Miles Away | Nick Mara

One

"Aubri!"

I slowly opened my eyes, pulling up the duvet closer to my chest. Stretching my arms and legs, I reached for my phone. I scrolled through notifications until I saw a text from Zion: 'You're moving today, right? Text me when you land so we can pick you up.' I smiled to myself before replying with an 'okay, thanks'. My smile soon turned into a frown when I realized that he'd said "we". Would Nick be coming too?

"Aubri!!"

I groaned. Putting my phone away, I stood up from the bed and walked towards the door, climbing over the pile of boxes scattered around the room. I looked back, realizing how bare and plain the walls were; pictures had been taken down, the wallpaper had been peeled away, the furniture had been packed... There was nothing left except an airbed on the floor. With a sigh, I walked downstairs.

"Hey, mom." I said, as she handed me her cup of coffee.

My face scrunched up as I realized how disgusting it was. She laughed and stroked my hair.

"Are you ready?"

I shrugged. It wasn't a big deal. Okay, maybe it was, but I wasn't nervous.

"You're going to be living by yourself! Without me, or your dad... Aren't you scared?"

I shook my head with a smile. "I'll be okay, mom."

"So," she paused. "What about Nick?"

I sighed with a smile, raising my eyebrows. She laughed with a shrug.

"Won't it be awkward?"

"We broke up over a year ago," I said. "We're fine. We're still friends. And it's not like I'm going to live with him."

"Yeah," she admitted. "But you'll still see him. You guys are all still friends. You and the rest of the boys... I can't remember their names."

I laughed. "I'll be okay."

But to be honest, I wasn't too sure. After we broke up, we texted and called occasionally, but we hadn't met face to face in a while. What if it becomes too awkward? Will it be weird? But then again, the rest of the guys would still be there, so hopefully it wouldn't be too bad.

My mom turned towards me. "Are you all ready?"

I nodded. "When will the boxes be shipped?"

"The moving company said that it'll all be delivered in a few weeks. You should buy a few things to sleep and eat while the stuff's being shipped."

I nodded again. "Yeah, that's fine."

She looked at me for a moment, looking like she was about to cry. I sighed with a smile and hugged her. A few sniffles later, she pulled away again.

"Your dad will be here in a few minutes," she said. "He had to go pick something up for your grandma, but you should go get ready so you can leave as soon as he comes."

"Okay," I smiled.