R Y A N

LATER THAT night I arrive at the airport with Matthew. My parents decided to pick us up leaving Matt's parents to wait for him patiently at their house to greet him. When we arrive at Matthew's only twenty minutes from my own, we stopped off for a quick cup of tea and coffee with his parents. When I leave, I kiss Matthew on the cheek, telling him I'll message him later and Dad drives us all back home. The familiar road felt weird to look at. But comforting. Two years I hadn't seen these roads, two years I hadn't seen these houses.
   I was use to the big buildings of New York City, something I missed about the streets of London. It was no surprise why I applied to NYU, it was like living in London again, but just ten times the scale. But this had been my home for a long time and I did miss it a little. I missed my family and taking a gap year was one of the reasons for that. I could spend loads of time with them this next year while I try to figure out what I wanted to be when I grow up. This year was for me... me and my family.

"Your sister, Noah and Jackson are waiting back at the house for you," Mum says turning in her seat, "she has something important to tell you."

"She got the job!" I yelp.

Tori had been a trained midwife for the pass three years and after Jackson was born she was set in her ways of what career path she wanted. She loved babies and a career as a midwife had been the perfect job for her, but she was training to be a obstetrician, something she only decided on last year and was looking for new jobs. I'm so happy she's living out her dream.

"No peanut, something else," Dad says grinning.

"If you tell me she's pregnant I'll scream. I'm still trying to figure out if Jackson got his obnoxious tendencies from her or Jack, but I'm starting to think it's mainly from her."

"No sweetie, just wait till we get home, okay?"

"Fine," I say folding my arms and rolling my eyes. I try to rack my brain to what Tori had to tell me.

"Is she moving back to England?" I think.

I wouldn't put that pass her. Jack's parents were back home and all his family. She kept in contact with them, even visited them and they came here for a few weeks last summer. Jack was their only boy so having Jackson live so far away from them was so hard on them all but, they knew Tori was only doing what she felt was best for him at the time. Jackson had great friends, a scholarship to a college in Arizona and Tori wasn't doing too bad either. They missed seeing their grandson grow up, especially considering he was their only son's child and it was always a dream for Tori to eventually move back to England.

"Did she break up with Noah?" I think.

Her and Noah had been dating for the pass three years and she even moved in with him. Luckily enough, Jackson loved him just as much as Tori did, which was the best scenario in dating someone new. They had been on and off again over the years we first moved here, but finally they were in a solid relationship when Mum gave her the talk.
   Mum told her to not let a good thing pass, to always hold on to what makes you happy and for Tori, that was Noah. With Jack no longer in the picture, Tori took it really hard and even harder for her to move on because she felt like she would be cheating on him. But even if Jack was still here and they weren't together anymore, I know deep down Jack and Noah would have got along.
   He made Tori happy again, made her smile again, made her laugh again and most importantly he had an amazing relationship with Jackson. Which in fairness is a deal breaker for Tori. Jack was her light, her soul, her heart. Her everything. Even to this day I think Jack has a piece of her, even if he's not here.

Tori and Jack had been dating for a year when Tori got pregnant at 14yrs. Mum and dad had forbidden Jack to ever be in the house, but they swore they loved each other and that nothing or no one would break them apart. He was involved with a gang that his cousin ran and had been in trouble with the police more times than I could count, but as soon as he found out Tori was pregnant he wanted to be a role model for his baby.
   He was two years older than Tori so he went out, got a job and eventually was earning more than enough money to take care of Tori and Jackson. One day while on his way home from work he got into a accident on the motorway. He was just in the process of getting a job promotion and saving up to buy a house for him and he's small family when a big lorry crashed into his car. They were engaged to get married, but no date was set and Tori was broken... for a long time she was broken. Looking into the eyes of her son was hard because Jackson was practically Jack's body double, but she knew she had to be strong for her son. Jack's parents made the hard decision. The decision to turn off the machine that was keeping him alive, but they knew if Jack woke up he wouldn't be the Jack they knew and loved.

We pull up to the house, my thoughts are racing with everything about this important announcement Tori had. I only wished it was good news and that she was happy. That's all I cared about. I get out the car and look over towards the house next door. The lights were out and I was hoping I would get to surprise Nico and Nate, but then I remembered. It was Friday, Tuesday's and Friday's were date night. They were the only night's I wasn't allowed to turn up at their house without warning because they needed 'adult time'. I would sometimes hear cars in the middle of the night, see women leaving with their shoes in one hand and their bag in another, but I had never seen either of them with a woman. I never knew which brother the woman was with - I would only see them leaving. I shake off the thought of the brothers and walk back to the car to get my bags from the boot.

"I got it peanut, go see your sister. She's dying to see you," Dad says with a smile.

I smile back at him and run towards the door. When I push it open the walls have been freshly painted duck egg and the new wooden table peeking out from the dining room to my right is covered in pizza boxes. Looks like a small party. I walk forward and place my foot on the first step and a white light flashes on, causing me to smile.
   I remembered when Dad installed the sensor lights on the steps that led to the second floor - we was so use to our old house being on one floor that dad was scared either Jackson or I would fall down the stairs in search of water or a midnight snack. I smile at the thought, looking down at the overprotective parent lights on each step and it's the little things like this that make me happy to be back.
   I hear chattering lightly from the back of the house and walk towards the kitchen. It hadn't changed. The cupboards were still white and the marble work top still looked brand new. I wondered if Mum had ever cooked a meal in here at all as it looked so brand spanking new, just like the day we moved in. When I look out into the garden there sits Noah and Jackson, with his head in a book, talking while Tori paces back and forth in front of them.

