Us Against the World || Simon Brown x Reader

Chapter 14

Y/N's POV

Simon and I went downstairs after telling him about my dream. We were met with the sight of the children sitting down at the table munching on toast or eating cereal. I sat down at the space between Chrissy and Simon went next to me. 

I take a piece of toast from the plate at the centre of the table and the butter knife. I spread a thin layer on the cooked bread and munch on it happily while I wait for Mr Brown to make his announcement. He walks in right on time, taking a seat at the head of the table, watching everyone eat before he speaks.

"Good morning, children. I've got some news for you today. Tomorrow, Great Aunt Adelaide will be joining us for tea! Isn't that lovely?" 

I stare at him, confused. I hear spoons fall and toast crunch. The children looked disgusted. Who was this Great Aunt Adelaide?

"No, not her."

"She's as blind as a bat."

"She scares me!"

"Children, please. She's your mother's aunt and the person who is supporting us. We need her money to stay at this house. Please be nice to her," begged Mr Brown. He seemed serious because the children just nodded silently and carried on eating.

"Also, Nanny will be taking you to the beach today. Won't that be a treat?" said Mr Brown, trying to lighten the mood.

"The beach? What's it like?" I ask. I've never been before, but mother always said it was a fun place. 

"What?! You've never been?" cries Chrissy. I look down and shake my head, embarrassed, "Well, then you need to come with us! It's a brilliant place! Where have you been with your mummy and daddy if you didn't go to the beach?"

"Um, mother took me to a flower garden when I was little. There was a swing there and we would play house," I explain. I couldn't believe my friends have been to the beach, they're so lucky.

"Were the flowers pretty?" asked Lily. I smile, feeling a little better, the memory of my mother and me on the swing warming my heart.

"Yes, they were beautiful. I wish I could go back with you and show you. There were roses and tulips, hyacinths and orchids. They looked so alive and happy, like th garden from one of my father's fairy stories. It was simply stunning, like living in a dream."

"Come on, children, we must prepare for the beach. Simon, take everyone upstairs to get ready," orders Nanny McPhee, and we finish breakfast quickly. I gulp down the rest of my orange juice and follow everyone upstairs. 

Time Skip

When we got there, I was surprised by the sight I saw. The shore was covered in smooth, dark pebbles, the bright blue sea lapping at a very thin layer of sand. The wind tries to pick up my hat fly but I hold it down on my head and giggle. My pale yellow dress is pressed to my legs by the wind and I start following everyone down the dirt path to the shore, Eric, Sebastian and Lily racing each other to see who would get to fly the kite first. 

I take a deep breath and smell the salty air. This place is brilliant just like Chrissy said. I walk side by side with Simon and we walk down the steep track together. I'm looking around at the green leafy trees and I step on a rock sticking out of the track. I feel myself falling but I don't feel the ground.

"You really need to watch where you're going. One of these days, I'm not going to be there to catch you," says Simon. I open my eyes and I stare into his eyes. His hands feel like they're burning into my skin, but it was a good feeling. I didn't want him to let go.

"Come along, you two," says Nanny McPhee, as she steps around us and keeps walking. Simon quickly steadies me to my feet and grabs my hand. I feel my cheeks turn red and I try to calm the butterflies in my stomach. I intertwine our fingers.

"So you don't fall again," Simon smirks and I sigh. We walk down the rest of the track hand in hand, noting how perfectly they fit together. 

"OOOooooohhhhhhhhhhhh!" cooed Sebastian and Chrissy, who were frustrated that their older brother had won the race, "Are you guys gonna kiss or something?"

"What? No, that's weird, why would want to kiss Y/N?" asks Simon, letting go of my hand and making a sour face. I nod in agreement but I feel a little crestfallen. Why do I feel upset all of a sudden? 

"Because you hold hands and talk together and sleep in the same bed, just like mummy and daddy did."

"B-but it's not like that. We just share the bed because I can't sleep anywhere else, and we take together because we're best friends!" I exclaim, trying to defend myself.

"And I held her hand because she's clumsy and would probably fall on her face without me," Simon smirks and I feel my face burn. Those were the facts, so why was I embarrassed?

Chrissy giggles and runs away with Sebastian back to Eric, pestering him and trying to snatch the kite from his grip. I shake my head, smiling. Those two were something else.

Simon goes to skip stones on the water and I sit next to Nanny McPhee, watching the children have fun. I wish my parents had taken me here so we could fly kites or skip stones. 

"You like him, don't you?" Nanny's voice cuts through the silence as she turns to look at me.

"W-what, no! That's crazy, Nanny," I splutter, the words tumbling out of my mouth in desperation. 

"You can deny your feelings all you want, suppress them and keep them a secret, but the truth can't hide forever. Loving someone is very unpredictable. You will need to tell him eventually," replied Nanny stoically.

My eyes widen in surprise, Nanny knew more about my own feelings the I did. But did I really love Simon? Only by being so blunt about it, it made everything seem clear and fall into place. It explained everything now, why I always had butterflies when I was next to him, or when I felt the urge to smile when he looked at me, or when I instantly felt safe and protected in his presence. Simon made me feel so special, happy to be the person I am, it was refreshing and comforting from my former, horrible life.

"Thanks, Nanny. I'll think about it, but I don't know if he even likes me back. What do I do then?" 

"Everything will present itself to you. You just need to know when and how to utilise them."

I nodded, scrunching my eyebrows together deep in thought. It was confusing, the way she explained it, but made sense at the same time, so I guess I'll just wing it and let fate decide.

A/N: Good day m'readers, I hope you are finding the story to your liking. Please note that next chapter my not correspond with the movie because my memory is shit and I will not rewatch the movie to watch one scene. I know, I'm so dedicated to accuracy when I write, it's astonishing. 

In other words, next chapter may be a little inaccurate cause I'm a professional shitsack and refuse to brush up on my chronology. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and please comment if you want more updates cause it makes me feel like you actually like the story and it pushes me to update.

Stay safe, Ally ❤️