The End Is Only the Beginning

22. The Right Direction

22. The Right Direction

Following our breakfast together, Aaron ended up dropping me off at home at around midday.

The moment I stepped through the front door I was met by the eagerly waiting twins, and an overly excited Gunner. My mom was in the lounge, but I knew that she was listening in too.

All I wanted was to go to bed.

"Where did you stay last night?" Emily interrogated. At the same time Evan asked, "who did you stay with?"

"Sleep first, questions later," was my only response.

I gave Gunner's head a quick scratch before heading past the twins. "But Caleb-," Emily tried.

"Sleep," I repeated, cutting her off. "It's not that exciting anyway."

Although I couldn't help the smile that spread on my lips when I thought about the night spent with Aaron. All we did was talk, and sleep, yet the entire time felt wholesome and long overdue- but neither the twins, nor my mom, needed to know that.

"Goodnight." I allowed the door to slam shut behind me, the smile still on my face as I collapsed onto my bed.

-

I woke up at around six o'clock that afternoon, only leaving my bed to get a snack – cookies – and a bathroom break.

Then I slept through the night, waking the next morning at around eight o'clock.

             Evan was sat on my parents' fold-out bed in the living room, playing on his Xbox like he did most weekends. The rest of my family were in the kitchen, dog included.

"Look who finally decided to show his face," Emily spoke first, announcing my arrival. She was sat at the dining table with my mom, the pair of them painting their nails together like it wasn't as early as it was on a Sunday morning.

I ignored her, heading to the fridge to find some breakfast.

My dad was sat at the counter, working on his laptop. "Are you finally going to tell us what you got up to on Friday?" He moved his laptop aside. "Was it Noelle?"

"No," I answered, taking a carton of milk from the fridge.

"Where did you spend the night then?"

I grabbed a random, open box of cereal and a bowl. "Just a friend's," I replied, not wanting to confess that the 'friend' was Aaron.

My mom looked up from her nails. "So, it's nothing we need to worry about?"

"No 'make sure you're having safe sex' conversations coming up in the near future?" my dad continued as if he hadn't given me 'the talk' a billion times before. I blushed as Emily added, "I think you're a little late for that, dad," in a mumbled tone.

"This conversation is over," I said. I quickly filled my bowl with cereal and milk, leaving the used items on the counter before grabbing a spoon and heading into the lounge.

               Evan barely even acknowledged me, only casting me a sideways glance when I sat down heavily onto the couch beside him.

Part of me expected him to question me in the way that my parents' and sister had, but he didn't. Evan was more interested in what was happening on Minecraft instead of how my life was going, which was nice. I just crossed my legs and got to eating my cereal.

For the first time since arriving home I unlocked my phone.

I'd expected to see texts from Noelle, Lindy and Eli – just curious texts asking about where I had gotten too. Instead I had a single text from Kasim which just read: 'Are you free? We need to talk.' He'd sent it yesterday evening, I just hadn't seen it.