'Til Death Do Us Reunite

Chapter Four

Hours after Rae joined her brothers in the kitchen, she had eaten breakfast – or most likely brunch by that point – courtesy of Mason who worked in the kitchen at their mum's café and had her morning dose of coffee. Rae had showered and gotten dressed into a pair of dark jeans and a hoodie after having a sudden change of mind. She couldn't wait to see her friends; she doesn't know why her mind had suggested otherwise and after two years Rae couldn't wait any longer.

She'd go to Theo first since he was her next-door neighbour. To anyone who didn't know him, Theo is mysterious, quiet and shy. He doesn't openly talk about his life to anyone unless he trusts them and Theo doesn't trust easily. Theo and his parents moved to England from Russia when he was eight, moving next door to Rae and her family.

Rae remembers first seeing the large truck following a red estate car as it pulled up into the drive leading to the house next door. Previously, the house had been emptied since the old woman that lived there died. Curious as ever, her eight-year-old self would jump up and down as the days went by and more belongings were carried into the house by men in uniforms, looking to see who would be living there. It wasn't until four weeks after that Rae finally saw them. Her brothers were out with their dad as Rae and her mum went down their neighbour's drive to welcome them. Her mum knocked and it was a moment before the door opened. While her mum introduced them to the man that stood in the doorway, Rae stared at him. He was tall, to Rae at least, but he was only a little bit taller than her mum. He was plump and didn't have a lot of hair, but the hair he did have was flecked with grey. One thing that Rae noticed immediately was that he hadn't stopped smiling. Nothing was fake about it, he seemed rather happy that Rae and her mum had thought to come over. He introduced himself as Dorian once her mum had paused to breathe. He spoke perfect English with only a little bit of his Russian accent coming through. Dorian had winked down at Rae, causing her to quietly giggle, as he offered them to come in. Her eyes absorbed everything as they were led to the kitchen. Everything was a mismatch of colours and styles but somehow this mad mix fit together perfectly.

The kitchen was a mix of modern and traditional in shades of white and antique creams. By the table stood a slender woman with long black hair and dark eyes. One hand was in a pocket while the other was partly behind her lower leg. She smiled warmly as she introduced herself as Diana, laughing lightly and looking to her husband knowingly. Her Russian accent seeped through her words thicker than Dorian's did, making it difficult for Rae to understand her. Diana brought her hand out behind her leg slowly and with a little push, a little boy was pulled from where he was hiding behind Diana's leg. His brown hair was ruffled and his onyx eyes were wide with caution as his small hands gripped at his mum's leg.

"This is our son Theo," Dorian's smile widened as Rae waved and Theo inched closer to his mum. "He's just turned eight –"

The rest of Dorian's sentence and the adults' conversation blended into the background when she realised he was the same age as her. Her eyes lit up as she smiled at him, waving again. This time Theo took a small step away from his mum, his eyes now held a look of curiosity as he waved back. Rae laughed lightly, waving back with more enthusiasm and Theo mirrored her, a grin slowly forming on his face. He mumbled something in Russian to his mum and she answered softly back. He looked back to Rae and his face changed completely. His eyes shone dark silver as a mischievous grin slid onto his lips. Theo bounded forward, his hands grasping hers and gave her a slight tug.

"Come with me!" He said, his voice light, his accent peaking through when his voice deepened. He tugged again and Rae laughed, looking to her own mum for permission. When Kaeli nodded, they were off. One of Rae's hands were still in Theo's as he pulled her through the house.

Rae smiled to herself as her eyes refocused when Socks brushed against her leg. She reached down to scratch his head before she sat down on the edge of her bed. Rae and Theo had become fast friends, even more so when Theo joined Rae's class at school. It helped that they were neighbours too. Through them, their families became good friends too, especially when Dorian died a year after they had moved in. The months after that were hard on everyone. Diana would often lose focus on what she was doing, making her forget to do a lot of things; looking after herself and Theo was one of them. Theo became closed off, observing and listening rather than talking. He'd goes days when he wouldn't speak to anyone and Rae had trouble getting him to open up. Liam, one of Rae's other friends was the only one that could get him to speak and then, those moments were rare. Both Theo and Diana moved in with Rae's family while they helped Diana get back on her feet. During that time Theo became one of Rae's bestest friends and brother. Slowly he had opened up to Rae, their other friends following slowly after.