So, as much as I love The Brothers Jones, I really wanted another scene between Emma and Liam. This is set on their return trip, giving me the reconciliation scene between them that I wanted.
They are finally on their way back to Storybrooke, packed like sardines in one of Hades’ boats. Henry has one of the formerly empty books half open on his lap, nearly full of their adventures in the Underworld. Emma is nestled against Killian. She is too happy to mind that they are ridiculously cramped in the boat.
Her eyes snap open and she is on board the Jolly Roger. It takes her a second to process that it must be like her dream on the way down to the Underworld, only on the Jolly Roger instead of in her bug. But it isn’t Killian at the helm. It’s Liam. He is no longer dressed in modern clothes, but in some manner of captain’s regalia, complete with bicorn hat.
“Emma,” he says with a warm smile. She had seen this smile before, when Liam smiled at Killian. She sees it every day when Killian smiles at her. She had never really seen the resemblance before but like this there could be no mistaking them for anything but brothers.
“I think you got the wrong dream. Killian is like two inches from me.”
“I know. But I wanted to talk to you if I could. I had a chance to say goodbye to my brother. I was sorry to have to of course, but I did have that chance and I was grateful for it. And I know I will see him again someday. But what needed to be said between us has already been said. But the same cannot be said for you and I.”
“Okay,” Emma says, a little afraid he will still want her to back away from Killian.
“First of all, I’d like to apologize for my… well, just about everything.”
“You were trying to protect Killian. You screwed up and made more mistakes trying to fix your mistake. Believe me, I can relate.”
“I guess you can. You’re still wearing the ring,” Liam comments.
“Yeah. I asked Killian if he wanted it back, but he said I should keep it. If you don’t want me to…” she starts.
“I just thought you might not want to, after everything I’ve done. I’m afraid you never got the chance to know me at my best.”
She smiles and shakes her head. “That’s where you’re wrong, Liam. Because I know bits and pieces of you from Killian. He’s told me about you. Now that Henry is embracing his calling as the Author, I will get to read the rest. Besides, I know a little about being willing to do terrible things to keep Killian alive.”
Liam flashes her a smile.
“Besides, I might be a little biased when I say this, but you raised the man I love, so I believe I do know the very best part of you in him.”
Liam nods. “I guess you do at that. I was wrong about you, Emma. I hope you can understand how, only knowing the facts of the case, I could have come to the wrong conclusion.”
“Only if you can understand how I thought you were self-righteous about it.”
Liam snorts. “I can even agree with you.” He flashes her a grin.
“Before I wake up I have to ask you one more thing,” Emma says with a grin of her own.
“Anything.”
“Did Killian ever wear one of those ridiculous hats?”
“You’re planning to mock him mercilessly for it, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely.”
“Well, seeing as I’m not going to be there to do that, he did. He was quite proud of it. Oh, and he had a ponytail.” He grins at the look of shock on her face. “It’s a pity we never got a chance to get to know each other better. I think we would have gotten along quite well. It would have been rather nice to have a sister. Well, there’s always next time he gives you a ring.”
Emma smiles. “You know, I wouldn’t have minded having a big brother. And, mind you, I’m only saying this because it will never, ever get back to anyone, but if he does give me another ring, the answer will be yes.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Killian needs someone like you, who believes in him so completely. The truth is, Killian loves you and he is a better man with you. A better man than I ever was, and a better man than he was before as well.”
Emma stirs in the boat, opening her eyes to see Killian’s face above her.
“Any visitors this time, Love?” he asks.
She reaches a hand up and twists the ring on its chain.
“Liam came to talk to me.”
“Oh?” And she can hear the unspoken question. Killian knows they parted on less than amicable terms, but she can hear the hope in his voice.
“Yeah.” She takes Killian’s hand with a smile. “I can see why you love him so much.”
“Aye?”
“Of course, because he reminds me a little of you.”
Rated T for violence against minors and the implications that Killian’s situation could have gotten a lot worse without Liam watching out for him.
@torturedkillianjones this is the story I was telling you about yesterday. @lenfaz this is what happens when people stop respecting the Rules.
Liam wakes slowly to Killian shaking his shoulder.
“Liam!” Killian’s voice calls out in a near panic. “Liam!”
“I’m awake. Did father forget to leave the lamp burning?”
“Father’s not here,” Killian says. “The man said he left. He said he traded us for a boat to get away. That can’t be true, can it?”
