Page 39 of It Was Always You

The lump appeared in Adam’s throat again and he swallowed hard. ‘Oh… that’s… that’s so… sweet.’ His voice cracked as he spoke. He couldn’t quite get over the fact this group of kids, whom most people had given up on, had shown such kindness towards him. He pushed his thumb and finger into the corners of his eyes and bit his lip as his emotions pushed towards the surface once again. He could feel his chin quivering.

Diane squeezed his shoulder. ‘Oh, Adam, I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean to upset you. Are you okay to be here? I can have a word with the rector.’

He held up his hand and shook his head. ‘No, no, Diane. Thanks, but I’m fine. I will be fine. It’s all just a little overwhelming.’

Her hand was still on his shoulder. ‘Look… if you need anything…’

He covered her hand with his own. ‘I know.’

Adam walked through his front door at 5 p.m. There was a strange silence to the place now. Somehow coming home from work for the first time since Eve was killed was like losing her all over again. He closed the door behind him, slid down it until he hit the floor, and leaned his head back to rest. The emptiness inside him mirrored the emptiness of the pretty little cottage he had shared with Eve. He closed his eyes as his shoulders began to shudder and the tears started to flow.

A knock on the door stopped his outpouring. He cleared his throat. ‘Who is it?’ he called up towards the letterbox, his voice breaking.

‘Adders, you big cry-baby, it’s me,’ Lily said as she reached through the slot usually reserved for bills and junk mail and ruffled his hair.

He whacked her hand, making her yelp. ‘Subtle as ever, eh, Lil?’ He pulled himself up and opened the door to find her with her arms wide open.

‘I knew today would be shitty. Come here.’ She stepped inside, kicked the door closed behind her, and enveloped him in her arms. He crouched to meet her height and pulled her into him, letting his emotions run free. Once he had calmed down, he backed away, wiping his eyes on the back of his hands and sniffing.

He rubbed his hands over his face and huffed out through puffed cheeks. ‘Sorry, Lil. I just can’t seem to stop bloody crying.’

She smiled. ‘That’s ’cause you’re a big cry-baby, like I said.’ She prodded him.

He rolled his eyes at her callous but jovial manner and couldn’t help but smile. ‘Thanks for that.’

‘You’re so welcome. Who can mock you in your time of need if not your best friend in the world, eh?’ Grabbing his arm, she pulled him through to the lounge. ‘Right, Adders, you have a choice. We either stay in and watch a movie while we eat crappy food all night, or we go out and get pissed. Now seeing as it’s a school night, I’m thinking option one. Whaddya say?’ She held her arms out, palms flat.

He thought about it for a few minutes. ‘Ah, to be honest, Lil, I was just going to do a bit of marking and get an early night.’

She rested her hands on her hips. ‘Tough titties. I’m here with the choices. Pick one.’

‘Honestly, Lil⁠—’

She stomped her foot and raised her voice. ‘Pick one!’

He huffed at her like a petulant child. ‘Oh, for pity’s sake, Lil. Option one then.’

She beamed like a little kid who had just been granted extra pocket money. ‘Great! Hang on there. I’ve got supplies.’ She skipped out to the car and returned soon after with two carrier bags full of junk food.

‘I got pizza, popcorn, Kettle Chips, a huge bar of chocolate, and a couple of bottles of beer,’ she announced, looking rather proud of herself.

He couldn’t help but smirk at his loopy friend. He wasn’t entirely sure what he would do without her at the moment. Although, it would probably involve tears, sad songs, and old photographs.

She took the bags through to the kitchen, yanked off her jacket then rummaged around in the bottom of her bag. ‘Okay, I took the liberty of completely jumping the gun and bringing two films. So, you have another choice.’ She held up the first case. ‘Monty Python’s Life of Brian… or,’ she held up the second, ‘Wayne’s World.’

Adam burst out laughing. ‘DVDs, eh? You do know I have Netflix, right? You know, where they have recent movies? Next you’ll be telling me you drove here in a DeLorean?’

Her brow crumpled and her top lip rose at one side. ‘Huh?’

He rolled his eyes. ‘DeLorean? Michael J. Fox? Marty McFly?’

Her whole face scrunched. ‘What the heck are you on about, Adders?’

He threw his hands up in exasperation. ‘Back to the Future, you dufus!’ He shook his head. ‘The films you’ve picked are blasts from way back in the past.’

A look of realisation spread across her face, and she blushed at her own silliness. She slapped her forehead. ‘Oh, that’s the car from the film! The DeLorean!’

He ruffled the top of her dark curls. ‘Bloody hell. That took some sinking in. I reckon senility is setting in early.’