Fourteenth of March:

Waking up to a different layout of dark wooden beams on the ceiling and somewhere that was warm and comfortable, meant that Leah was not in her usual spot.

She groaned, lazily moving a hand to massage her forehead. The headache, which she was now aware of, absolutely sucked, and she wished she had never woken up.

"Hey, you're up." Brad bounced to his feet, and it was so relieving that she didn't have to move to find someone. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Please, anything. I'll literally eat anything," Leah answered dramatically, fingers laced together so her knuckles pressed over her heavy eyelids. "But maybe corn flakes and toast though, if I had to choose."

A subdued chuckle, she heard his footsteps fade out, but when she had forgotten to ask for tablets and it was too much effort to move, she had relaxed a moment too soon.

"Brad!" Leah yelled, grimacing at the strain it put in her voice.

She attempted to sit up so she could work out if he had heard, and so far, luck was on her side.

"Yeah?"

Leah was already making a pleading face. "Could you get me some ibuprofen and paracetamol as well?"

Brad seemed relieved that it was nothing more sinister. His smile, little as it was, was the perfect reassurance.

"Yeah, 'course."

"Thank you," she sighed, and flopped down on her back.

Alone, and with a headache in full swing, Leah ended up thinking about a certain individual that did not ease the congested throb one bit.

From outside to lying on the sofa, presumably meaning she was out the entire night, she didn't know if Steven was the one responsible for bringing her in. He wasn't here now; maybe he had kept an eye on her, maybe he hadn't, but it didn't change the fact she was angry with him.

He was a liar, careless with his actions, and yet his honesty had shone when it shouldn't have been remotely possible.

When Steven talked about September, Leah remembered it like she was reliving the moment with him. She listened so intensely, that she was lost in everything he was saying until she came to her senses and replayed the insanity of what she had heard. And when he tried to stop her from leaving by throwing more reasons her way, she found herself more and more undecided and stuck in the mess of his desperation.

It was all too complicated, right down to the authenticity she saw when Steven was pleading with a sternness in his eyes as he mentioned his friends' lack of knowledge of their encounter.

Despite her splitting vision at the time, Leah had seen the unresolved confusion between them because she had seen it before, earlier that day. There were secrets that had been left untold, and there didn't seem to be a murmur of trust between the three and the one.

It was astounding they were all still together because in her experience, friendship couldn't survive without trust. Then again, maybe they weren't. Because Leah was sure Joe wasn't around anymore, and there were a lot of unanswered questions there.

"Cornflakes, water, tablets, and I've put bread in the toaster," Brad listed off, looking over each item in his full hands.

Leah rolled her head on the pillow, offering a small smile of appreciation because he didn't deserve her frustration. She knew that now.

"You're a legend. Thank you," she said gratefully, the presence of food giving her enough strength to sit up properly.

Brad handed her a few things and then dragged the coffee table closer.

"You don't need to thank me, but you should know, I don't plan on being your waiter as a full time job..."

It was impossible not to keep her smile up a bit longer as she dug into her breakfast.

Leah hadn't had a meal for a while, so she had to make sure she had eaten something before taking her tablets, and when she had finished her cereal, she was pleased that Brad returned to her with a plate of toast and jam.

He didn't stay because he wasn't the biggest talker, but the more she woke up, the more Leah caught onto the activity of voices, clattering of plates, and assumed he was preoccupied in the kitchen.

Sweeping the crumbs back onto the plate, she flicked the rest of the blanket that covered her legs and went to clean herself up.

She took the time to splash her face with water and brush her teeth, before shrugging off her jacket and switching it for a white and navy panelled hoodie from her borrowed pile. However, her plans of showering were pushed aside, when a familiar blonde head of hair appeared in the doorway.

"Heyo."

"Hey Tom."

There was a curious scrunch of his eyes and a tug of the corner of his mouth like he was checking if it was appropriate to continue, which, given she had shouted at them yesterday, was justified scepticism.

"Can we talk?"

"Um..." Leah was still caught off guard, slowly letting go of the hem of her hoodie. "Sure?"

"In the living room with Brad and Joey?"

"Yeah, sure?"

"Great," Tom said, sending her a crooked smile.

Feeling better with food in her system, but not so much with the strange turn of events, Leah followed him and retook her previous spot amidst the confusion.

She saw Joey standing, staring out the window into the gardens, and then it was Brad on the far end of the other couch, with Tom sitting next to him.

"How much did he tell you?" Tom asked, straight to the point. Perched on the edge of the seat cushion and angled towards her with his hands clasped between his knees, he looked like he meant business too.

Leah tensed, having just got Steven and their dispute off her mind, and really hoped that the tablets would start to kick in soon. Somehow though, she didn't think her headache would go away.