Liam sighs and sits up. To say that he was expecting it, for their father to sell them for a damned row boat, would be an overstatement, but neither is he as surprised as Killian. He certainly isn’t denying it the way Killian is. Liam is five years Killian’s senior, too old for their father’s bedtime stories about bravery and what kind of man he was going to be. He has a general idea of the kind of man their father is and wants no part of it.
“I’ll figure it out,” Liam says. He wants to scream, to curse their father for leaving this all on him, but he doesn’t. A piece of Killian still clings to the hope that there might be another explanation and he can’t bring himself to destroy that hope. “Hey, Killian, it’s alright. Look at me. You like the ocean, right?”
“Yeah,” Killian says hesitantly.
“Well, it’s okay then. We stay on the ship, explore the realms, just like we planned. It’s just you and me, but that doesn’t have to change the plan. I’ll look after you, I promise. Now go back to sleep. I’ll go talk to the captain.”
“Captain?” he asks hesitantly, knocking on the captain’s door. A nagging piece of hope in the back of his mind makes him want to turn back, not to know. He sighs and forces himself to knock again.
“Come in.” The captain is seated at the desk, looking over some papers. It’s a merchant vessel and there are a lot of papers to be dealt with apparently. “Ah, one of the new boys.”
“That’s what I came to ask you about.”
“Did the other boy not tell you? You’re father sold you to me for the boat he got away on.”
Liam swallows and forces himself to nod. “And what…” he clears his throat, hating the way it almost cracked, wanting to sound strong. “What will you expect of us?”
“Hard work. There’s always too much work to do on a ship like this.”
“I’m not afraid of hard work, sir”
The captain snorts and hands Liam his flask. Liam accepts it and takes a single swig, hating the burn but not wanting to look weak.
“Nothin’ like your old man then,” the captain says with a chuckle.
“I try not to be,” Liam replies seriously.
The first few weeks are some of the worst. Killian still holds out hope that their father will return and Liam can’t bring himself to crush that hope. He knows he probably should but he just can’t.
His hands ache because he hasn’t built up the callouses he needed for the work he is doing, his own and as much of Killian’s as he can manage. Killian is exhausted too and Liam tries to take as much of his brother’s work load as he can.
Killian screams at the first lash and Liam grits his teeth. He keeps his clenched fists studiously at his side. It wouldn’t help Killian for him to get himself killed in a fight with the captain.
“Captain, please,” Liam says. “He’s only ten.”
“He ruined the haul. Someone’s gotta pay for that.”
Liam swallows. “Aye,” he says. “I know that. I’ll… I’ll take the rest of his punishment.”
“You sure, boy?” the captain sneers. “I’ll have Gunth do it proper with you. You ain’t no kid.” Gunth has the strongest arm for this, or maybe just more enthusiasm. Either way, that is a considerably more severe punishment than just five more lashes from one of the others.
“I’m sure,” Liam says. And he is sure. He’s done this, more or less, a few times, taken the blame for Killian’s mistakes, but never straight up taken a beating for him like this before. Damn the captain for his treatment of Killian and damn their father to the depths of Tartarus for leaving him to take care of Killian alone.
“Liam?” Killian asks, his lip trembling. “You don’t have to. I can be strong.”
“Hey, none of that,” Liam says softly as he unties his little brother’s hands from the mast. “Go down to the bunk and wait for me. Go on,” he says with a strained smile.
“But why…?”
“I always look after you. You know that. It’s alright, Killian. Go on. I’ll catch up.”
He takes the lashes well, only crying out on the final blow when it crosses the marks already made.
Killian is curled up on his side on his bunk, crying quietly. Liam sits beside him, hissing in pain as it stretches the wounds on his back.
“I’d best get that cleaned up,” he says softly. “Here, roll over so I can get to it.”
Killian complies, still blinking back tears.
“It’s not bad,” Liam says, managing a smile. “Didn’t even break the skin.”
“I don’t know what I did wrong,” Killian says through his tears. “I mean, I know what I did, but I don’t know how not to do it next time. I’m sorry I’m not strong enough.”
“Hey, none of that. You’re a lot stronger than you realize.”
“But you had to take my lashes because I wasn’t strong enough.”
“Who told you that?” Liam asks. “Because it’s not true. I look after you. It’s what I do. It’s got nothin’ to do with how strong you are. That’s what a big brother is for.”
