on the way to visit my parents on Friday evening, I just plug my music in and try to push away my thoughts. Maybe I'm just overreacting – they're my best friends and would both tell me if something was really going on.

On the other hand, things with Seth have been going really well. After our date on Saturday, we've been texting a fair bit.

I haven't dared to tell my sister or my parents yet, though. It's only early days and I don't want to make a big deal out of it if it doesn't actually come to anything very much in the end.

After the flight, it's still the same rush of relief that courses through me at the sight of Mom when she picks me up at the airport.

Her hug is so familiar and I sink into her arms, exhausted after a long week at work, not to mention the journey here. 'Hey, Mom. It's good to see you,' I murmur into her shoulder, closing my eyes tightly.

'Hey, honey,' she whispers, leaning her head against mine, our curls mixing together so that it's impossible to tell one's hair from the other's. 'It's lovely to see you, too. How was your journey?' she asks, pulling back and placing her hands delicately on my face.

I lean into the touch and smile. 'It was fine, thanks. How are you?'

'Good, good,' she breezes easily, the skin around her eyes crinkling at the corners. 'I'm fine, thanks. It's a shame Terrence couldn't come with you.'

I nod, pulling back and reaching for the bag I'd left on the floor. 'Yeah, I know,' I reply distractedly, thoughts flying around my head again about how he's doing. 'I tried to persuade him, but he's got a lot going on right now, I guess.'

She begins walking through the airport, weaving in between people, trying to lead me towards the exit. Her hand is extended out behind her, gripping mine.

The car journey back from the airport is filled with chatter. That's the funny thing about my relationship with my mother; we're not close, but we've never struggled for finding things to talk about. It's more just that I wouldn't tell her personal things. I'm perfectly happy talking to her about how work is going and what I've been up to, but not about how I'm feeling. Not that she'd necessarily be bad at listening, it's just the way things have always been.

Dad is home when we get there and he immediately scoops me into his arms, resting his chin on top of my head, his chuckles vibrating through the pair of us.

'Hey, Dad,' I laugh in his ear. 'Good to see you.'

'You too, sweetheart,' he returns warmly, dropping a kiss on my forehead, his face softening at the sight of me. 'Nice to have you back.'