He's American (Trames au)

Chapter 4- James' POV

I'm glad that Tristan brought me my mail. It saved me the bother of wondering where it was, plus it came from my sister so I'm glad I got it. I haven't opened it yet, I haven't been able to bring myself to as I know it'll make me miss my family even more. I'm not sure homesick is the right word, as it's not like I hate England, but I do miss home.

Admittedly I've only been here for a couple of weeks, so it'll probably settle down. It's just such change- I left the sun and all my family and friends at home, and now I'm in a cold country where it rains a lot and I don't really know many people. They seem friendly enough though, it's just not what I'm used to.

Tristan is a weird one. I've only spoken to him a couple of times, and although he isn't rude as such, he isn't the friendliest. I guess I maybe caught him on a bad day the first time, as he was nice to me earlier when he brought my stuff. He seems nice though, and I think he's got the makings of a good friend.

Eventually curiosity gets the better of me, and I retrieve the letter from the coffee table. I open it and find a letter from my sister and some photos. She hasn't written much, I haven't been away long enough to have missed anything significant, but it somehow says a lot. It's just updates about what she's up to, how my mom is, that sort of thing. 

The photos make it much harder- they're some that I took before I left which she's printed and sent to me. They're mostly of my friends, us on the beach in the sun. My heart physically aches, I think I've been so caught up in the change of coming to a whole new country that the reality of being so far away hasn't quite hit me, as dumb as that sounds.

I'm sitting on the floor leafing through the pictures and scanning my sister's slightly smudged writing when I suddenly feel myself welling up. I haven't cried for so long- not in the couple of weeks I've been here, and not even before I left as I was so excited for a new adventure. But seeing my family who I love and miss the most hasn't suddenly made it all catch up to me.

I pull my knees up to my chest, willing myself not to cry. However, before I can blink it away, a tear falls down my cheek. That seems to be the trigger, and soon enough I start to sob. It's been a weird mix of feelings that I need to get out, and now it's all coming out at once. I don't know how long I cry for, and it's only when I rub my eyes roughly that I realise how many tears there are. Still, I think getting that all out did me good. 

I pick myself up off the floor and head to the bathroom to wipe my face- I've always been an ugly crier, and this is no exception, as I look in the mirror and see that my eyes are red and puffy. At least I haven't got to go and see anyone today, though I might FaceTime my sister later if I feel up to it. I did a few days ago, but after that show of emotion I don't know if hearing her voice would be good. Still, she says she's missing me, so I ought to stay in touch.

I head back to the living room and flip the tv to the American news. It's quite depressing hearing about politics and violence, but I'm not really listening to the words- it's more that the female presenter's voice is similar to my mom's. I have to smile to myself, and I decide that FaceTiming would be a good idea. It's easier to pretend everything's ok over a call than in real life, though I've always been good at hiding my feelings. I don't know if that's a good skill, but nonetheless it's one I have.

Having calmed down a bit, I grab some paper and begin to write a letter back. I know email is much easier, but I think there's something really nice about getting actual letters. I'll probably switch to emails in a few weeks, but for now I'm sticking with staying in contact the old fashioned way. It's just good to get mail that isn't bills.

I spend the next half an hour thinking of what to say that'll make it sound like I'm 100% happy. I don't want anyone to worry about me, so I'm not going to be totally honest. I'll stick to talking about what I've seen and some of the people I've met. The more I think about it, the more I realise that it's mostly great being here, but I don't think I'll ever stop missing home. 

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I liked this one, though I feel quite sorry for James now 😢 Please vote and comment if you liked it!

I'd like to apologise to any Americans reading this- I've only been a couple of times and therefore I know almost nothing about it 😂 I'm kind of playing with the language and description for the sake of the story.