“Isn’t it what a father is for?” Killian asks in a very quiet voice.
“Aye,” Liam says. “But he’s not here. I am.”
“He’s not coming back, is he?” Killian asks very quietly.
“No,” Liam says softly. “He’s not.”
Killian nods, looking very serious and suddenly much older. “You could get away,” he says. “When you’re ashore to unload cargo or something. It wouldn’t be difficult.”
“That is never going to happen, Killian,” he says. “I promise. I’ll never leave without you.”
Killian nods. “I know,” he says.
“Good. Now, my turn. Scoot over,” he directs as he lays down on the bunk so Killian can reach his own bleeding back.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I know, Killian, but I can hardly reach me own back.”
“Yours is a lot worse than mine,” Killian says.
“I’ll be alright,” Liam says. He grits his teeth and doesn’t complain while Killian washes the stripes on his back.
“Here, you should get some rest,” Liam says when Killian finishes. “What story do you want? You want to hear about the golden cities of Agrabah, where the air smells of spices and the women are carried on chairs through the city?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Killian answers with a shrug. “I’m too old for bedtime stories anyway.”
That night, curled up on his own bunk, is the last time Liam cries. Not for himself, he’s taken lashings before, but for Killian. He can bear his own pain, but he can’t bear watching his brother lose hope.
Every time the men go to shore, Liam stays behind and teaches Killian to read off the navigation charts on the walls in the captain’s quarters. It is the only time they are nearly guaranteed to have to themselves, although a couple of crewmen usually stay behind to guard the ship. The captain is getting old and his eyesight isn’t what it once was, especially in a dark cabin by candlelight, so he can hardly read the letters he gets for himself anymore. Liam teaches Killian to read to give his brother a way to be indispensable.
They pick up some new crewmen in port about a year later, rough men the lot of them. Jukes is the worst and sets his sights on Killian straight away.
“Boy,” he calls to Killian, who was working on the rigging.
Liam glances over, keeping an eye on them, as ever, while he worked.
“Let’s get a look at you,” the man says.
Liam walks over, his calm demeanor belying the anger surging beneath.
“Come on, little brother,” he says, the words a shield, a promise. If you want to hurt him, you have to go through me. He hopes it is enough because if one of them decides to make trouble, he could lose. If all of them do, he doesn’t stand a chance. “The captain needs you to go over the manifest.”
“I’m not so little,” Killian objects, as Liam led him away.
Liam is on constant alert for a while, always ready to step between them, always having some ready excuse to call Killian away.
Jukes crosses a line when Liam spots him grab Killian’s wrist. It’s not like none of the other crewmen ever strike them, a backhand for talking back, a single blow for not moving fast enough. Those are just petty cruelties that they have both grown painfully accustomed to. But none of the rest of the crew exudes the same menace that Jukes does.
“Jukes,” Liam says, keeping the anger out of his voice. “Captain wants to see you.”
Killian moves to follow Liam, as usually when he’s scared, but for once, Liam stops him.
“Finish with the rigging, little brother. I’ll be right back.”
Killian frowns, but does as he is told, scurrying back up the rigging while Liam follows Jukes bellow. Liam’s fingers find the small knife he uses for various tasks around the ship. It isn’t much of a weapon, but it is sharp. Once again Liam silently curses Brennan, he has long since stopped calling the man ‘father’, for leaving this to him.
Jukes half turns. “What did the cap…?”
He never finishes the sentence because Liam drives the small knife through his neck. Liam lets the knife fall from shaking fingers as he watches the life ebb from the first man he ever killed.
He’d had a plan, to throw him overboard before anyone could find out, and he could do that, shove him into the sea through the gunnery ports would be easiest, but he hadn’t counted on how much the man is bleeding. They’ll know someone stabbed him. And everyone knows Liam and Jukes don’t like each other.
They take Liam to the brig and the captain comes to see him.
“You killed a fellow member of the crew. Do you dispute the charge?”
Liam swallows. “No, sir. I did what I had…”
The captain held up his hand. “Don’t try to explain. Jukes was a damn problem since he came on board. I may be half blind, but I’m not completely blind, boy.”
“Of course not, sir,” Liam says, hope stirring.
“I should probably be thanking you, but you killed a member of my crew. You understand, I can’t let that stand.”
“I know.”
“If I wasn’t glad to be shed of the bastard I’d have you keelhauled.”
