The longer Thalia gazes at the bright display, the further her eyebrows crinkle.

Incoming call from mother.

With a reluctant sigh, she swiftly swipes her finger on the screen and lifts it up to her ear.

"Hi mom."

"Hello dear." The familiar voice beams through the phone speakers. Quite some time has passed since Thalia last heard it.

"Your father and I saw your latest Instagram post."

It immediately clicks together why she's calling. It's not to check up on her daughter, which would be absurd.

The reason is a certain dark haired boy who's sat beside her at this very moment, silently listening into the conversation.

"We're so glad you rekindled your friendship with Finn. It's a rare, beautiful connection that you two share."

Thalia rolls her eyes and sneers at her mothers words, hoping Finn doesn't read anything else on her face.

Fighting the urge to smile, Finn turns his gaze toward the floor.

"Thanks mom. Anything else you have to say?"

"Yes, actually." She clears her throat. "We were wondering if you two would like to come and join us for dinner tonight."

Thalias indifferent gaze contrasts with Finns excited one as they lock eyes. He mouths "let's do it" while she mouths "over my dead body".

"We would love to."

An irritated gasp escapes her mouth as Finn speaks on her behalf. She throws a hard punch at his arm, receiving nothing but a giggle.

"Oh, hello Finn! How wonderful. We've really missed you, dear."

Thalia continues to strike Finn while he engages in conversation with her mother, avoiding the furious girl and her antics.

With a shove, she pushes him back onto the couch, receiving a chuckle and an "ow!" as his head slams against the armrest.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes ma'am, sorry." He stifles a laugh. "I brought a stray cat inside earlier and she's being really aggressive right now."

Hovering over him, Thalia scoffs and delivers a final smack to his chest before leaving the couch.

The window is rolled down, the familiar aroma of Paris slowly drifting away as they leave the city behind.

"I still can't believe you did that."

Finn sighs, stealing a glance at the enraged brunette sat in the passenger seat. Her cheek is resting on her palm with her elbow propped up on the windowsill.

"I'm sorry. I know you don't wanna endure your parents right now, but it's only a few hours."

"Plus, the nostalgia might be kind of nice." He shrugs.

She remains silent for a bit before humming, eyebrows furrowed.

"Do you actually wanna see them or is this some kind of sabotage? Do you secretly hate me, Finn? Is that it?"

She rises from her position, leaning towards him with determination. "You're plotting my downfall, aren't you? Who hired you, huh? Start speaking."

He blinks. "You need some rest."

The house looms before them, a grand mansion with towering columns and sprawling gardens.

Once they step towards the ornate front doors, Thalias heart sinks at the familiar sight of opulence and expectation.

Being here dredges up a deluge of painful memories for her. She recalls the days when she was uprooted from Vancouver and dragged into an entirely different life.

It was a time marked by loneliness and isolation where she couldn't consider anyone a friend. She found solace only in the sanctuary of her room, barricading herself away whenever guests graced their threshold.

Instead of understanding her struggles, her parents berated her for lacking socially, for being a disgrace, heightening her sense of detachment and impotence.

Noticing her uneasy demeanour, Finn places a caring hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Whatever."

"Welcome home, darling," her mother Talulla greets, ushering them into the lavish foyer.

Thalia forces a tight smile as her stomach churns with resentment.

Finn squeezes her hand in silent support, his presence a comforting anchor amidst the suffocating atmosphere.

"Hello, mother, father." Thalia forces civility, her eyes darting around the surroundings.

A nod is presented from her father Lyon, his stern expression shifting to excitement the moment his gaze lands on Finn.

"Finn, dear boy, it's been far too long!" He booms, enveloping Finn in a bear hug that threatens to crush the air from his lungs.

"Oh! Hi Mr. Verlice." He chokes out, Thalia biting her bottom lip to restrain a laugh.

After releasing Finn from the embrace, he quickly regains his composure, eliciting a warm smile from Talulla.

