persia.

"Please don't leave." Van sighs on the couch beside me. We had spent almost every minute together since that day at the pier. I had just told him I was going to leave again.

"But what do I have here? I don't even have my job at Sainsbury's anymore." I sigh back at him. It was true. I had been to see Janet the other day, I kind of just sprung up on her at work, and she informed me a lovely girl called Anya had gotten the job I once had.

"Crickey, I thought you were gonna go out on a date or summat, not left the country." She exclaimed when we got to sit down and talk.

I didn't know what to tell her, I acted entirely on impulse. I didn't even know I was going before I was gone. I felt better seeing her again after so long, and I felt like I brand new person seeing her again.

Van looks down and mumbles something I can't hear.

"What was that?" I ask.

I doesn't look up at me.

"I said you've got me."

I didn't really know what to say to him. I was taken aback. His usual, confident, charming self was gone for a moment and he was being the slightest bit serious. It was strange.

A silence descended, and it was awkward. We hadn't had many of those the past few days, but I guess that's because he thought I was going to stay. But could I really stay? Would that be the right thing to do?

He goes to get up off of the couch but I grab his arm.

"It's not set in stone, Van. I could stay yet." I try to reassure him.

He sits back down.

"Am I not reason enough to stay?" He says cheekily, returning to his usual self.

"You'd be reason enough to stay if you could cook." I tease.

"I can cook!" He scoffs

"You gave me burnt toast this morning!"

"It wasn't burnt, it was toasty toast. Real toast. Hardy man's toast."

"Nothing hardy about using the toaster wrong." I say and shake my head.

Kya comes in from work a moment later.

"Alright sis." She nods. "Van, you're still here?" She asks.

"I left, but I came back. Your toilet is nicer than ours, makes a nice smell when you flush it."

"Oi, don't ruin our loo! I'm the one who has to clean it!" She says, with fake anger.

She scurries off into her room to do whatever.

"Can we go somewhere?" Van asks, turning to me.

"Dunno, can we?"

"I've decided its a yes from both of us." He says.

"Ah, really?"

"Yeah. C'mon." He says, getting up and grabbing his keys.

"Since you decided yes for both of us I guess I'll have to go."

I grab my jacket and keys and follow him to the door.

"Any idea where we're going, lad?"

"Nope."

-

"Put on a CD or somethin' will ya? The radio is doing my head in." Van asks me, pointing to the glovebox opposite me.

"Sure." I say, opening it up.

I flick through his CD's and catching the occasional loose fag in my hand before it tumbled down onto the floor.

I stick in a CD and the first track plays.

Van looks at me strangely.

"Really?" He asks.

"Really." I say.

"Fine, I like the sound of my own voice anyway." He scoffs.

I had put on one of their demos for a laugh, and also because I remembered thinking that it was good when I had seen them play all those months ago.

A track plays and Van starts to sing. He catches me looking at him and gets quieter.

"I like this song." I say, to make it less awkward.

"Yeah me too, but it sounds shit on the demo, I much prefer playing it live."

"There's not much better than live music, my dad used to take me and Ky to little gigs all the time as young'uns." My mind wanders back to those times, those feelings - the excitement, the happiness, the anticipation.

I hum along to the song that plays next, it sounds vaguely familiar.

"Like this one?" He asks, with a small grin.

"Yeah, it's really catchy." I nod my head.

"Wrote it when I was sixteen."

"You're a talented young chap, aren't ya?"

"I wouldn't say that, maybe just lucky, charming and passionate."

"I don't even have to look at you to know you're smirking." I shake my head and laugh.

"You should look anyway so you don't miss out."

"Oh, you're charming alright."

I look out the window and realise we've already passed this street.

"Where exactly are we going? Were still in the Bay." I ask.

"Uh, I don't really know, I'll check if Bondy's around, he misses you."

"I miss him."

"How'd you two even meet? You don't look like the most likely of friends, no offence like, but you don't."

"Uh, well it was at the train station. In Bridgend and-"

"Why was he in Bridgend?"

"I don't actually know, maybe you should ask him, anyway-" I continue.

"-so anyway I went out for a smoke and a meaningful conversation and he just happened to be the unlucky victim."

We both laugh a little, and Van turns into a block of apartments I've never been to before.

"Where are we going?"

"This is Blake's place, he's in the band too, Bondys' over here."

I nod. I vaguely remember the other two members of the band - bushy hair, skinny jeans - not much else came to mind.

We pull into a space and I unbuckle my belt. I hear my phone go off and I check it. It's a message from my sister.

I read it out loud.

"Tell Van he's banned because of what he left in my toilet." I say and laugh.

I don't hear him laugh too, which is strange, I thought it was fucking hilarious.

I look up, confused at him. It's quite dark out and more so in the car.

When I turn to him, he's looking directly at me.

"You okay?" I ask, he looks scared.

"Yeah." He says quietly. "Come here." He signals me with his hand to come closer to him.

In that moment I realise how much of a thick I am, because he tries to kiss me but I go in too quick and we end up head butting. And the handbrake was lodged into my side so I was very uncomfortable.

"Shit." I say when our heads impact.

He lets out a breath that resembles a laugh and then leans back in.

This time our heads don't butt, thanfully. And I forget about the handbrake trying to lacerate my midriff.