Liam tries not to look scared at that. He hadn’t even considered that as a possibility. He’d seen a man keelhauled and it was a bad way to go. “I know, sir.”
“Fifty lashes before the mast then. To be carried out by the bo’sun.”
Liam nods. It could have been much worse. He could have been keelhauled, or hanged, or sentenced to whipping by someone with a stronger arm, or even to have the men trade off because a man’s arm gets tired delivering fifty lashes. He is getting off lightly and he knows it, although it doesn’t feel like it.
He remains stubbornly silent for the first twenty lashes, long enough to look strong to the rest of the crew. By the end he is nearly silent again, barely able to stand on his feet, and it is nearly a week before he is able to get back to work.
Liam has earned a brief span of relative peace after that. The rougher element of the crew decide it’s not worth it to hassle Killian after what happened to Jukes. It’s still hard work, but Killian is getting stronger and better able to pull his weight on the crew, and most of Killian’s work involves being aide to the captain anyway and that just involves reading. It’s a life Liam could almost enjoy, if he were working for himself or for a captain he chose.
Liam starts to worry about Killian as his brother gets older. He has a defiant streak and resents being ordered around by a master he had no say in choosing. It’s a new captain now, the old one finally retired, so Killian no longer has the luxury of working as the captain’s aide. Liam knows it’s only a matter of time before Killian does something stupid and gets himself hurt, or worse.
“If I got out, you would be able to get away pretty easily, right?” Killian asks one night. And that scares Liam. The truth is, he has seen this growing in Killian for some time, but he knows it isn’t that simple. Killian is thirteen, too young to just get away easily, not fast enough to run away, not strong enough to fight his way free.
“Do you have a plan to go with that daydreaming, little brother?” he asks, trying to dissuade him.
“Not yet. But we should make a plan of where to meet, in case I get a chance.”
Liam keeps putting him off, trying to keep Killian from doing anything rash. Finally, after a week of badgering him, Killian approaches him with a new tactic.
“You can’t put me off forever, Liam. I’m doing this.”
“It’s too big a risk,” Liam says. Not for himself. If it were just himself he would have taken his chances on escape, probably a long time ago. But he won’t put his fourteen year old brother in danger.
“Risk of what?” Killian demands. “Anything is better than this. I’m leaving as soon as I get a chance and I don’t want to lose you in the escape.”
“That’s why I don’t want you to do this at all,” Liam says softly, but relents and makes a plan for a place because he knows Killian won’t give up on this idea.
Killian does try to escape when they make port, and, as Liam had feared, is caught. The captain is furious and gives him forty lashes before the mast and gives the first five personally. It takes all the strength Liam has not to interfere. He will do Killian no good if he gets himself killed.
Killian doesn’t cry out, not once. That doesn’t really surprise Liam. Killian has a tendency to take the few things he can control very seriously.
“Do it again and I have you keelhauled,” the captain snarls when the punishment is complete.
Liam cuts him down and half carries him downstairs to clean his wounds. “I told you it was a bad idea,” he says. “Why wouldn’t you listen to me?”
“I can’t stay here,” Killian murmurs, his voice a little slurred.
“Killian, you heard the captain.”
“He can’t keelhaul me if he can’t catch me. I surrendered too easily last time.”
Liam goes to the tavern with the men when they dock. He claims it’s to get rum or something to clean Killian’s wounds properly. It’s a reasonable excuse. None of them worry about him escaping. The whole crew knows he won’t leave his brother so he will be back before the ship leaves. He keeps his eye out for the best places to run, whether this town would be sympathetic if they did. He knows Killian will try again and he will do his best to make sure it works this time. And if it doesn’t, he will be there with his brother when it fails.
There are notices up, recruiting young men to fight in the ogre wars. Most of them are for infantry battalions, but the one for the navy catches his eye.
Technically, Liam does what is only possible because none of them think he will do it. He escapes. He heads to the navy recruitment office and asks what the rules are for signing up if he is currently indentured. Turns out, the navy will buy off their contract so he returns to the ship with the full might and authority of the king’s navy supporting him.
They lie through their teeth about Killian’s age because he is too young to legally join, but by that night both of them are free men and proud members of the royal navy.
They distinguish themselves quickly in the navy. The plan is to become officers. It isn’t an easy path for boys not born to nobility, but neither of them is bothered by working hard, and their new duties leave them more time than they have ever had to themselves before, time they spend improving themselves.