In her silence, she wondered what would happen if she did tell them about yesterday, because Steven wasn't exactly here to stop her. At no point did she give him her word, and she didn't need to listen or oblige to his rules in any way that she didn't want to.

"He gave me his life story," Leah answered, settling back into the comfy cushions.

She swerved away from the idea of spilling a secret, because if she wanted to test his genuinity, pissing him off would just disrupt his short temper.

"Troublesome teenager who didn't go to school and blew drugs with his friends. Not his exact words, but that's what I got."

Leah looked at Tom, then Brad, both of whom were listening. Joey on the other hand, she wasn't so sure about.

"He admitted it was him after I gave him a little nudge," she continued, recalling the details clearly. "Oh, and apparently my grandpa is not who I thought he was."

In some secret method of communication, Brad shrugged when Tom craned his neck to look for some assistance.

Leah raised an eyebrow at the behaviour, hoping they would share.

"Tom?"

Hesitant at the confused call of his name, Tom fidgeted his hands between his knees.

"Did he say anything about what happened...to him?"

"It's just that we have an offer which we haven't actually discussed with him yet, but would involve you," Brad explained swiftly, sitting forward.

Tom took over again, "Yeah, we think you might be able to help us- help him find what he's looking for."

Though Leah was puzzled at the vagueness, it didn't stop the amused smile playing at her lips.

"I never said I believed everything he said."

"Then why are you still here?" Joey asked, making an appearance in the conversation that wasn't just his back. He wasn't shouting, but his tone was far from subdued. "If we hadn't showed up yesterday and you hadn't passed out, you would've gone, right?"

Leah's amusement drained, because Joey made a valid point. What he didn't know was the promises Steven had made to her, because she hadn't mentioned them. She may have been foolish holding out for his truth, but when she was beginning to doubt her own, she had to take a chance and listen to him whether she liked it or not.

"Maybe I'm just trying to figure out the coincidences and make my own logic of it all," Leah said, a courteous shrug lifting her shoulders. "You're right, I could go, and I could hand you in- I have all your names and pretty good descriptions, and I'm sure it would put a stop to whatever you're doing, but that wouldn't help me. Because some useless detective isn't going to find out what happened, if they can't even find me. So, somehow I need to align your version with mine and that, me passing out or not, would involve...staying."

Joey turned away, returning to his previous position where he looked outside.

"But I did believe what he said about you," Leah offered, because she did. She couldn't forgive these three on the spot, but accepting that they had acted out of heart to keep her alive was more than something. "So thank you, I guess, for being there...for me."

"It's the very least we could do," Brad dismissed sincerely.

"Yeah, we're just glad you're okay and don't hate us."

Leah sent Tom a questioning look. "Never said I didn't hate you either."

Wincing, he sucked in a sharp stream of air through his teeth and pressed his hands to his knees.

"Ah, I ruined it didn't I?"

Brad rolled his eyes. "Yeah you did, LG."

It took Leah a moment to realise what had just been said, but the glare it received from Tom sparked her curiosity.

"LG?" she asked.

"Tom is absolutely fine," was the adamant correction. "And on that note, we'll leave you to it. C'mon Brad. Jo-"

"Wait actually," Leah lurched forward; she could wait for the story's explanation another day. "Can I talk to him?"

Tom and Brad were both standing, but there was a simultaneous glance between Joey and her.

"Sure, I guess," Tom agreed, shrugging.

Leah mouthed her thanks, slouched back into the cushions, and cast her eyes on Joey's back.

Apart from one outburst, he'd been distant, which was practically unheard of for him, and she had a strong feeling that she was responsible for it.

"Joey?" Leah called softly.

He didn't move so she tried again, louder.

"Joey?"

"Hm?" He turned around, knocked from a daze.

"Sit?"

Joey hesitated, the fingers rubbing his chin stopping their massaging movements.

"Next to you?"

Leah gave a nod and moved across to one side to make a point. She felt an apology on her behalf was needed, and was appreciative to see him taking a seat to hear her out.

Joey was fidgety the moment he did, picking at the low neckline of his vest so it didn't cling to his chest hair, sliding a hand behind his neck, and doing his very best to keep his face down, out of sight.

"You know, I've liked getting to know you," Leah began, in a hope to make him see eye to eye with her again. She had swivelled and dragged her knees up to hug, but it wasn't enough to gain his full attention.

"And I want you to know that I'm really grateful for what you've done. For being the first to introduce yourself, and that you weren't who I thought you were, even if I didn't believe it. For always being kind and understanding when I was being difficult...I'm still deciding on a lot of things, but I'm fairly confident that you're not here to kill me. Then again if you are, it would be a little awkward now that I've said this..."

