My Brother's Best Friend✔️

27-

RECAP:

I only made it a couple of meters before Josie spoke up.

"No, Becca please wait." Josie sighed in frustration but I kept my back to them.

All of them.

"I need to tell you something." She paused and when I turned around, Ethan had his arm resting on her small waist.

"WE need to tell you something." She said and pulled my brother closer to her side.

I promise that I haven't forgotten about all of you my lovelies, so here is chapter 27!

(Can you believe that I have actually written 27 chapters? Because, honestly I can't!)

REBECCA'S POV:

I couldn't quite define the strange tension that currently filled the dining room table.

Susan was happily waffling away to us all, unaware of unusual silence and the lack of eye contact being shared.

But the 4 of us?... we were beyond aware.

"Pain au chocolat, darling?" Susan offered me one of her freshly baked pastries with a warm smile.

My eyes soften as I accept one of them, placing it on the colorful and handmade plate beneath me.

"Thanks." I reply quietly and look up to see hurt flash in her aging features when she glances at the rest of the full tray.

Breakfasts have been like this for the last week.

It would start with Ashton coming back from a run or swim and neither of us locking eyes. Soon, he would arrive minutes later and seat himself opposite me.

Only difference to this morning's meal was that Susan had taken her time to whip up a batch of her famous pain au chocolat's that everyone seemed to decline.

"I wouldn't have made as many if I knew no-one but Rebecca wanted them." She laughs cheerily to enlighten the mood and quickly returns to the kitchen.

As I dug into the chocolate filled breakfast, I made the mistake of glancing up, only to be met with an awkward gaze from Josie and a furious one from Ethan.

It wasn't as if he didn't do the exact same thing with my best friend.

My empty plate now sat before me as I pulled my finger to the corner of my lips and slouched backwards into my chair.

I felt childish.

The situation. The silence. It all felt so immature to me.

Then everything hit me... I was going home soon, I was leaving Marseille behind until god-knows-when and I am currently wasting away the precious time that I have left with people that mean so much to me.

Susan's voice caused my eyes to flutter open, when I wasn't even aware that they had closed.

I hadn't slept at all last night, and I seemed to be paying the price.

"Hey kiddos, As Rebecca and Ethan are going home soon, I'm going to go shopping to grab a couple of things for the dinner party." Susan called as she re-entered the room with her hands filled with reusable shopping bags and her chunky keychains.

"Mrs Miles you don-" Ethan started but Susan cut him off.

"Oh shush, it's the least I can do for the both of you." She pauses. "And please,It's Susan." She reminds him politely, knowing that this entire trip she has told him the exact same thing.