"Dinner will be ready in a couple of hours. Thalia, why don't you take Finn upstairs? Your room is still as it was, and you can show Finn how your life was after leaving Vancouver."

A knot of unease forms in Thalias chest, her lips pressing into a tight line.

Nonetheless, she acquiesces with a nod.

At least this entails she won't have to interact with her parents until dinner is served.

She can retreat upstairs to her room, hiding within the confines just as she did in the past.

Each step Thalia takes through the familiar halls digs further into her repressed memories, reaching into the back of her brain to scout the darkest parts.

They reach the weathered door, its once vibrant colour almost faded, with the handwritten "DO NOT ENTER" paper from her childhood still pasted to it, though now worn and tattered around the edges.

Finn waits patiently for Thalia to turn the doorknob, but she does no such thing.

"Are you okay?" His concern is evident in his voice.

"I'm fine." She shakes off her reverie, opening the door.

Finns face lights up with a smile as he takes in his surroundings, his reaction a heavy contrast to the distasteful nostalgia straining Thalias mind.

Deja vu is cruel.

It's as if every spot her gaze falls upon triggers a different memory, each one a locked-away flashback resurfacing in her mentality.

As Finn wanders through the room, Thalia observes him with a blend of sentiments.

She manages to crack a small smile at his wonder.

"They really did keep it the same." She murmurs, receiving no response from him.

Furrowing her eyebrows, she notices Finn kneeling in a far corner and silently motioning for her to join him.

"Look." He's unable to contain his grin as he brings out a dark blue box labeled 'do not open this unless your name is Thalia.'

She crouches beside him, gaze fixed on the box and unable to be torn away.

"Are you gonna open it?"

Sensing his excitement from the glow in his eyes, Thalia allows a couple of heartbeats to pass before lifting the lid.

Inside, a treasure trove awaits.

All eight letters penned by Finn until they stopped reaching out to one another, polaroids that seem to have faded with time, and what catches her attention the most, a mixtape.

Finn wastes no time reaching for the polaroids, a breathy chuckle leaving his mouth as he looks through them.

Thalia aims for the mixtape, running her finger along the dusty edges.

"Remember when you made me this?"

With a sigh, he nods. "I had shit music taste."

"You were nine."

Thalias eyes widen as one of the polaroids captures her attention. With a gasp, she swiftly snatches it from his hold, grinning at the picture of the two of them playing in a sandcastle.

"Oh my god, this is so cute." She chuckles, unable to contain her grin.

Finn hums, passing her another photo. "Look at this one. It's from Halloween."

In the picture, a young Finn is dressed as a zombie, striking a pose while Thalia wears her usual attire and a deadpan expression.

"I did not want to be there." She laughs.

Her eyes scan the letters, though she's already memorised each one line by line.

Placing the Polaroids safely into their former place, Finn gazes at Thalia, a gaze which says more than words ever could.

"You know," she clears her throat with a slight chuckle, "when we moved here I made sure to bring every last thing that would remind me of you."

"I never wanted to let myself forget you."

Staring at her, a wide smile spreads across his face. He shifts his gaze downward in an attempt to conceal the evident blush creeping up his cheeks.

"Can I take one or two of the Polaroids? I'll take the ones you hate, the handouts."

She scoffs. "You can take any of them."

With an excited gasp he shoves a handful in his pockets, expelling a soft laugh from her.

Thalia places the lid carefully, shutting the box prior to leaning back against the footboard of the queen sized bed.

Finn reclines against the wall as they sit facing each other, enveloped in silence.

Finn fiddles with his fingers while Thalia gazes upward at the ceiling. All she can focus on is the incoming dinner table discussion on her life.

"It did feel kinda nice to see your parents again." He cuts the silence.

She hums. "They love you."

"Well, they should know I'm spoken for." He laughs at his own joke, receiving an eye roll from the brunette.

"You're not funny."

It's evident he hesitates on what he's about to say, cautiously choosing his words. "Can I just ask, why do you hate them so much? Like, I know they're snobs but that can't be the only reason."

