The Amity Affliction (Ahren Stringer) *COMPLETED*

Chapter One

NINA

'Dan, have you started packing yet? I swear you're one of the most unorganised people I've ever met.'

I pop my head around Dan's bedroom door to see my best friend and roommate Dan sitting on his bed texting while his suitcase sat open and empty on the floor by his wardrobe. I roll my eyes and walk into his room, clearing my throat.

'Did you hear me?'

He looks up from his phone and smiles, 'I heard you, mum. I don't like packing; can you do it for me, please?'

I chew my lip and sigh loudly. I was a very organised person and liked things being planned and done way before the due date. The bus was coming in the morning to pick Dan up, and he knew my personality, and how I'd end up packing for him in the end.

'You're lucky; I love you. Otherwise, I'd slap your pretty white boy face.'

Dan laughs, nearly falling off the bed in the process. I shoot him the finger and set about starting to plan what he would need. Dan would be coming back in between continents, so I didn't need to pack him a lot.

'This pretty white boy is going to let Ryan in.'

He jumps off the bed and runs out of the room. Ryan was a pretty great guy who had become one of my closest friends. Like Dan, Ryan was like another brother to me. He'd also taught me how to play the drums, which was pretty cool.

'Seriously Dan you got Nina to do your packing again. What are you going to do if she ever moves out?'

I look up upon hearing Ryan's voice to see him leaning in the doorway. Dan appears next to him, gasping loudly.

'Nina is never leaving me, wherever I go she goes, and vice versa isn't that right?'

'Ryan, this poor boy couldn't function without me if he tried,' I reply deadpan.

Ryan snorts, "yeah you're probably right Nina.'

I chuckle along with him and continue packing. Dan leaves to order us some food. Ryan slumps down on the end of Dan's bed, a concerned look on his face.

'I know what you're going to ask Ryan and the answer is that I'll be fine here all alone.'

Ryan sighs, 'Both Dan and I worry about you. Ever since your ex forced you to move in with Dan, you haven't been alone, Nina.'

A shudder runs down my spine at the mere mention of my ex-boyfriend. Will started all loving and he treated me like a queen, but after six months he started drinking and doing drugs. Then he turned mean and started abusing me, mentally and emotionally but that quickly deteriorated into physical abuse including torture, rape, and forced submission to his every command. I felt like a prisoner; I needed to get out.

Will terrified me, threatened to kill me if I ever left him or told anyone about the abuse. He didn't make empty threats. But Dan did find out and told me to go to the Police; he helped me gather evidence against Will as well as helping me get back to my old bubbly self. The Police saw the evidence, and Will was slapped with a restraining order, and then time in prison for drug charges.

I moved in with Dan, and we'd been living together for the past four months without any problems. But Ryan was right, I hadn't been left alone in the apartment for a long time and a small part of me was petrified at the possibility of something bad happening.

'I have some art commissions to work on for some bands which should keep me busy during the day—'

'But what about at night, Nina?' Ryan interrupts.

I finish folding a shirt with shaking hands before getting back to my feet, Ryan stands up and opens his arms, and I walk into his comforting embrace. Ryan gave some of the best hugs around.

'You guys are only a phone call away, right?'

'Day or night Nina, now let's eat before Dan scoffs it all.'

I pull away from him and offer my arm like the real gentleman I was. He shakes his head at my strangeness but accepts my arm because it would be rude not to. We leave Dan's room, me telling myself I would finish packing after we ate.

'There you two are, for a second I thought you were getting off in my bedroom,' Dan jokes.

'Why would we hook-up in your room Dan when we both know I have the nicer bed?'

I sit down on the sofa next to Dan and roll my eyes at his over dramatics. I'd never hook up with Ryan, we had more of a close brother and sister relationship than lovers, and we were both happy.

Ryan claims the armchair next to the sofa and starts to take out the Chinese boxes from the bag on the coffee table. The smell made my mouth water, packing was hungry work, but Dan wouldn't know what that was like.