consideratehearts ❤ thank you for being there from the start :')

NOSTALGIA

    NOVA CHANGED INTO A TANK top and pyjama shorts, gathering her hair into a messy bun before she began washing away the remnants of eyeliner and lipstick from her face.

    By the time she was done, she felt a little better and the foggy haze that had settled over her head seemed to be gone now, making her more aware of her senses.

    She'd insisted on not needing coffee, but once Graham had seen that she was wide awake after that pretty heated moment, he'd suggested in making her a cup anyway. She couldn't argue, there was no going back to sleep now, not after she'd gotten a taste of his lips against her neck.

    Every single cell in her body was now hyper aware of her surroundings, every fibre of her being buzzing with an undercurrent of something that came to life only in Graham's presence.

    Composing herself and steadying her breathing, she made her way to the kitchen downstairs. She realised, in that moment while walking down the stairs, that the kitchen was becoming somewhat of their spot. Whether it was at his place or hers; deep, soul-satisfying moments transpired between the two of them in that particular part of the house.

    She found him leaning forward against the counter, his arms stretched out in front of him on the countertop, hands clasped together.

    "Hey," she offered him a small smile as she dragged herself in, quickly dropping it when she realised she was too tired to be faking a smile.

    "I put in heaps of sugar," he said, pushing her red mug with black polka dots towards her, "just like you prefer it."

    Nova shot him an incredulous look as she seated herself on the stool directly across from him. "How did you—" 

    "The morning after I stayed over," he reminded her, "when I made the coffee and pancakes, you picked this mug in particular, and you kept complaining about how I hadn't added enough sugar in the coffee."

    "Right," she mumbled, smiling slightly. It seemed so long ago. But thinking of that night made her think of why she'd left that party in a haste which eventually lead her to think of Jasper.

    And then a sick realisation struck her, making her insides coil.

    She groaned, leaning forward and resting her forehead against the rim of her mug whilst her hands cupped the hot ceramic and held it in place.

    "What is it?" Graham asked, something similar to worry evident in his voice.

    "Jasper," she muttered bitterly, "he's going to have a field day with what happened at the dance." She gripped her mug tighter, enjoying the way the burning heat made her palms hurt. "Dammit, the ground should just open up and swallow me whole."

    "Don't be silly," he clicked his tongue, "what would you do underneath all that rubble and dirt? You'd miss the spotlight, you know you would."

    Nova pried one eye open, narrowing it at Graham wearily. "You trying to make me laugh, Miller?"

    "Just drink your coffee, Nova," he sighed heavily, but Nova saw the twitch in the corners of his mouth as he fought off a smile.

    "Okay, mum," she replied sarcastically, taking her first gulp of the warm liquid, relishing the strong bittersweet taste as it trickled down her throat.

    "Do you miss her?" He asked quietly, eyes earnest and comforting.

    Nova knew what he was referring to, she was just surprised he knew of it.

    "I miss both of them," she murmured, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on the countertop. A few seconds ticked by and she lifted her chin to meet his eyes that were still observing her. "Were you there, then? At the funeral?"

    He nodded solemnly. "Must've been about nine years old at that time, same as you. But I remember being there."

   "The only part I remember was my sister having to give the eulogy in front of so many people... She was , what, eighteen back then?" Nova took another gulp of her coffee. "God, she was a bawling mess. I don't think she finished whatever she wanted to say. One of our aunts had to go and take her down from the podium."

    "I remember," he said softly, "everyone had to look away when that happened. It was hard enough for them to lose your parents, harder even to watch the kids of their dead friends suffer."

    Nova nodded, a nostalgic smile slipping onto her face. "Everyone was friends with my parents. Especially my mum. They all loved her, didn't they?"

    He didn't respond, and that didn't matter because the question was not directed at him.

    "She was a big believer in love," Nova reminisced fondly, her eyes glistening. "She always said love was what allowed you to find a home in someone, rather than in a place."

    "She'd be happy to know her daughter took after her," Graham's lips formed a crooked smile, but his eyes were sincere and void of any teasing.

    "Then why is it so hard for people to just love me?" She gazed up at him with eyes full of hurt and confusion, wearing her heart on her sleeve for him right then, baring her soul wide open in all its raw glory. "If I am just like her, how come I'm not as respected? Why am I looked down upon like some naive kid with her head stuck in the clouds? Why am I degraded to something like a cruel prank, to be made a joke out of?"

    Graham unclasped his hands, and pushed himself off the counter, making his way around it in quick strides. In a breath, he was besides Nova, seated on the stool right next to hers.

    "Hey," he said softly, his hand moving to cup her chin even though she was already facing him. "You don't know that your mother didn't go through the same shit, alright? Maybe things were bad for her during her school life too. The people that grew to love and respect her probably didn't treat her right when they studied with her. Maybe they just eventually matured and, you know, just became understanding of her perspective on life."

    Nova snorted, "I'd stick my foot in my mouth the day Jasper decides to grow up and show me some goddamn respect."

    Graham cracked a smile, a small chuckle leaving his mouth. "And then there are some who just don't mature. Like, ever. Jasper's probably one of them."

    She managed to offer him a shaky smile at that, warmth flooding through her chest as she gazed into the eyes of the boy she was falling for.

    "Thanks for staying the night, Graham," she told him, the words spilling out from the bottom of her heart. "Thanks for just being here."

    Graham smiled at her then, an honest-to-god smile that made her think of the sunrise she'd watched over a hilltop once; brilliant and warm and lighting up everything in its wake.

   He leaned towards her, his lips pressing a soft kiss on the side of her head, making time slow down and her heartbeats race.

    "Nowhere else I'd rather be, Nova," he mumbled against her skin, sincere and unequivocal. And she didn't doubt his words for a second.

________________________________________

I have no self control when it comes to updating chapters. I am ashamed of myself xD