Thursday, 17th of September.

I am bored.

So bored.

When will the rain stop?

When will I be able to escape from the hole of hell that is this house?

Pippa scribbled lazily in her notebook as she laid on her bed. To say she was fed up was an understatement.

She had spent the day avoiding her parents at all cost, their mere presence annoying her. She knew it was unfair, but if they made her play Jinn Rummy one more time she would stand outside in the torrential rain and thunder with a metal rod.

Luckily she had the sanctuary of her bedroom. Although she had had to resort to using her imagination to fill her time. The power was down. There was no internet, no lights, no heating. It was like she had travelled in time to the dark ages.

The arrival of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows and whipped cream soon brought her back to the present day as her opened her bedroom door and stuck his hand through.

"I come in peace." He chuckled from behind the door.

Jumping up from her bed, she clutched the hot chocolate as though it was the last mug she would ever have.

"Does that mean I can come in?" He asked, his hand still the only part that had entered her room.

"I will think about it." Pippa said, smiling as she sipped on the scalding liquid.

"Will bribe be enough?" Her dad asked, his hand disappearing for a second before emerging with a bowl of ice cream piled high with servings for at least four people.

"Definitely!" Pippa laughed, swinging the door open to let him in. "Thanks dad!"

"Don't thank me, thank your mum. She didn't want the ice-cream to go to waste now the freezer isn't working. I think there are about three different flavors here." Her dad said, producing two spoons and pulling her desk chair forward so they could tuck into the ice cream together.

"Ah! Brain Freeze!" Pippa gasped as she shoveled a large scoop of mint chocolate chip into her mouth.

"Amateur." Her dad scoffed, taking an equally large mouthful of ice cream. "Wow. That's really quite cold isn't it." He gasped, nursing his jaw as he too succumbed to the woes of brain freeze.

They continued shoveling the ice cream into their mouths until the bowl was empty and very nearly licked clean.

"I know these past few days have been really boring for you, but the news on the radio is that this is the worst of it passing now. There should be sunshine in the next few days." Her dad said.

Pippa sighed in relief, shuddering as a roll of thunder passed directly over the house. "That is great news, can't wait until I can actually tell whether it is day or night again. The dark skies aren't great are they?" She mused.

"I know you must be eager to get back out to the shops are get the rest of the things you want for uni. I know you went with mum, but I'll take you next time- we can get the actually important stuff." Her dad said, smiling coyly.

Pippa laughed. "Important things? What's that then?"

"Oh you know, a few boxes of snacks for under your bed, maybe a car." He replied brazenly.

"What?!" Pippa leaped up off her bed so she was standing over her dad, waiting for his reply.

"Well, me and your mother have been talking, and I think it's about time you had your own little run about. You passed your theory a few months back and we never got around to getting you lessons. Your mum thinks booking them so you have them here is a great way to get you to come home every weekend!" He replied.

"Every. Single. Weekend?" Pippa replied, groaning.

Her dad chuckled. "Every other weekend then. Though I doubt you will need many! You're a natural, just like me!"

Pippa snorted out a laugh "You've crashed into the garden wall three times this year already! I wouldn't call you a natural."

Not that she was either, many a night had been spent teaching herself to drive, and she was actually good at it by now. One or two lessons and she would be on the road for real!

"So that sound good to you then?"

"That sounds awesome! Thanks Dad, I love you so much." She said, leaning over to give her dad a big hug.

"I love you to Scallywag. It's going to be weird when you leave. Not that I'm complaining or anything. Nope. It will be great! You off doing your thing! Me... well I can eat all the bacon I want, all the ice cream in the freezer. Yes, it will definitely be great."

Pippa smiled, hugging her dad tighter as he sniffled and wiped away the wetness beneath his eyes.

"You've grown up fast. But I'm so proud of everything you've done and everything you are going to do. There are big things in your future, I just know it." He said as they pulled apart.

"Thanks dad." Pippa replied, beginning to get overwhelmed with emotions herself.

"You sure you don't want any more ice cream?" Her dad asked, standing up with the empty bowl.

"Nope, I'm good thanks." She replied, smiling as he nodded and left her room.

Looking over to the clock on her bedside table she saw it was a little earlier than she usually went to sleep, but with the inactivity and lazy nature of her day- as well as the giant amount of ice cream she had just consumed, she was feeling especially sleepy.

Shrugging out of her leggings and t shirt, she slipped on a nightie and got into bed, eager as always to fall asleep.

-

She didn't know what to expect when she saw Bellamy walking towards her. Perhaps she thought he might bound over to her and kiss her again, or saunter up to her with the half smile he sometimes gave her when he thought she wasn't watching him.

That was the kind of thing that happened in all the romance films after all. The kiss in the rain.

What she didn't expect was for him to walk towards her with his head down and hands tucked in his jean pockets.

"Who stole your candy?" She joked as he stopped in front of her, ducking down to fit under the umbrella she was holding up.

"What?" He looked up puzzled. "I never had any candy?"

"It's a figure of speech, I'm asking why you look so sad." Pippa smiled ruefully, forgetting that he wouldn't have understood what she just said.

"Oh. No reason, really. What's up with you?" He replied, shrugging.

"Just wondering what's got you down." She said back, looking up into his sad eyes that were gazing down at her.

He sighed, shutting his eyes and rubbing his temples agitatedly.

"It's ok, you don't have to tell me. This is your dream after all, you come here to escape your life as much as I do."

"Let's head inside?" Bellamy said, slinging his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to him before setting off towards the coffee shop.

His touch, the way he drew her to him, his firm, warming, comforting hand on her arm, all but made her forget about his seemingly saddened mood.

They stood in silence as they made their drinks and helped themselves to the cakes and pastries in the fridge.

"If you could do anything. Anything at all, right now, what would it be?" Bellamy asked, catching her off guard as she stuffed a croissant into her mouth.

She pondered his question in the time it took to chew and swallow the mouth full of food.

"I don't think I have anything in particularly want to do. I've done it all, really. What about you, what do you want to do?"

She replied, continuing to pick at the food in front of her.

Bellamy didn't reply, instead he sighed and gazed out of the window. She watched as his thoughts drifted off to something else, leaving his beautiful face conflicted and broken.

"I don't care if I live alone for the rest of my life if it means that I get to be with you." She said, plucking up the courage to tell him. Wondering if that had been what was causing him pain.

His eyes snapped from the window, to hers. Wide in disbelief, searching for something as they flickered around her face. His gaze fell on her lips before meeting her eyes again.

He gulped.

"I know it's a lot to think about, and I'm not asking you to give me a reply. Not right now anyway. But I know that we have been thrown together for a reason and I think we are good together. Good for each other. This place is our escape, and I like to think we can maybe escape together?"

She fidgeted in her chair, thankful that she had finally told him how she felt, happy she had finally admitted it to herself. But nervous. He had yet to say a word. Instead he continued to stare at her.

"I would spend the rest of my life with you in a heartbeat. You are the most incredible person I have ever met. Pippa, you are perfect. You are my anchor. You have no idea how just the mere thought of you keeps me grounded, keeps me going." Bellamy said, standing up, walking around and sitting on the low coffee table in front of her. He grasped her hands in his, holding on to them as though she was about to disappear any moment.

"But?" She whispered.

"There is no but, that is how I feel." He replied, releasing one of his hands to caress her cheek. "Without you, I don't know how I will go on."

"I think that's the most dramatic thing you've ever said!" Pippa laughed, "but I don't plan on going anywhere."

"You better not." He whispered, pulling her forward softly, catching her lips with his in a tender embrace.