the new year

forty-four

F O R T Y - F O U R :

He was a tree blowing blissfully in the breeze as the wind gently lapped his already rosy cheeks, he and his family decided to take themselves on a walk to do something that was penniless but still enjoyable. He was lost within his own thoughts a few paces behind the rest of the Stiles bunch. Why did his feelings feel so foreign to him especially now? He was happy, he was sad, he was confused but when it came to those feelings he didn't know.

Luckily, for the Stiles' the grass was dry and the sun was out, it wasn't particularly hot but it was warm, warm enough to have a picnic in the middle of the park where they could watch the ducks and swans swim around the lake aimlessly and dipping their head far beneath, oh to be a duck.

Emma found the perfect spot, around a metre and a half away from the lakes edge, she placed the tartan red blanket on the grass, which was thankfully big enough for the four of them. James put the rucksack full of sandwiches, crisps, biscuits and drinks on the centre of the blanket then pulled everything out so that they could all help themselves.

"Harri, are you okay son?" James questioned his eldest with his eyebrows drawn together, the twenty year old had barley uttered a word since they set off from their home. The dark brown eyes that he got from his father looked up at the man himself and nodded with a smile. He didn't feel sad or angry or any negative emotion, he just wasn't sure why he was overthinking everything so much, he hadn't any reason to.

"Can I put some music on?" Belle asked her parents. The surrounding area was rather secluded, there were only a few walkers and sitters jotted around the place, there wouldn't be any noise complainants from anyone.

"Don't put it on too loud though," Emma reasoned, she had a moment of hesitance but music was a big part of all of their lives, they all enjoyed it thoroughly and it shaped them in a weird way.

The first song the fell from the speakers of Belle's rose gold mobile was a song called 'She Didn't Care' from STRINGS' second album 'Call It What It Is', Belle often referred to it as her favourite song as of right now but she said that about many a song. Harrison took a sip from his bottle and swallowed the cool water, he still hadn't spoke, he didn't really know what to say but his silence was deafening.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Belle asked, she was concerned too "As much as I love you being quiet I want you to be okay, so are you?" She added with a light joke and smile.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Harrison asked back, sneering at the question he'd been asked twice with a question himself. The truth was, he just wanted to see her again and he knew it sounded weird because he didn't know her but she was nice and the band she was in made some solid tracks.

"You're never usually this quiet when music is brought into the equation, so what's wrong?" Belle continued questioning, she knew there was something wrong because she could read that man like a bloody book, even though she wasn't a massive fan of reading, he was very readable.

She'd noticed that he'd been a bit off since she asked him about whether or not he fancied anyone and she felt insatiably guilty, she didn't mean to offend him if he was offended, she just really wanted him to have a girlfriend who was actually a good person and not a 'clout chaser' as all the young folk say. Everyone he's 'dated' since Georgia was exactly like her, they didn't give a shit about him and his feelings only about what he had in his wallet.