It was a little depressing, coming home to an empty house, but Dari didn't know what else she could do. Jayden was off with other family, of course, but Dari didn't want to be there, either. Jayden was the darling of the family and as much as she didn't want to be here, she couldn't seem to make herself leave.
Rather than taking time to unpack, she left her trunk in her room and made her way back downstairs. The house felt so large, so quiet and she wrapped her arms around herself as she wandered kind of aimlessly toward the kitchen. She wasn't hungry, though, she realized, after checking the icebox and finding nothing that seemed appealing. Not that there was much food in the place, anyway.
After a few more moments, she found herself out back, just looking over the lake. She smiled faintly as her mind played over happier memories than the ones that existed inside the house. Lazy summer days spent with Jeremy under the large tree that grew a few feet away. Ice skating on the lake last Christmas. There was a sadness to her smile, though. Jeremy was such a large part of what made this home to her. It felt even more lonely being here without him.
It was better than being inside, though, and she settled herself on the ground underneath the tree, pulling her knees up to her chest. The sun would be setting soon, but she had a few moments of daylight left and it felt just a little better being out here in the fresh hair.
It took her a moment to notice when Jeremy slipped into the space beside her. She was lost in her thoughts, but then he took her hand in his and she looked over at him with a grateful smile.
"Hey," she greeted him softly. The smile didn't reach her eyes, but she tried anyway. She didn't know why, but a part of her didn't want him to know how sad she was. Maybe it was because she couldn't ask him to comfort her the way he used to.
"How are you doing?" he asked, concern showing in his eyes as he squeezed her hand. He didn't need to ask to know the answer, of course, but he wanted to let her know he was here for her.
"I'm all right," she lied automatically, which earned her a slight look. They were best friends. Jeremy knew her better than anyone. There was no way he was going to believe she was really all right.
"I'm.. I'm glad you're here," she admitted, leaning into him a little. Her head fell to his shoulder as his arm slipped around her shoulders to pull her close. "It's better when you're here." It felt like admitting too much. Seeing him with Nic hurt. She saw him almost every day, but she missed him so much it made her chest ache just thinking about it. As silly as it sounded, she didn't want to need him like that.
"I'll be here for as long as you need," he assured her. Jeremy hated seeing her like this. There weren't words for how much he hated it.
"How about forever?" she murmured, almost too quietly to be heard. "Does forever work for you?" A part of her wanted to turn her face to his and kiss him, but she didn't. She couldn't take having him push her away right now, no matter how good it would feel to have his lips on hers.
"As long as you need," he repeated, tightening the arm around her to pull her a little closer as his lips pressed to her forehead. He loved Dari. She was his best friend. Having a girlfriend didn't change that. It might limit just how he could be there for her, but it didn't mean he was going to leave her alone when she was feeling like this.
"You're coming home with me tonight," he informed her after a few more moments of comfortable silence. Dari tried to shake her head and protest, but he would hear none of it. He cut off every one of her objections before she finally gave in. "You're not taking no for an answer, are you?" she said, almost smiling. "Nope," he confirmed.
"Alright," she agreed finally, though she didn't make any moves to stand just yet. The sun was setting over the lake and she wasn't quite ready to leave, yet.
They sat there for awhile, until she was ready to go. "C'mon, pet, let's go home," he murmured, wrapping his arms tightly around her as he apparated them to his own parents' home in Chelsea.
---
Some time later she found himself standing in his bedroom after exchanging the necessary greetings with his family. It did feel better, being here. Jeremy's family felt like hers in so many ways. From the way Richard had pulled her into a warm, fatherly hug to the way Mari had fussed over her endlessly - it was hard to be lonely when you were surrounded by so much love.
"I'm going to shower... wanna help?" she teased Jeremy, feeling almost like her old self now. She knew he'd turn her down, but she couldn't help flirting with him.
Jeremy laughed and shook his head. "I'm going to go grab us some dessert," he told her and she nodded, grabbing the t-shirt and boxers she'd liberated from his dresser as she disappeared into the bathroom. "I want cake!" she called after him and he smiled, happy she seemed to be feeling better.
---
A few days later, she was smiling as they stood in the middle of her new flat. The movers had come and gone, there was leftover Chinese in the icebox. It already felt more like home than she house she'd grown up with.
There'd been a moment as they'd pulled the sheets neatly over her bed when their eyes had met and Dari's thoughts had drifted to how good it would be to fall onto the bed and muss it all up again. The moment passed, of course, and she smiled up at him, tugging at his hand as she pulled him toward the sofa. "Watch a movie with me?" she requested. Jeremy knew he should go, but even now, he found it difficult to tell her no and he nodded his head.
His thoughts drifted back to that bed they so carefully made as she leaned against him, but he managed to control himself. Moments later, Dari was fast asleep and he gently eased himself away from her, covering her with a blanket and pressing a tender kiss to her forehead before he turned to go. |
