Page 87 of A Voice In Chains
How is this my life? It’s Friday. My friends are getting drunk and fucking women.
For once, though, I couldn’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than here, with my dad, repairing more than just benches.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Several more months pass.
I place the box down in the corner of the room, where two stacks wait to be unpacked. It’s the biggest bedroom in the house.
Harrison, the fucker, insisted I should have it because I haven’t gotten laid in a while, and this—according to him—is now my ‘shag pad.’
I look around at the sparse furniture.
A brand-new mattress rests on the floor, propped against the wall where I’ll eventually set it up. A single window, void of blackout curtains, lets in pale light, highlighting the gray carpet. The closet door hangs slightly ajar, empty except for a lone hanger left behind by the previous tenant. The room (and the house) isn’t much to look at, but it’s my first time living away from home. I’m excited to have my own space.
This September, my friends and I will be attending university together. It was cheaper to rent a house than live on campus—a short drive away.
“This should be the last of them,” Dad says as he enters behind me with a box. Mum isn’t far behind, evading Ryan’sinnocent flirtations. The guy is like a dog with a bone when women are around. Not even my mum is safe from his wagging tail. What a gross analogy.
Setting it down with the other boxes, Dad straightens up, eyes misty with tears. He’s been a stoic man of few words my whole life, but now he looks at me with pride, and it’s fucking me up inside. To my shock, he pulls me in for a hug and claps me on the back. “Proud of you, son.”
Mum wrings her hands in the doorway, her cheeks wet with tears.
When Dad finally releases me, I try to lighten the mood. “It’s only an hour away. You’ll get sick of seeing me soon.”
“The house will be so quiet without you,” Mum says, her chin wobbling.
Neriah slides past her in the doorway and looks around my room. “Is this it? I thought it’d be bigger.” Her nose crinkles in disgust, but then she smiles and throws her arms around me. “I’m only messing with you. It’s perfect.”
Now I’m the one with burning eyes. I guess, for siblings, we’ve always been close, but over the last year, we’ve become friends. I have a lot of respect for my sister because if it weren’t for her and her silent support on days when life kicked me in the arse, I don’t know what I would have done.
She was the only one I could talk to about Arkin—truly talk. Harrison and Ryan are good friends of mine, but there are things I don’t feel comfortable sharing with them, like all the mushy shit Arkin made me feel—things I haven’t felt before. While they knew I struggled there for a while, I wasn’t going to break down in tears in front of them. Call it toxic masculinity, if you will, but there are things I don’t want to discuss with other guys.
“Kick arse while you’re here,” my sister says, squeezing me before she steps back.
“You’ll be here next year too.” I ruffle her hair, and she bats me off like she always does.
“Presumptuous of you to think I’ll attend the same university as you.”
I chuckle, appreciating the mischievous glint in her eyes. Neriah is due to apply for university by January, but she’s debating her options. Still, I selfishly hope she’ll apply for this one because I want her nearby where I can keep an eye on her.
Next, Mum steps up for a hug, and for long moments, she squeezes me like she thinks I’ll evaporate into a fine mist if she lets go.
“Mum,” I choke out after a while. “I can’t breathe.”
That makes her laugh lightly and release me. Palming my face, she smiles at me through her tears, her thumbs stroking my cheeks in a loving, nurturing gesture. “Oh, Zachary. I’m so proud of you, sweetheart. My firstborn is off to university. It only feels like I gave birth to you yesterday, and look at you now.”
Neriah sniggers behind Mum’s back, and I feel my own lips twitch. Luckily, I manage to hold back my laugh. Mothers will be mothers, I guess.
An hour later, after they helped me put the bed together, Dad finally convinced my mum to head back home.
As they drive down the road, I return to the house, checking my phone.
Ryan and Harrison wasted no time installing the Xbox in the living room when they arrived. Sprawled on the couches, they shoot at the opponents between reloading their weapons.
When I enter the room, Ryan asks me if I want to join, but I shake my head.
Sinking down on the nearest armchair, my thoughts drift as I watch them game. It’s good to be here with my friends. I’ve needed a new start for a long time now. A new environment. Somewhere that doesn’t remind me of Arkin.
