I woke, barely able to open my eyes with the pain in my head. I inhale and as though my senses have only come alive, I take in the smells around me. I smell disinfectant, sanitizer, my mother's perfume, McDonald's, my father's cologne and... Flynn?

My eyes shoot open.

I'm in a hospital!

But how can I smell Flynn's familiar scent?

I glance around the room, my gaze falling on a figure sleeping on a sofa and then to the occupied seat beside the bed where my mother sits, her head resting on her folded arms on the bed.

"Mam" I croak quietly.

Her head instantly shoots up to look at me and a look of relief takes over her face. "Oh sweetheart, how are you feeling?"

I nod my head, mentally assessing myself. "I'm okay, I think" I give her a weak smile, "What happened? Why am I here?" My eyes flicker to the figure asleep beneath the blanket on the sofa.

"You were drunk and collapsed. You hit your head hard. You've been unconscious for two days" She looks over at the sofa and then back to me. "Flynn brought you in. He's been here the whole time. He refuses to go home until you're awake"

Flynn?

He was the person asleep on the sofa?

He's been here for two days?

"Aaron should be back soon and Nat and Summer have been here every evening"

The blanket moves and suddenly I can see Flynn's face. His eyes creep open and lock on mine. "Leah" He gasps, leaping up from his position. He reaches the side of my bed and freezes.

"I'm going to get a coffee" My mother exclaims to nobody but quickly leaves the room.

He lowers himself into the now vacant chair and smiles weakly at me. "How are you doing?"

I shrug my shoulder. "What are you doing here?" I asks when suddenly the door bursts open. Aaron stands gazing at us. "What are you both doing here?" I rephrase.

"We care about you Leah" Aaron speaks up. He crosses the room and pulls up a seat on the far side of me. "What you said the other night.."

"I was drunk!" I interrupt, vaguely remembering what I'd said.

"Yes but it was still the truth" He pierces his lips together. "This past year has been hard on you and I should have been there, but I wasn't" He lowers his head regrettably. "When Davey passed, I was too busy thinking about me and how I'd lost a friend that I completely overlooked that you lost your brother" As Aaron speaks, I struggle to hold back my tears. He looks up at me and I see the glazed look in his eyes. "I've been a shit friend and I really am sorry"

I close my eyes, taking a long blink to hold back my tears. "You have been a shitty friend.. but.. nobody's perfect"

I smile at him and he practically leaps at me.

"As soon as you're outta here we're going on a trip" He chimes and holds out his hand for me to 'fist bump'. I glimpse at Flynn and Aaron stands up. "I'm going..." he points at the door, struggling to find an excuse to leave, ".. oh fuck it" he huffs and just walks out.

When the door comes to a complete shut, I turn to look at Flynn.

"I'm sorry about your brother. Your parents told me" He confesses.

"Flynn.." I swallow my nerves and look directly into those dangerous grey eyes. "I don't know why you're here or why you've stayed the last two days but I really don't think I want to know either..." Flynn lowers his gaze, his head bobs up and down. "..my head's all over the place right now... I need time to sort myself out and maybe, in time, we can go back to the way we were"

Flynn doesn't say anything, he just stands and picks up his leather jacket before heading towards the door. His hand hovers over the handle for a moment before he opens it.

He turns and looks at me, his grey eyes sunken. "I do care Leah" He says firmly which makes me wonder is Summer or Natalie said something to him. "And I don't think it matters how much time passes I'll..." He stops and shakes his head. "..Bye Leah"

I watch as the door closes behind him and he disappears from view.

Tears come flooding from my eyes and I can't stop them. I feel like my heart has been shattered into a million pieces.

But not just for Flynn, although he is the main reason, but for everything and everyone else..

It feels like a years worth of emotion has come bursting from me.

_____________________________________________________________________

I sit in the cafe, by the window, watching as people pass by on the bustling street outside. Everyone's busy rushing around I'm just sat here, sipping on a coffee and contemplating life.

"Penny for your thoughts" Aaron chimes, pulling out the chair opposite and sitting with his coffee cup.

"Trying to decided if I really need to go back to school. I mean, mocks are over and they were ridiculous, what's the point even sitting the leaving cert"

"Eh because you want to go to college and you need it to get in" He says facetiously and sticks his tongue out at me. "Besides it's stupid to avoid school because of a guy" He arches an eyebrow at me but I ignore him and take a long sip of my drink. "Are we just going to avoid talking about him forever? You haven't see or heard from him in like over a month"

I wince at hearing that aloud.

I knew exactly how long it's been since I'd seen Flynn, since he walked out of that hospital room and didn't look back.

"Why won't you just go talk to him? I know he likes you Lee"

"It doesn't matter, Flynn isn't the one-girl kinda guy"

"Could have fooled me. In the few times I've met him he hasn't been able to take his eyes off you; he called me, believing I was your fella because he was worried about you; He stayed in the hospital for two days until you woke just so he could make sure you were okay; and lets not forget the time he got arrested for you, helped you hide from the loser you were dating and saved you from the guards"

"And then we go to school and it's like none of it even happened"

Aaron sighs and pulls his hands down his face. "I knew this girl once, right?" He smirks and I nod my head, intrigued by where this story could go. "She was down right stubborn as hell, loved having fun and getting into trouble; in and out of school. She had as many acquaintances as she did haters and if you saw her, you'd understand, she was bad-ass and looked hot as hell" He leans sideways, eying my outfit in disgust. I'd made no effort and just pulled on black jeans, black Dr Marten boots and a grey jumper, "but underneath all that, I knew what she was really like; She's affectionate, outgoing, intelligent and just wants to be loved for who she is"

"What's your point?"

"My point is... maybe you're not the only one who puts on a tough exterior; Maybe the guy you spend all that alone time with is the real Flynn and there's a reason he let you see the other side of him"

My phone vibrates on the table between us and I open the text message.

Natalie: dnt 4gt my 18th this Sat. Hope to see ur pretty lil ass there. gonna be epic :D

"That should be fun" Aaron exclaims, reading my message.

"I don't know if I'm gonna go" I admit.

"And why wouldn't you attend one of your best friends birthdays?"

"Because we both know half our year and Flynn will be there"

"If ya ask me that just sounds like more of a reason to go"

"Good thing I didn't ask you then, isn't it" I stick my tongue out playfully at him.

"Well I'm not asking ya, I'm telling ya; you're going!" He states sternly.