Liam has never been more proud than when Killian receives his officer’s commission and a short time later they receive special orders from the king. This is what they have been hoping for.
It’s strange. Their orders said this realm was uninhabited. Liam pushes that thought aside to deal with the boy they encounter on the beach in Neverland. Admittedly there are a lot of things strange about Neverland, but he takes his king at his word. If not for the king’s law, he would still be in servitude, or worse, would have gotten himself killed trying to protect Killian. He owes the king this.
He sighs and cuts off a piece of the plant. Liam may be willing to take the king at his word but Killian isn’t going to let this go, not without proof.
“Liam!” Killian’s voice calls out in a near panic. “Liam!”
He hears Killian’s panicked voice calling his name and tries to open his eyes and reassure his brother that everything would be alright, but can’t. He’s too tired and poison from the wound on his arm is spreading like fire through his blood.
“I’m sorry, little brother,” he wants to say. “It looks like you have to be the strong one this time.”
March 15th, the day when the whole Van Walden family gathers at one place every year, pretending they’re something they’re not.
Grandma’s birthday.
It was like the queen celebrated her birthday, which was actually speaking a lot, because in our family, she was like the queen. I guess the drop of royal blood explains everything. I’m just thankful ’cuz we don’t live in 19th century so we don’t have to wear ball gowns.
It was an interesting sight, to watch the Van Waldens on their traditional birthday dinner.
Let’s start from granny.
She was in her eighties, but looked fifteen years younger. My granddad used to tell me I reminded him of her, when he was alive. I didn’t see how, because she was a natural blond, with blue eyes and light tan. On the other side, I was all brown. Brown hair, eyes which were also brown with some greenish colors appearing from time to time. Maybe he thought of psychical characteristics, but looking at her and knowing her, no. Simply said, the complete opposites.
Then my aunt Christiana.
She was a very fabulous woman. The copy of her mother. She is my dad’s sister.
Then her daughter, my cousin, Annabela. She’s a very beautiful girl, couple years younger then me. And also, very fabulous, like her mom. They lived the life my grandma wanted them to live.
And then my family.
My older brother and my younger sister.
Adam plays basketball, that’s the most important thing about him. Physically, well, let’s just say girls melt over him, from reasons unknown to me. That’s because they don’t live with him whole their life, I guess. But he’s very protective over Layla and me and the three of us have a very good brother-sister relationships, which was really unusual in this circles, at least that’s what dad says.
Layla was probably my favorite person here. She’s really cute, with her long, dark hair and matching eyes. A typical nerd, though, and a very nice girl.
And finally, mom and dad.
I don’t have much to say about them, actually.
Dad was a classical man you could see in the army. Tall, with wide shoulders and a strong attitude.
Mom was that kind of a nice and caring woman, the mom who always understands and always knows what to say. I really loved the both of them, but that royal line in their behavior bothered me.
All of this just shows how much black I am as a black sheep here.
The conversations were boring.
-So, my dear grandchildren, how are your educations going?-
-I love my girl’s school, granny, that was a brilliant idea of yours- Annabela
-I was chosen to be the student of honor this year, again. Straight A’s, diploma’s from math’s, chemistry, physics and English literature- Layla
-Graduating in few months, grans. The player of the generation-Adam
And then all eyes were on me.
-And you, Evelyn Jane, my darling? How’s college treating you?-
-Um, I like it very much, all the experiments and the philosophies. I guess I can say that I am the best at researches and that kind of stuff-
My parents discreetly smiled at each other, because they, just like me, knew that wasn’t true.
But, hey, those are things which you don’t reveal at family dinners.
The only thing I liked about all this was food. Enough said. I love food, love to eat etc. , but most people don’t believe me, because it doesn’t really show off on my body.
Since I knew how long those things could last, and, much more important, how boring they were, I excused myself and told that I have a lot to study and that the material was very complex and hard. Grandma, amazed how dedicated I am, let me leave.
My parents smiled between their selves.
Yes, I had to study, and the hardness of the material was the truth. But am I going to do it?
No.
I simply don’t care.
I went out and since it was the middle of March it was still cold. It was 9 p.m. and it probably wasn’t very smart to be out alone but my careless attitude did it’s job.
This was one of my favorite things to do, though. To wander on the lonely streets of London at the pitch black of night. To every normal girl it was dangerous, but I found some weird pleasure in it.
There was only about 200 meters left till my apartment when I saw a quite familiar figure coming towards me. Well this night has just got perfect.
