Linked (James Graham/Reece Bibby)

Chapter Twenty Six

When I woke up, I was in my new bedroom. I looked down at myself to see the duvet covering me. But I was still fully clothed. I assumed one of the lads had brought me upstairs last night. The reminder that James wasn’t here was evident in the half empty room.

I sat up and ran my hands through my hair. Voices could be heard downstairs so I knew at least some of the lads were awake. I threw the duvet off my body and got out of bed. The temperature of the house had dropped since last night. I shivered, pulling open the wardrobe and grabbing a large jumper.

Once I was dressed, I headed downstairs to find Chris and Jake sat in the kitchen. They stopped their conversation as soon as I entered the room. “Good morning,” Chris sang, beaming from ear to ear. “Do you want a cup of tea or anything?” Jake asked and I shook my head immediately. I took a mug from one of the cupboards and filled it with tap water.

“We’re going shopping later to get some food in, do you want to come?” Chris questioned but I replied with a sharp shake of the head. He sighed at my response and stood up, walking over to me. “I think you should come with us,” he told me, tilting my chin up so I had no choice but to make eye contact with him. “It’ll be good for you to get out of the house,” he said. There was no way of avoiding it. I had to leave the house. I guess it wouldn’t do any harm. “Okay,” I agreed quietly.

Each of the lads soon made their way into the kitchen to get drinks and food. “We’d better get going actually,” Jake piped up then looked at me, “have you eaten?” he questioned and I shook my head. “Okay, we’ll grab something while we’re out. Chris, are you coming?”

Chris had his head in his hands and didn’t even look up when Jake mentioned his name. “I’ve got a ridiculously bad headache, Mate. I’ll have to sit this one out,” Chris mumbled quietly. Sit this one out? It was a trip to the supermarket. “Alright, it’s just us two then,” Jake spoke, smiling at me. I returned it then followed him down the hall. I knew my hair was barely presentable and my clothing choice was boring. Not to mention the lack of makeup. I pulled my coat and boots on then followed Jake out to his car.

“Come on then,” Jake piped up once he’d pulled out of the street the house was situated on and onto the main road, “Tell me what happened.” I looked down at my hands and shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know what you mean,” I muttered. Jake stayed quiet for a moment as he switched lanes. “With James,” he spoke up.

I didn’t want to tell Jake what had happened because I knew he’d probably hate me. “I just fucked up,” I said, struggling to prevent my voice from breaking. I couldn’t cry. Not now. “Okay. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he told me as he turned the car into a car park.

I didn’t say another word as Jake pulled into a parking spot and cut off the engine. “Now come on, we have a big shop to do,” he said and we both got out of the car. The two of us headed inside the large supermarket and I got a trolley on the way in. We decided to tackle our shop aisle by aisle.

“Do we really need anymore?” Jake asked as I placed a jar of Nutella in the trolley. “You can never have enough Nutella, Jake.” The two of us made our way through the remaining aisles before we finally made it to the checkouts. I swooped into a queue with Jake following close behind. “We can grab something to eat after this,” Jake told me. The thought of food made me feel sick. “I’m not really hungry,” I replied. Jake frowned and said, “You didn’t eat last night either.”

I shrugged. “I just don’t feel too well,” I told him. He watched me for a moment, clearly wondering whether he should take the matter any further. His features relaxed and he said, “Okay. But try to eat some dry toast or something when we get back to the house.” I nodded, grateful that he hadn’t pushed the matter any further.

When we’d packed all the shopping into carrier bags and paid, we left the supermarket. Once we were in the car, I’d dared to ask, “Have you heard from James?”

Jake turned the keys and the car roared to life. He didn’t reply to my question. In fact, he acted as if he hadn’t heard it as he reversed out of the parking space. He drove out of the car park and onto the road. “He spoke to Tom last night. He told him where he was and when he was moving to the house,” Jake told me. “And?” I questioned, wondering why Jake wasn’t giving me the information. “He also told Tom not to tell you.” My heart sank. James was pushing me away and it was my own fault. “He said he loves you,” Jake spoke quietly. That alone put my mind at ease.

Jake parked the car near the house and turned off the ignition. He turned to me and smiled weakly. “He hasn’t given up on you. He just needs some time. And whatever happens, I’ll be here for you. You’re part of this weird little family now. We’ve got your back,” Jake told me. His words reassured me and I felt a ghost of a smile on my lips. “Now come on. We’ll get the lads to bring the shopping in,” Jake said, pushing the car door open and getting out of the vehicle.

A/N: I'm just going to take a moment to say a massive thank you for 20k! You lot are wonderful!