Merryn Fawkner eyed her daughter across the breakfast table. Their reunion had been emotional when she saw her daughter for the first time in 9 years this morning. Some would think it strange that it had been so long, and it was. Piper had never wanted to come back and visit and Merryn and George had never left Cornwall.
Piper's return was so sudden that her suspicions had been peaked. But as usual, her daughter pretended that everything was fine. But she knew better - Piper was hiding something. All she could do was hope that when Piper was ready she would open up. A problem shared and all that.
"Have you made any plans today?". Merryn asked.
"I thought about going for a walk and maybe to the beach. That's the one thing I missed most about living in London. There was nowhere to escape to and it was always loud and busy." Piper replied.
"That's why dad and I would never come and visit. The thought of being exposed to the hustle and bustle of a big city left us with a feeling of dread. I can't tell you how happy we are that you decided to come home. We've missed out on so many special occasions and it's time to make up for it". Merryn replied ruefully.
Piper couldn't even argue about why her parents never came to visit her as she hadn't made the effort herself. And there wasn't one good reason why. Her upbringing had been amazing and so had her childhood. She'd just got caught up in her new life, career, and Dale. Looking back she realised how selfish she was. There was no excuse for the distance she'd created with her parents. They deserved so much better than that.
"Mum, I know it may be a little too late, but I'm sorry for never making time for you and dad. I got selfishly caught up in my own life and just assumed you were both ok with that. I promise to make up for it".
Merryn teared up " I know you are darling. But what's done is done and we can't change it. We just need to make up for it. We all know how short life is and it can be gone in a heartbeat".
Somehow Piper knew that her Mum was referring to Miles - the sadness in her eyes obvious...
The previous day had been a welcome distraction for Seb, and spending time with Piper had solidified their friendship and got it back on track. He was still suspicious of why she was being so coy about her reasons for coming home so abruptly. But pushing the issue might inflame whatever emotions Piper was already feeling. He hadn't heard from Will either which was a good thing. No doubt Will would spit his dummy out when he found out they'd spent yesterday together and even though it was platonic Will would still act like he was hard done by. He seemed to have this misconception that every woman was in love with him and would follow him to the ends of the Earth if need be. Well, there were women out there like Piper, who wouldn't fall for his charms and he knew the kiss they'd shared had meant nothing to Piper. Seb wanted to call Piper and arrange another meet-up with her. Calling it a date brought with it expectations that neither of them wanted, especially Pi
Dale Ridgeley sat in his office staring at his computer screen like it was miraculously going to type up his student report for him. Since Piper had left he hadn't been able to focus on anything, especially work.How dare that bitch up and leave him without a word! He'd come home from work to find that all the stuff Piper kept as his flat missing, and when he'd tried to call her the number had been disconnected. When he'd contacted her work, they'd politely advised him that she no longer worked there and refused to give him a forwarding address or telephone number. He'd even gone in and tried to sweet-talk the stupid fat receptionist into giving him the information, but she wouldn't budge and hadn't even fallen for his charms. He wondered what Piper had told them about him before she up and did a moonlight flit?Well, it was all lies! Whatever she'd said, she was a liar!When he'd realised her mobile had been disconnected, he'd tried calling everyone she k
When Seb called and asked Piper if she fancied lunch, she'd jumped at the chance. She'd spent all morning researching her options about starting work but was still none the wiser. She still couldn't decide whether or not being self-employed was the best way to go. "What's the situation with work?" Seb asked, "Have you made a decision on what you want to do?". "Nope, I feel like I'm just waiting for the penny to drop. I never thought it would be so hard just to make a decision. I'll have to do something soon as my savings are starting to dwindle. Are you glad you're self-employed?". "I like not having anyone to answer to and being my own boss is always a positive. It does have its disadvantages though; work is practically non-existent through the winter months so I have to always make sure I've saved enough money to see me through". Seb answered honestly. "But if you were to go self-employed your work wouldn't be seasonal, so straight away you have an advantag
Will was starting to get annoyed at Piper giving him the silent treatment, anyone would've thought he'd cheated or something with the way she was carrying on. So he told a little white lie? It was for a good reason and with the best of intentions. He just wanted time alone with her. Well, enough was enough - today he was going to go and confront her, and bring her a nice bunch of flowers to help sweeten her up. Flowers bought, he made his way up to her parent's house and rang the bell. Hopefully, Piper would answer the door as he didn't feel like trying to explain to her parents why he'd turned up bearing flowers. They weren't naive enough to believe he was just being kind. For all, he knew she might've already told them of the events of that night. A shadow came into view and as the door opened Will held his breath but put on the biggest smile he could muster. Piper stood there with a look of complete annoyance "What do you want? Generally when someone
By the time Piper got home, it was past 11 pm and both her parents were asleep. She carefully crept up to her bedroom and quietly got changed into her pajamas. Easing into bed she reminisced over the night and how perfect it was. Seb had walked ger home, said goodnight, and left. He was a true gentleman and Piper loved him even more for it.When she checked her phone she realised there was a text message on her phone. Opening it she stared in horror "You can't keep ignoring me you BITCH! Hiding won't protect you! Escaping London won't protect you either!".It was from an unknown number and she knew enough to know that they'd used an online text service in order to remain anonymous. She started shaking and her heart rate quickened. All she wanted was to be left alone, to forget her past and look forward to her future. There were times she wished she'd just stayed in Porthleven where she was safe and then none of this would've happened.Telling her parents w
Seb and Piper sat and talked well into the evening just like old friends. There was no awkwardness, no expectations and he seemed so relaxed which he hadn't been in all the time she'd been home. She noticed he was still guarded whenever she tried to turn the topic onto his time in the Army. He wasn't hostile, he would just start looking uncomfortable and then start directing the conversation elsewhere. She also noticed his face would light up whenever he talked about working on his boat and he talked endlessly about it. She loved listening to him and watching him smile so naturally. His skin was gently sun-kissed, but not enough that he looked too tanned and the hairs that were poking through his top were just the right shade of blonde. These were things that Piper was just observing without any kind of hidden agenda or lustful thought. She was done with men for the time being - it was time to finally focus on herself. Her thoughts were broken by Seb "Fancy s