What Exactly Happened: Part 2

There were times though when everything went wrong. Those were the times that got under his skin. When he had to put a smile on and pretend that everything was alright. When he couldn't stop himself from thinking about how much they mattered to him; how much he needed them. That time was one of the worst. After a particularly terrible day at work, he returned home and collapsed onto the sofa, throwing an arm over his eyes and wishing that it would all go away.

That night, however, his wish seemed to come true. Because there they were, right there next to him. He looked up and saw his parents standing there, smiling brightly. His mother held her arms out and he moved closer so she could wrap her arms tightly around him. Her arms were tight but comforting and he sighed into her shoulder.

They pulled apart and he smiled at them, trying to ignore the tears stinging behind his eyes. He knew it wouldn't last and that he should have seen this coming, that his parents would disappear soon enough but for now, this would do. This would be enough for him.

His father reached forward and cupped his face, running his thumb across his cheek. Tears leaked from his eyes and his father wiped them away with his thumb.

"What's wrong my son?" his father asked gently, worry evident in his voice.

"Nothing," he replied, managing a small smile. He pushed away from the thoughts that came flooding into his head, reminding him of all the reasons why his parents had left them, all the reasons why he had to stay strong and carry on.

He needed to focus on his work instead of allowing himself to wallow in regret. He needed to push aside the pain and grief and remind himself that things were going to get better. Things would change.

Because they needed to.

When he woke up in the morning, his entire body ached. Everything hurts. Even breathing. All he wanted to do was curl into a ball on the couch and close his eyes and sleep for days but he had a job to do. And so he rose slowly, dragging himself to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He was surprised that he'd slept through most of the night because he'd woken up at least twice, tossing and turning every few minutes. He'd ended up rolling around several times trying to settle back onto the pillow, but eventually gave up and turned over, pressing his face against the pillow.

He felt so tired. As much as he hated to admit it, he really needed some coffee and maybe a little bit of food. Nothing fancy, just enough to wake him up and hopefully get rid of the lingering effects of his nightmares. He hoped it would help him forget for a moment.

As if summoned by the thought, he heard the sound of a door opening and closing upstairs. His heart skipped a beat in fear that someone else had entered the house but then he realised that it probably wasn't a bad thing. In fact, it sounded almost like he'd forgotten that anyone else lived here. But that was silly, of course, someone else lived here, it was a large estate. Of course, they had some neighbours. Of course, he had to see them at some point.

He grabbed the mug and headed towards the stairs. He wasn't sure what he was expecting but he certainly hadn't expected to find a woman sitting at the foot of his bed. She was staring vacantly at the floor but he could tell that she was aware of his presence. That she could hear his footsteps and could feel the tension in the room.

To be continued...