-Oh…-he said, surprised
-Hello-I simply said, continuing to walk in my direction
-Why are you ignoring me?-
-I just said ‘hello’ to you, how is that ignoring?-I loved myself when I knew to answer confidently to guys like this one I have here
-Don’t play smart with me, babe-
-Don’t you play the ‘babe’ game with me-
-Says who?-
-Me, myself, and, oh, I-that dinner was enough, what did I do to make him here? I didn’t plan to be like this but he hit the wrong nerve at the wrong time.
-Why are you so stubborn tonight?-
-How do you know I’m not like that all the time?-
-I just do-
-Is it…Either way, you wouldn’t understand-I had the feeling I usually get before I start to open up to people I shouldn’t open up to.
-Try me-
-Yeah, like you would know how is it to live with the family who is so rich it doesn’t know what to with it self except to praise their own money-this didn’t have any sense but neither did I want it to.
-Oh, but I do-
-Mhm-I said sarcastically
-Okay, you don’t have to believe me, your loss-
-Big loss, I’m not shore how will my heart deal with it-
-You’re interesting, Evelyn Van Walden-
-You have no idea-
We approached my building, a smirk appeared on his face and I just smiled flirty to him. Then he grinned, I did to. He started to laugh, and so did I.
-We’ll meet again, Evelyn Van Walden-he winked flirtatiously and started to walk back in the direction from which we just came. Silly boy.
-I can’t wait-I was sarcastic, as expected
But, speaking those words, sarcasm wasn’t actually important.
I woke up at 12 p.m. . A typical me on a Saturday morning. Yes, it’s morning for me, and every other opinion is invalid.
First thing I did, check my tumblr, twitter and other social networks.
Second, coffe. Since I was too lazy to visit the local Starbucks, which was, by the way, just across my building, I had to satisfy myself with ordinary instant coffe.
Third, food. Chocolate cereal, as usual.
Forth, turn on MTV.
And that’s everything I planned to do today. No, I did not decide to have a lazy Saturday all of a sudden, it was usual for me, to be lazy. Always. Though, I succseed to finish every important things. I guess I’m simply lucky. Or it’s some miracle. Or life was making it easy and karma will hit me one day. I don’t care. I live here and now.
I don’t want to think of the future at all, it’s too unpredictible, and I for shore didn’t want to live in the past, there is nothing good there. Let’s just say I wasn’t a very happy teenager.
Just as I started to rewind the memories in my mind, a song I really loved appeared on MTV. A song that always turned me up, no matter what. R U Mine? by my beloved Arctic Monkeys.
Inner rock star woke up and next moment I was jumping, singing, playing air guitar and drums all over my appartmant.
The playlist was great and I didn’t have any intention of stopping my one man band concert. This was a rare thing I really loved to do when I was younger, and as we can see nothing changed. But I did change. Though sometimes I haven’t felt like myself, not when I was alone, but when I was surrounded with people, I knew this was the right way to be.
Suddenly, the begging melody of Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence mixed with the chours of Katy Perry’s Last Friday night which was now playing on the TV. I realised that my phone was ringing. Oh well.
When I took the white iPhone in my hands I found out that the person who interupted me was, indeed, my mother.
-Hello,mother- I said,preparing for the boring ten minute chat
-Evelyn Jane, how nice to hear you-she started as usual, like she didn’t hear from me for a month, not that she called every day. And I won’t even start on calling me by my full name.
-The pleasure is mutual-I said sarcasticly, but not to much, not for her to hear it. It’s funny how I managed to have the nice girl look, because I was sarcastic most of the time.
-I believe you didn’t forget the upcoming big,traditional dinner for grandmom’s birthday-she said even though we both knew I did.
-Ofcourse not,what time is the big thing happening?-
-At 7 p.m.. You know the date, dear-
I had no idea. God bless calendar notes and notifications.
-Yes, I would never forget it-
-You’re coming, right, darling?-I knew where this was coming from because I felt the sad nostalgic in her voice.
-Ofcourse, mom- I said, gently now.
-Well, we’ll see you tomorrow. Love you-
-Love you too, mom. Tell dad and, Layla and Adam I said hi-
-I will darling, Bye-
-Bye mum-
I hung up.
There was this one thing I really hated about my family. Masks, lies, pretending.
