Hey, you

Chapter 13 - Favourite place in the world

Will had had better Christmases. He sat alone in his apartment, flicking through the TV channels trying to find a Christmas movie that he hadn't seen three times already that holiday season. He sat back on his sofa, wondering what to do with himself next. He had messaged Ellie earlier that morning, to wish her a Merry Christmas, but hadn't heard anything back. It wasn't a surprise. Will suspected that Arthur would be watching her like a hawk to see if she dare contact him. Still, he really needed to speak to her, to see if she was okay and to find out how she felt about things.

Suddenly, the phone began to ring. Will catapulted forward to answer it, but couldn't help feel a little disappointed when he discovered it was Julie calling him.

'Hi Mom,' he said as he put the phone to his ear.

'Merry Christmas, Will! How are you today?' asked Julie, sounding full of the festive spirit.

'Yeah, I'm not too bad today, thanks Mom,'

'It will get easier! Who knows maybe her Dad will come round and see that you two are meant to be...'

'I'm not holding out much hope of that,' Will chuckled as he sat back and listened to his Mom tell him the latest with Aunt Claire, who'd split up with yet another one of her toy-boys. He would often zone in and out when his Mom spoke about family members he only usually saw twice every two years on average, but he had nothing better to do than engage in conversation with her.

'So what are your plans for the rest of the day? Are you sure you won't come home for the new year?' Julie sounded worried about Will, but he did his best to reassure her.

'I'm fine Mom, honestly. I'm just going to head out for a walk I think, just to clear my head.'

***

Will did just that. After all, the alternative was to mope around his apartment all day. It was good to get some fresh air. The crisp breeze ran through his hair as he walked down a sidewalk towards the outskirts of town. It was here that he decided to hail a cab, one of the few that was actually in service on Christmas day.

***

Paying the driver as he got out of the car, Will took a deep breath as he walked down a single track road and onto the footpath that lead through the woodland to reveal the lake that he had previously visited with Ellie. He was impressed that he'd managed to find it at the first attempt on his own.

As expected, it was silent by the lake. No one was around. Will was finally able to gather his thoughts, away from the claustrophobic feeling of the four walls in his apartment. He walked slowly down the jetty, trying not to fall in between any of the gaps in the wooden slats, before taking a seat at the end with his legs dangling above the surface of the water.

He sat for a short while, taking in the surroundings. It was the happiest he'd been all day. It felt good, getting some fresh air. He watched a flock of birds dart past over his head and over the still water towards the hills in the distance. He sat still for a short while and listened to other sounds of wildlife coming from the trees that surrounded the lake.

After a few moments of silence, Will heard the sound of a twig splitting as some footsteps slowly approached him from the opposite end of the jetty.

'Hey!' he gasped, 'did anyone see you?' Will slowly turned around at the end of the jetty.

'No, no one even saw me leave the house,' assured Ellie as Will got back to his feet and gave her a long hug.

They both stood still for a while. Will felt relief, he didn't know if Ellie would have even turned up after he'd messaged her about meeting in her favourite place.