I always enjoyed the walk to work, and I wasn't sure why. The streets weren't particularly pretty, cute, quiet or bohemian, but there was still something about it that made me feel good. Perhaps the fact that I had actively done something with my life made me feel better. I was leaving the house, five days a week, to earn money that belonged to me and no one else. I was still surprised that they had hired me, considering the fact that I'm a seventeen year old girl with no qualifications who has a history of being fired. For the first time in my life, maybe I had a purpose? It felt good.

As I walked though, every day my thoughts turned to Milly. I had read through all of her blog posts at the beginning of the week, and I felt like a horrible person for not being able to do more for her. After all, it wasn't her fault that she had been involved in an accident, it wasn't her fault that her parents seemed to have a personal vendetta against her, and it wasn't her fault that none of the people at her school liked her. I guess it was just entirely coincidental that there were two people, lost in two different ways, wandering and wheeling about the same city and looking up at the same stars. Sure, London is a very big place, but it was on one of my first walks that I decided I would do something. That something being anything in my power to meet Milly and take her outside and away. Something she probably hadn't done in a while. We could write letters to the universe, people watch, I could introduce her to my tree (depending on the distance) and when it got darker, we could look up at the stars and talk. Talk for hours and hours on end, because we both managed to find somebody who gets it. I just had to figure out how exactly I was going to make that happen. A bit of a logistical nightmare, when I didn't even know where she lived.

"Hey Annie, how are you?" Martin shouted from the storeroom as I stepped through the door, flipped the sign on the door so that it read open and stepped over a pile of boxes with mystery contents. Friday mornings weren't the busiest time of the week, and the only people who work then are Martin and me. Martin was my boss, and a walking stereotype of a man that would own and work in a music shop. He lived and breathed just to play the guitar, and his dedication was admirable.

"Good thanks, I've just flipped the sign so it's open-" I paused when I heard a thud coming from his direction. "Is everything alright in there?" I shouted above the noise of what sounded like an avalanche of ukuleles and boxes.

"Just having a little bit of a problem.." He said weakly. "I'll be out in a minute..." I laughed, shrugged off my bag before dumping it behind the till and walking in to see him juggling at least seven ukuleles in his arms, one tucked under his beard and one that he had clearly caught between his knees.

"Here, let me take those," I took three of the ukuleles out of his arms, and also the one from between his knees.

"Thank goodness you didn't listen to me," He panted. "That was one of the most stressful experiences of my musical career - and I've been in some pretty sticky situations, Annie, I'll say..." We both proceeded to shelf the numerous boxes from previous deliveries in a comfortable quiet, the radio buzzing gently along in the background and protecting us from an agonising silence.

"I would say that that surprises me, Martin, but I don't think it does," I smiled, sliding an order reference sheet onto the top of a high shelf before pulling my jumper sleeve down. Yes, I had all of my battle scars laid out neatly on my forearm, but I wasn't quite ready for the world to see them yet. I didn't like seeing them, so my boss wouldn't see them, my sister wouldn't see them and neither would my parents. If I ever saw them again, Lola and Sebastian would not see them either. The only person who might understand was... Milly.

The day seemed to drag along in a gentle daze, not seeming unpleasantly long, but not over as soon as it had started. My mind was most definitely on other things, not primarily work at all, but as I still got everything done, I didn't see any harm in it. Martin was in an especially good and productive mood anyway, he'd just received the news that he would be playing a slot at a small and local music festival, so although I was potentially 'slacking off', I was never picked up on it.

"Do you ever wish that you could meet the one person in the world who understands you?" I asked, as I sat behind the kiosk cradling a warm cup of herbal tea - lemon and ginger. Martin looked up from his position on a stool several metres away, a guitar resting in his arms which he strummed softly whilst thinking of his reply.

"I met them. It was only for a short amount of time, though. Yes, yes, I remember. Sianna Flores was her name, she used to sing for the band I was in. This was back in my college days, of course. The college days where we all thought that 'Cat Litter' would be a good name for a band, just to give you an idea of how low the bar was. One night, after going to a rather mediocre gig, we got lost on our way home and sat on the platform of our local train station for hours and hours on end. We spoke about life, love, college, music, friends, family, most topics that fall under the sun, to be honest. It was really eye-opening at the time, actually I was the same age as you, Annie, seventeen..." I sat on my stool, slowly mulling my thoughts over in my head and trying to decipher the different messages that I was getting.

"And? What happened after?" I asked eagerly, leaning forwards slightly and feeling the steam from my drink heat up my cheeks. Martin frowned, his bushy eyebrows almost merging together in the centre of his forehead from introspection.