With a smile in her voice, she was happy to see Joey couldn't suppress his own, and when he looked up at her, giving in with a shake of his head, his smile only grew.

The blue in his eyes twinkled at her, forgiven, the hand he placed on her knee, thanks, and she didn't stop him when he shuffled closer, slid his arm around her back, and pulled her close.

Leah wasn't the most hug orientated person in the world, but she didn't object to leaning the side of her head into his collarbone and for Joey to rest his chin over her shoulder. His hand splaying on her side in those few seconds he held her, made her feel safe and assured, and if they were allowed longer, her headache could possibly disappear altogether.

"Ah shit, sorry." Joey pulled away, looking disappointed with himself. "Sorry, I'm all sweaty."

"It's okay," Leah dismissed, smiling at the unnecessary apology. "I am stealing a lot of your clothes."

The hoodie she wore was an example, but she guessed he was too discouraged by his post-workout sweat ruining their embrace.

"Yeah, I should go shower," Joey decided, pushing himself up to his feet. "But um...feel free to take more clothes if you need to. My room is all the way at the end if you go left at the top of the stairs. I really don't mind."

Stretching out her legs with the freed space beside her, Leah considered such an offer.

"Well, if you've given me permission..."

She missed it because she had tipped her head to the side in thought, but it earned one last cheeky smile from Joey before he left.

<>

Twenty minutes, give or take, and Leah heard Joey jogging back down the stairs, but she didn't move straight away. Because whilst she had been waiting, she had been thinking. Admittedly, with cartoon network on in the background, but Mordecai and Rigby didn't completely distract her.

"Did he say anything about what happened...to him?"

That sentence bugged her a lot.

In fact, Steven in general bugged her a lot. The saint of the devil that he was.

There had been no activity from him, which, with everything he was withholding, Leah would have expected him to show his face. He had relayed his past to her in riddles, and everything about him had a delicate mystery tied to it. It was just whether she was willing to take the time to unravel it and replace her truth with his, that was her predicament.

Switching off the tv, Leah collected her things and went up the stairs as quietly as she could. It was important that no one noticed because the urge to snoop around, something she had refrained from doing, had finally won her over. The risk was still there, but this time, she was willing to take it.

She emptied her hands and proceeded to scan the end where Joey's room was, all the way to the other end: three doors ajar, two closed.

The first of those closed entries was practically opposite the bathroom and Leah was already standing in front of it, bracing her hand over the handle. She pressed her ear close and listened, but it was difficult with the light pounding of her heartbeat racing to keep up with her exploration desire.

Playing detective saw her through, and it came as a relief when no one was there, and actually, the bedroom looked unused. It didn't smell of anyone- the bed was made, the drawers were all pressed neatly closed, and there were no traces of personal belongings anywhere. All of which, led her to the conclusion that it had to be Joe's. Or, it used to be Joe's.

He had disappeared, and Leah had a sneaking suspicion that Steven might have had something to do with it. From being out all day with him, coming home early to argue, to Steven staying and talking to her, it was all too coincidental for something not to have happened between the two boys.

With Joe's case closed for now, Leah set her sights on the bedroom that logically had to belong to Steven.

She was cautious with her footing, covering the short distance slowly, and she even looked down the stairs just in case. Technically, there was a fifty-fifty chance that he was in there, but it didn't put a stop to her exploration.

Luck or not, Steven wasn't there, but Leah knew it was his because his irritatingly, enticing scent lingered everywhere.

His room was messy, and she was forced to sidestep a lot of suspiciously placed items of clothing as she crossed from one side to the other. Unsurprisingly, the bed was unmade, but the sheets were creased like he had been there at some point.

It was tempting to go through his things, open a drawer, flick through a bag, maybe even find out what he used to make him smell so good, but Leah had a feeling she was already treading on thin ice being somewhere she shouldn't. She couldn't deny it was exhilarating though, living on the edge.

She left before she got carried away, and finding where Steven was, would have to wait until after her shower.

<>

A/N:

Hello lovelies!

Yeah...so I've gone from loving the last few chapters to admitting that I'm a little disappointed with how this one turned out. I mean it's ok and does the job, but when I did my usual editing, I just wasn't feeling it :/

That said, it's very necessary to get back on track (yay) and for future chapters that answer the questions in it, and it would be too complicated if I were to rewrite or delete it so this is chapter twenty six whether I like it or not.

Anyway the next ones are considerably better, I promise!!

(Ps: Thank you for the love and support as always, I don't say it enough but I really do appreciate it because it encourages me to keep writing this crazy plot that was genuinely inspired by a single photo! 😂😂)

❤️ xx ❤️