But I understood it, mostly. It’s the part of living the life on high standards. Especially when you’re conected to the royal family, even a little bit. Apparently, my great great grandmother was married to the brother of queen’s grandmom’s aunt’s brother. It sounds like really far connection, but they respect even one drop of royal blood a lot in these circles. My family was very proud of that, but as always in life, there’s this one black sheep who looks on life differently. And, as always in my life, I was this lost sheep.
I didn’t like any of it, at all, it haven’t brought me anything good in life, just because I lived by my own rules. Maybe I was too stubborn and self-headed, but hey, what can I do.
My parents understood me also, because they weren’t like that theirselves, but not as stubborn as I am, so when I wanted to ”run away”’from it, they were okay with it. Not really happy about it, but they let me to move out. They had a good reason to. So right after I turned eighteen, they bought me this place.
Yes, they were different theirselves but it was other time when they were young, and years of that lifestyle did what they had to do.
I was halfway of making my dream come true. To be an artist who lived alone and free.
I love to write, and when I finish with this college shit I’ll publish a book and write and read good books for the rest of my life. I studied psyhology. I like it, but to people like me, anything that includes hard work (and isn’t art) was just a pain in the ass.
This represents how strange I am, also.
My phone made the noise which was telling me that I got a text and, unfortunately, got me back to reality.
It was Bianca, asking me to go to a party next Friday. I said yes, and got back to think about artistic life, being free and doing anything the hell you wanted, as Lana’s Ride started to fill my ears. I love that song.
And all those thoughts, the artistic ones, reminded me of one person. Funny, I don’t even know the guy, and probably won’t see him ever again, even though he said we will meet again, I knew that never happens to girls like me. But I was still thinking of him,
I was staring at the painting in front of me. It was that kind of abstract, not really defined one. There were dark colors on the left, such as black, brown, navy blue, and the colors on the right were bright, yellow, orange, light blue and others of that kind. The middle was grey. Simple, not very bright nor too dark grey .Just grey. It was deep, I could see that, even though it seemed plaid. And I liked this kind of art.
I was standing here for about two hours. Yeah, that’s how bored I was. Though, I liked this.
One more good thing was that I was alone in this place, not another live soul was here. But I enjoyed my loneliness, what was usual for me. Ever since I started with my teen period, I was like that. A lonely little spirit.
-What do you mean it has to be closed early!?-a young, melodic male voice with thick accent echoed in, now, not so empty place. I wasn’t alone anymore. Yay.
-But…but how…no I do not…yes, I know, but…shit.
So, apparently “the voice” was talking on the phone, and seemed pissed off at that someone on the other side of the line. Very interesting, I know.
I heard footsteps getting closer, the sound came from the left side of the gallery.
Seems like my loneliness will be ruined completely, and I’m going to see who did the voice belong to.
I don’t know what was I expecting, but it definitely wasn’t what it turned out to be. “the voice” was a boy, about my age, maybe older and he was damn hot. And oh my, he was looking at no one else than me. With the same curiosity I was looking at him.
-Or maybe it’s not that empty…-
I looked him, a small smile appeared on my face. He was coming towards me.
-What’s this cute little thing doing here all alone?-
-Um, I don’t see why I shouldn’t be. Also, you’re not the person who should care. And by the way, who are you?
I mentally slapped myself three times while saying this. What the heck did I just say? I guess it’s just a bad habit of speaking too much when someone this good looking, from unfamiliar reasons, talks to me.
-I’m the guy whose pieces are helping you to kill your time, which could be spent a lot better. I guess you know my name, then.
-A-actually, no-
-You came to a gallery and you don’t know the name of the person whose paintings are there?-
I felt a mixture of attraction and annoyance towards him.
-Yeah, just like that-
-In that case…-he came one step forward, getting nearer to me-I’m Liam-he shaked my hand-Liam Payne-
-Evelyn-I simply said
-Evelyn what?-
-Um, sorry, Evelyn Van Walden-
-You’re pretty, Evelyn Van Walden-
How should I get this? Is he a jerk? He’s hot, and an artist, so probably, my subconscious told me.
But then, the other side of my mind rose it’s voice.
Do I look like I care?
-Thanks-
He took my hand in his hands and brought it near his full lips.
-It was a pleasure to meet you, Evelyn. I will see you again-he said, kissed my hand, winked, turned on his heel and walked away. Just like that.
I stood frozen. And shocked. By what? I have no idea. There was only one thing I could come up with.