"Things just continued as normal, I guess... We both knew that we had enjoyed the fleeting spontaneity of the moment, but after that it just merged slowly into being nothing more than a memory," He shrugged. "Sianna Flores, eh?" He trailed off as he walked to hang the guitar back up in its position on the wall. I sighed in irritation, deflated. Then, I sat up a bit straighter. Just because it wasn't important to Martin didn't mean that it would be the same for everyone. For a start, Martin and I had both led very different lives - I had never had to run away from an all boys boarding school, for one. Martin had probably never been locked in a psych ward either. Well, everyone is unique in their own way... I sighed and got up, knowing that in order to be able to message Milly later, I had to finish work. I looked at my watch briefly. Only two hours to go, Annie, you can do this, easy peasy. Get a wriggle on. Get back to work.

To @lostcqlibre (Milly),

Heya, how's life?

Ok, I'll readily admit that, as far as greetings go, that was quite an uncomfortable one. Sorry about that, let's move swiftly on. 😂

Anyway, I'm actually sending this for a very specific reason and I'm really not trying to be creepy at all. In fact, I haven't thought of how I'm going to say this and I know it's probably going to come as a shock but...

Here goes...

I think we should meet up. There, I said it. Now, I know that you're probably shocked and not very enthusiastic because meeting up with strangers you have spoken to on the internet is never a good idea, BUT hear me out on this one. Neither of us know that the other is definitely who they say they are, but maybe if we could find a way to prove it? Maybe if we phoned or... I don't know. But I think that we both need somebody in our lives, and this could be it. After all, the first time you knew of my existence, you thought that maybe someone out there got it... And perhaps I do? Because, Milly, we've both said over and over again how nice it is to have that one person, that one person that we know is a good friend.

So... What do you say?

I get that this is a lot to take in, you're probably reeling and in shock right now, so I'll give you a few moments to process it all...

...

...

.........

Ok. I have given you time now, although not a great deal considering the enormity of what I've just said. I should really stop hovering and repeating myself. Milly Lost Calibre, do you want to explore our corner of the universe with me? Because I can't think of anyone else I would rather spend a day with. I know it might be complicated, difficult and inconvenient for some, but I promise it isn't like that for me. In fact, it's quite the opposite. For me to get the chance to spend even one day with you... It would be blissfully simple and uncomplicated, enjoyable and comfortable. Even if it was a single day, less than twelve hours perhaps, that wouldn't matter to me at all. Because, Milly, at the end of the day, we have each other. As long as I've got you by my side, I've never felt like I have needed anybody else... So... What do you say?

Lots of love

Annie <3

SEND

The message played on my mind for the rest of my evening, at dinner, after dinner and when Tara came into my room to discuss the colossal topics we usually did. I had come to learn that Tara really didn't do small talk, in fact she only really spoke in big, philosophical questions. That evening was 'Is happiness just chemicals flowing through your brain?', but as much as I was learning to love my little sister, not even her absurd ideas about life could take my mind away from Milly. And, to my surprise, she noticed. I looked up as I heard her pause her spiel.

"Annie, what's wrong?" Tara nudged me gently, looking intently at me.

"I'm fine Taz, honestly... Just got stuff going on." I smiled awkwardly, pulling the wool of my jumper sleeve over my hand, tracing the lines that lived on my forearm.

"Like?" She pressed, but not in an unkind way. I sighed and leaned back onto the headboard of my bed.

"I have a friend - well, I think she's a friend - who I want to meet. I want to show her the world, I wish I could give her the world. It's just a bit more complex than that," I started. Tara frowned thoughtfully.

"Is this Lola?" I shook my head.

"No, no... Not Lola... Her name is Milly, and she's the only person that I've ever met and knew instantly that she was the best friend that I could ever be lucky enough to find... But we've never met and her parents are ridiculously overbearing all because of an accident that she was involved in several years ago... And now I've just offered to go on a tour of my universe with her, and I really, really, really hope she can..."

I looked down.

"I think she will. If you think that you're both good for each other, she probably does as well, or she wouldn't have stayed in contact with you, would she? As for the parents thing... I don't know, Annie. Families are strange and weird, just look at ours. This isn't even the worst that they get, and that worries me as well. But, where there's a will, there's a way." Tara trailed off and I nodded, smiling. She was right. If it was meant to happen, it would, and if it wasn't then it wouldn't

"Thanks, Tara... You're the best, seriously." I pulled her in for a tight squeeze and only let go when I heard a slight wail of protest.

"What would you do without me?" She joked, sticking her tongue out at me before wriggling off of my bed and walking over to my bedroom door.

"Tara?" I called out, just before she left. I watched her turn around, her coffee coloured waves turning into a halo around her head with her eyes wide, expectant.

"Yes?"

"How are you?" I asked, and I watched her face change from hopeful, a flash of panic and then confusion.

"I'm good... Why?"

"Just checking, just checking..."

"I'm good, I'm always good, Annie," She beamed at me before leaving my room and shutting the door behind her.

"Just checking..." I said to myself again. "Just checking..."