A pang of nerves hit her. "It's complicated."

"Complicated how?" He keeps his voice soft.

She sighs. "Complicated."

Crinkling his eyebrows, he decides to leave it alone.

If there's ever an instance where Thalia makes it obvious that she doesn't want to express her feelings, he never pushes her.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

The redolent lilacs sit silent as a centrepiece at the grand table, the size of it almost absurd. For a home with two residents, it's unknown why such a large table is required.

On the opposite ends sit Talulla and Lyon, default smiles plastered on their features as they have their meal.

Thalia is settled beside Finn, comically separated from her parents.

It's silent, painfully silent. However, Thalia isn't sure if she would prefer a talkative dinner. Perhaps this silence is not a curse, but a blessing.

"So, dear."

Spoke too soon.

"Have you been seeing anybody lately? Any suitors we should know about?" Her mother smiles.

Thalia holds back a gag as she drops her fork with a clink. "No, mother. I'm still very much alone."

Her father joins in, "I had no idea my daughter was so foolish."

"Excuse me?" She furrows her eyebrows.

"The perfect choice is right in front of you, sweetheart! Well, beside you, to be specific."

As Thalia widens her eyes, her mother shoots her father a glare and mutters under her breath. "Lyon."

Sensing the mutual discomfort radiating from the boy sat beside her, she avoids his presence and focuses on the annual quarrel over her love life.

"What's the matter? I don't see the harm. He knows her better than anyone, and she trusts him more than she trusts herself."

"That's absurd! If you could just go off and pursue your friends, I'd have my happily ever after with Christian."

Thalia drops her head in her hands, feeling the weight of yet another repetitive conversation.

It seems like every time she agrees to a dinner, something like this unfolds.

Finn furrows his brows, maintaining respect while also attempting to understand the sudden situation.

"Who's Christian?" He whispers to Thalia.

She laughs under her breath. "Moms prince charming. He was mentioned a lot of times back then, but we were too young to understand."

"Oh. He's the one that got away."

Thalia nods, sighing as she restrains herself from screaming at the top of her lungs to break their repetitive argument.

The quarrel finally dies down, the couple clearing their throats as they feign smiles and apologies.

"Oh! How could I forget," Lyon grins, "I was looking through some of our old belongings and found that digital camera of mine."

"That's nice." Thalia deadpans.

"It captures the two of you growing up. Pictures, recordings, you can take it with you if you'd like."

Finns jaw drops to the floor as his features fill with excitement. He turns to Thalia, who forces a tight smile.

"That sounds amazing!" Finn grins.

In the midst of darkness, the light coming from the display of the camera reflects across the two faces.

Much to Thalias dissatisfaction, they've agreed to spend the night at the house, a decision driven by Finns excitement. She hadn't even gotten a chance to decline before he eagerly accepted.

Wrapped in the pale duvet, they sit side by side on Thalias old bed, opting to strain their eyesight rather than sleep.

"It's 4 am." Finn mumbles, his head drooping unintentionally onto Thalia's shoulder.

She hums softly, reaching for the camera in his hands. It's her turn to hold it now, a routine they've been following for the past three hours.

"We've almost reached the end." Thalia yawns. "Did my dad have to record everything we did? All of these are just us being dumb kids doing dumb things."

"That's the point." Finn mutters, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"We can look back on these now that we're dumb adults doing dumb things and reminisce."

Once they finally reach the last captured moment, Thalia places the camera on her nightstand and allows her weary brain to rest.

With a groan, she adjusts herself beneath the duvet, now lying beside Finn who remains seated.

"Get under the covers." She mumbles.

Finn offers no response, opting instead to shut his eyes tightly and hum softly under his breath. "Do your parents fight a lot?"

"Yeah."

"About what? Christian?"

She chuckles. "I wish. There's a lot going on between them, I'm pretty sure they're getting a divorce."

Finns eyes break apart from the forces bounding them shut. "Oh shit, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, it doesn't bother me."