"Will you sit down," Noah chuckles, "why are you so nervous?"

"Because it's I what do," she says waving her hands,

Tori was wearing a white fitted dress that went up to her neck, her hair has grown down her back and is in a ponytail with small bits rounded by her face. Her skin is tanned from the Californian sun and she looks like she's glowing.

"Well, well, well, she must be pregnant with that glow," I think to myself.

Noah who sits in a white t-shirt with blue stripes is next to Jackson on the outdoor garden sofa, in jeans he leans forward to grab her hand, but she only shuffles away and continues to pace. His hair is exactly how it has been since the day I first met him at the bottom of the stairs when we arrived and I can see his bright eyes through the early evening sun. I've missed them bright blue Greyson eyes.

"Tori, seriously? You need to chill out babe, I've never seen you this nervous," Noah chuckles.

"Yeah Mum, your even stressing me out!"

"I can't help it, I-"

"Did you miss me?" I say entering the garden with a skip in my step.

"Ryan!" Tori runs over to me and squeezes me so hard I can't breath. I see Jackson put his book down and uses his long legs to take only four steps towards us.

"Aunty Ryan!" He says and joins in on the group hug. The last I saw them was back in February for Tori's birthday, they had come to the city for the weekend with Noah and we went out for steak and some cocktails, although the 'kids' had mocktails. Didn't stop us having a glass of bubbly back at my flat later on in the evening though.

"Looking good kid," I tell him. He smiles and we step out of the hug. I mess up his hair which now has some copper highlights running through the dark brown mop on top and he has grown a few inches over the years. He's almost as tall as my Dad. When Noah stands up he towers over all of us, one of the traits of being a Greyson.

"Hey Ryan," He says and he kisses my cheek, wrapping me in a hug.

"Hey Noah, you getting taller or am I shrinking?" I ask him, he chuckles at me, shaking his head.

"How was your flight?" He says pulling away.

"Awful... was stuck next to this big guy who kept hogging both arm rests," I huff.

"That's what this one does," Tori says pointing at Noah.

"Once... I did it once and you're never going to live that down are you?"

"Nope. We Blake women like room on a plane," she smiles. I smile at them both and clear my throat, getting their attention.

"So Mum says you wanted to tell me something?" I say.

"Please put me out of my misery already! I'm dying to know what's going on!" I plead in my head.

"Oh... err, yeah, yeah. We... err," Tori shuffles from foot to foot and she looks nervous.

"What?!"

"What are you doing June 12th?"

"Next year? How the hell should I know," I laugh confused.

"Well... how would you like to be my maid of honour?" She beams.

"Shut the fuck up," I gasp.

"Yes!" She nods and shows me the diamond ring on her finger.

"What? Ho...? When?"

"Last week."

"Last week? Why did you wait so long to tell me?" I say hitting her shoulder lightly and grabbing her hand. There, on her ring finger was a single sliver band, with a shiny diamond. It was Tori through and through, Noah picked the perfect ring for her.

"I wanted to tell you face to face and we knew you was coming home today so we waited. I really didn't want to tell you over the phone."

"The ring is beautiful."

"Noah's grandfather gave it to their grandma for their fiftieth wedding anniversary, she wanted him to give it to me, " she smiles sweetly.

"And you? What took you so long?" I say pointing to Noah who now has his arm around Tori.

"Waiting for permission," my Dad says walking out carrying a bottle of champagne with five glasses.

"Really Dad? But you love Noah."

"Not me peanut... ...Him," he points to Jackson who stands with his hands behind him. He shrugs and then smirks, knowing he had the power over Noah for just a short time before saying yes to him. Jackson loved playing games and watching people squirm in anticipation so this does not surprise me at all.

"Typical."

"I wanted to make sure he knew what he was getting himself into," Jackson laughs. "He needed to think about taking both of us on," I roll my eyes at him.

"So?... will you be my maid of honour?"

"Do I have to walk down the aisle in heels?" I say trying to compromise the nose bleed she'll give me with the added inches beneath my feet.

"Already got you covered sis. Nicholas and Nathan are the best men so they will walk with you, holding you up until the end, a few pictures and then you can wear your Van's. Deal?" She says raising her eyebrow. I think about it for a while and roll my eyes at the thought of wearing heels for the wedding, but this is Tori and Noah's big day, whatever Tori wants... she will get.

"Deal."

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UNPACKING my clothes a few hours later, I hang up all the new clothes I got while in New York. Amy, being the fashionista she was made me buy a whole new wardrobe that meant most of my oversized clothes had been taken to the goodwill and now I was hanging up blouses, skirts, short shorts, tight skinny jeans, but I still kept true to my shoes. Van's, Converse, Adidas tennis shoes, no heels in sight, just the few flat sandals I had.
   I had grown confident over the years in New York. Moving away had been one of the best things I had ever done, but missing out on Tori and Noah's engagement made me realise that dropping out of college was the best decision I was making for myself. I was home sick and even though I loved my life in the big city I missed home. I missed my family.

This next year will be the best year ever.

*word count - 2323*

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This chapter was more of a filler chapter.
I didn't want to rush in & be like
"HEY BOYS, I'M BACK!"
because I don't like to rush a story.

Plus, it's important for the ending! 😂

Please let me know what you think by writing a comment,
if you liked this chapter hit that tiny little star & vote!
Stay safe...
CeeCee
xoxo
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