tantalising smoky scent wafted their way. “I have never been here before,” Rosie said. “It’s so beautiful.”
“There are a lot of places like this.”
Rosie took it all in, walking beside him, her eyes seeming to rove over every single detail. Already he knew he loved that about her. “I need to explore more.”
They walked quietly together for a little while. So close that the back of his hand brushed hers. He said nothing about it and she didn’t pull away, but each time they touched, it was like little shots of electricity entering his skin.
She pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, turning her head to look at him as she did. He met her eyes, and she smiled, her cheeks tinging a little red. It made him smile more. His heart swelling at just being with her.
“How long have you been in England?” he asked with ease.
She shot him a glance and he instantly regretted his question.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Oh, no, it’s okay. I’ve been here about six months. I erm … have you lived here all your life?”
“Pretty much.” There was no pretty much about it, he had. He had found these places as a means to escape. Places his mother wouldn’t come to and find him. He came here sometimes when he was small to just hide away. No one would see him. None of the people he went to school with ever came here. They stayed at the park closer to him. But he couldn’t go there. They’d see the bruises down his arms, or the way his lip was swollen one morning. He’d never let them see that. “We moved here after my father passed away,” he said.
“Oh … I’m sorry to hear that.”
So was he. He ground his jaw down not knowing why he had said that. His father had been dead for years. He didn’t know him. Didn’t care. But this was Josh, wasn’t it? Josh’s father could be dead, and he could be heartbroken by it. A man who’d had a proper role model in his life.
“It’s okay. It was long ago. Your parents are still in the states?”
“Yes. It’s just me here,” she said it in a sigh that was almost dreamy, her thoughts running away with her answer and whatever the truth was.
“Must have been strange coming? Alone?” He added the last word, daring to check if she came over with a boyfriend in tow. That was usually the case wasn’t it?
“It was a little weird, at first, but good.”
“I can imagine. Life changes are always brutal aren’t they? Like even if it is for the best, that little thing inside that just craves normality starts whispering that everything is wrong.”
She gasped and stopped. “Yes,” she said. “Yes. I … I thought I was going crazy or something, you know? I’d worked hard to get here. To maybe actually live life and then my brain was just like, uh no Rosie, go home.”
He chuckled and nodded knowingly. “I just came back from a trip away, actually. Couple of days ago really. Just before I saw you at the hospital?”
“Really? Where had you been?”
“Just away. You know, kind of recharging my batteries. But I realised then, when everything was feeling odd and out of place, that going back to my old self wouldn’t work either. It’s partly the reason I want to volunteer.”
“Life’s too short?”
“Yep, but it’s the longest thing we ever do.”
“That’s very true. I’ve never thought about it like that.”
“Not many do,” he said.
They walked and commented on the path around them. Rosie took everything in. It was magical to see someone seeing this for the first time. Like she had never seen trees and flowers before. Josh loved the way the tall grass smelt first thing in the morning, when the day hadn’t yet started and polluted the world. He loved the sweetness of it. The way the birds chirped and there was no other sound.
At the midway part of the trail, where it turned to go back on itself, there was a child’s play park. It was never really busy—more of a destination park. It was a different kind of mother
“There are a lot of places like this.”
Rosie took it all in, walking beside him, her eyes seeming to rove over every single detail. Already he knew he loved that about her. “I need to explore more.”
They walked quietly together for a little while. So close that the back of his hand brushed hers. He said nothing about it and she didn’t pull away, but each time they touched, it was like little shots of electricity entering his skin.
She pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, turning her head to look at him as she did. He met her eyes, and she smiled, her cheeks tinging a little red. It made him smile more. His heart swelling at just being with her.
“How long have you been in England?” he asked with ease.
She shot him a glance and he instantly regretted his question.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Oh, no, it’s okay. I’ve been here about six months. I erm … have you lived here all your life?”
“Pretty much.” There was no pretty much about it, he had. He had found these places as a means to escape. Places his mother wouldn’t come to and find him. He came here sometimes when he was small to just hide away. No one would see him. None of the people he went to school with ever came here. They stayed at the park closer to him. But he couldn’t go there. They’d see the bruises down his arms, or the way his lip was swollen one morning. He’d never let them see that. “We moved here after my father passed away,” he said.
“Oh … I’m sorry to hear that.”
So was he. He ground his jaw down not knowing why he had said that. His father had been dead for years. He didn’t know him. Didn’t care. But this was Josh, wasn’t it? Josh’s father could be dead, and he could be heartbroken by it. A man who’d had a proper role model in his life.
“It’s okay. It was long ago. Your parents are still in the states?”
“Yes. It’s just me here,” she said it in a sigh that was almost dreamy, her thoughts running away with her answer and whatever the truth was.
“Must have been strange coming? Alone?” He added the last word, daring to check if she came over with a boyfriend in tow. That was usually the case wasn’t it?
“It was a little weird, at first, but good.”
“I can imagine. Life changes are always brutal aren’t they? Like even if it is for the best, that little thing inside that just craves normality starts whispering that everything is wrong.”
She gasped and stopped. “Yes,” she said. “Yes. I … I thought I was going crazy or something, you know? I’d worked hard to get here. To maybe actually live life and then my brain was just like, uh no Rosie, go home.”
He chuckled and nodded knowingly. “I just came back from a trip away, actually. Couple of days ago really. Just before I saw you at the hospital?”
“Really? Where had you been?”
“Just away. You know, kind of recharging my batteries. But I realised then, when everything was feeling odd and out of place, that going back to my old self wouldn’t work either. It’s partly the reason I want to volunteer.”
“Life’s too short?”
“Yep, but it’s the longest thing we ever do.”
“That’s very true. I’ve never thought about it like that.”
“Not many do,” he said.
They walked and commented on the path around them. Rosie took everything in. It was magical to see someone seeing this for the first time. Like she had never seen trees and flowers before. Josh loved the way the tall grass smelt first thing in the morning, when the day hadn’t yet started and polluted the world. He loved the sweetness of it. The way the birds chirped and there was no other sound.
At the midway part of the trail, where it turned to go back on itself, there was a child’s play park. It was never really busy—more of a destination park. It was a different kind of mother
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