"Oh... that's not good either. These are your parents, Lia. You should at least care that they're splitting up."

Her irritated glance catches him off guard. He's witnessed her directing this look at countless people, but never at him.

"Sorry."

"Why should I care, Finn? After the way they treated me as a child, I don't see any reason to care."

"How did they treat you?" His voice is barely above a hush.

She sighs. "After we left Vancouver, I was all alone. My parents were always too busy with their careers to care about me. And when they did pay attention, it was just to criticize or belittle me, saying I'm a disappointment, not the child they wanted."

Finn listens intently, tracing patterns into the duvet.

"The only good part of my childhood was before all of that, before they moved me away from Vancouver. You were my only source of happiness back then."

"It's not the isolated childhood part that was the most fucked up, it was the teenage years. I was homeschooled, I didn't have any friends and I never got a prom."

Finn reaches out and takes her hand in his, offering silent comfort. "Prom isn't everything people make it out to be, it actually sucked."

She snickers. "I would at-least liked to have experienced it."

"I'm glad that I'm staying away from my parents now, that I have at least a few friends, and an okay life."

"And that I have you again."

They sit in familiar silence for a moment, the only sound accompanying them being the complaints of crickets.

The impenetrable darkness acts as a barrier between their eyes, not allowing them to meet.

"You make me really happy, Finn."

"Yeah?"

She can hear the smile in his voice.

"Yeah. The moment I laid eyes on you again, back at the museum, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, like all my problems just got washed away."

"I don't think I've ever loved a person as much as I love you."

Once more, she lapses into silence, pondering on why she just said that.

Evidently, Thalia isn't one to express her emotions, especially those of a tender nature.

She's never uttered those three words to anyone, not once. It's a promise she made to herself, a vow to shield her heart from vulnerability, whether in platonic or romantic contexts.

Plus, such sentiments have always felt cheesy and distasteful to her.

However, in this moment, with fatigue clouding her judgment, her feelings spill forth like a rushing cascade.

"It's hard to put the way you make me feel into mere words. I don't know, I just feel so light when I'm around you. You make me feel safe, at home. The happiest I am is when you and I are alone together, which are also the only times I truly feel like myself."

Finn remains silent.

Though not visible, she can hear him shifting and lying down beside her.

"You're the only one who genuinely knows me. Juniper knows me, but not every part of me." She sighs.

"There are some dark spots within me, some pretty terrible shit. But I feel like if I told you, you wouldn't see me any differently, and makes me feel so secure."

"Tell me."

"I have this bad habit." She swallows. "When I desperately need to get away from my thoughts, I... go out, to a club or some other place, and go home with anyone who can take my mind off of it."

Finn hums, his hand gently resting on her shoulder as her voice starts to crack.

There's a weight lifting off her chest as she unburdens herself, a sensation she hasn't experienced in a long time.

"It's nothing to worry about most of the time, cause the people on the other end know what they're in for. They're aware that they won't ever be receiving a call, that they won't see me lying next to them once they open their eyes. Yet, sometimes they expect more. I can see it in their eyes, and it makes me feel awful."

"This is insane, Lia."

She sinks.

"I had no idea you got bitches."

Thalia lets out a scoff, playfully smacking him on the chest. With a giggle, he inches closer to the teary-eyed girl.

Though she won't admit it, her eyes are beginning to well up. Perhaps it's just the lack of sleep.

Finns hand reaches Thalias face before gently cupping it.

He rubs a thumb over her cheek, his heart fluttering as she leans into his touch.

"I love you too."

She can't suppress the smile that tugs at her lips, followed by a little chuckle. It's one of Finns favorite sounds, something he'd happily listen to on repeat for eternity if he could.

Their lips hover close, the line becoming increasingly blurred.

Finns hand abruptly detaches itself from Thalias face, and he turns to face the other way. "Sweet dreams, Lia."

Disappointed but not surprised, Thalia exhales a breath she hadn't realised she was holding.

"Yeah. Sweet dreams."

AUTHORS NOTE
Screams.