"Thought I might find you out here." Sarah called out as she closed the door gently behind her and walked towards me. We had just finished eating dinner and clearing the table, and now Lewis was preparing dessert. "I couldn't get you off this thing when you were little."

I smiled. "I remember. My mom used to flip when she couldn't find me and had to walk over here to come get me." That had been most of the reason why I even liked it here, because I knew it would piss her off.

Sarah chuckled and took a seat on the swing beside me, which had always been occupied by Mia or Brooks when we were younger.

"It's strange having you back again." Sarah admitted after a moment, rocking back and forth on her heels. She shot me a mischievous sideways glance. "Good strange, though. Like you never left, only you did."

I sighed deeply. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It's weird for me too. Mostly because people actually know who I am now."

That wasn't completely true though. People did know who I was before I left, they just didn't like me. And that was putting it lightly.

Sarah bit her lip and turned back to look at the house. Brooks' bedroom, just above the kitchen and to the left, was lit a warm yellow color despite the closed curtains.

"I can't pretend to understand how it feels, Savannah-- to be... hurt so badly just to come back and find that everyone wants to know you now because you've made something of yourself." So Brooks had told his parents about the kids who made my life miserable back then. Great. "But just remember the people who did notice you before you became Savannah Silvers teen superstar. When you were just Savannah."

Brooks and Mia, she meant. That was the thing though, I hadn't forgotten. I wasn't sure I could ever forget, no matter how hard I tried.

"I will." I reassured her. "I just wish those people wanted to know me now. Not that I deserve it." I murmured, rubbing my arms as a breeze swept through the yard.

Sarah was silent for a moment, her expression pulled into one of pensiveness. "Brooks will come round, sweetie. You just need to give it time." She said eventually, knowing exactly who I was talking about without my even mentioning names.

I frowned, hoping that she was right. "I'm not so sure this time, Sarah."

She grinned mischievously, leaning back and catapulting her swing forwards. She lifted her feet so she soared even higher. "Oh sweetie, I am. I still remember when you were just seven years old and you begged Brooks for weeks to do The Carolina Shag with you at our annual family gathering. He was so embarrassed because Lord knows that boy couldn't dance even if his life depended on it, but he did it anyway and fell face first into the water in front of everyone he knew."

I laughed along with her, remembering the day easily. Brooks had been eight years old and was already the lankiest, most uncoordinated kid I had ever met. We'd spent the entire day playing in the water and he'd only just gotten dressed  out of his swimming gear when I forced him to dance with me. He didn't have any spare clothes and had to spend the rest of the night soaked.

"He didn't talk to me for a whole week." I mused, clutching my stomach as I laughed.

"His cousins teased him for the next year about it too." Sarah said in between fits of giggles, making me laugh even harder.

I wiped my eyes with my sleeve, my laughter dying all of a sudden as my current reality set in. "I don't think it's the same this time." I said quietly.

Sarah stopped swinging and leaned over to take my hand between her own warm ones. I glanced up and found that her blue eyes were gentle, her expression soft. "No, no it's not the same. But that doesn't mean he won't get over it. If I know my son at all, I'm guessing that he's missed you more than he's letting on."

I didn't tell her that I'd missed him more than I was letting on either.

A rustle in the bushes behind us suddenly caught both of our attentions, and I turned around to squint into the darkness.

"Damn coyotes. Hang on a sec sweets." Sarah muttered, standing up and walking over to the bush, stomping her feet over-dramatically. "Shoo! Shoo, you annoying pains in the ass! Go find someone else's garden to eat!"

I watched with bewildered amusement as Sarah did what could only be described as a dance, pounding her feet into the ground and clapping her hands in an attempt to scare the hidden animal off. A few seconds later she returned, shaking her head. "Damn things get into my garden and eat everything. It's a wonder this town has any fresh food at all with those pests around." Sarah took a deep breath and steadied herself, taking a moment to regain her composure before she turned to me with a smile. "So, dessert?"

I stood up in response, dragging my feet as we walked slowly back towards the house.

"Hey Sarah?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks." I grinned, and earned myself a hug in response.

Dessert was being eaten in front of a movie in the den, Sarah and I discovered as we walked into the house. Lewis had saved Sarah a spot next to him, and Mia had saved me a spot on her left. Brooks was spread out in the recliner, his bronze hair an explosion of messy curls. Mia handed me a bowl of cheesecake as I sat down next to her, her eyes glued to the screen.

"What are we watching?" I whispered, cupping my bowl protectively in my hands.

"The Green Lantern." Mia replied, before stuffing a spoonful of cake into her mouth. "Could Ryan Reynolds be any hotter?"

I thought back to the one time I had met Ryan at the Oscars, and how kind and funny he had been. He would throw dad jokes around like a baseball and, somehow, his down-to-Earth personality made him even more attractive. I threw Mia a knowing look. "He's even better looking in person."

Her mouth popped open and she turned to me with wide eyes. "You've met him?"

It was funny seeing people react when I told them I had met celebrities. They were always so awe-struck and wanted to know what the celebrity was like, when in reality, most of the time they were just normal people doing their job. Most of the time. "Yeah, and Blake. They were so nice."

Mia stared down into her bowl and crumpled her lips. "Jealous." She muttered, before turning back to the movie.

We were less than half an hour into the movie when Sarah and Lewis fell asleep in each others' arms and Mia hit pause. "I'm going to the bathroom and then get more snacks." She announced, stretching her arms out to either side. "Anybody want anything?"

I shook my head. "No thanks, Mi." I'd eaten more food tonight than I possibly had ever, and the notion of spontaneous combustion suddenly didn't seem so ridiculous.

Brooks and I sat in our usual uncomfortable silence as Mia teetered off, and I tucked my knees under my chin thoughtfully.

"So you met Ryan Reynolds, huh?" Brooks asked after a moment, taking me by surprise. I blinked and sat up slowly, pulling the blanket a little tighter around me.

"Yeah, last year." I replied.

Brooks ran his hand through his hair, making tufts stick up every which way. Combined with his tired, heavily lidded eyes, he was quite possibly the most adorable and attractive person I had ever seen. And that was quite something when you worked in the entertainment industry.

"That's cool. Met anyone else I might know?"

Okay, this was new. Brooks was actually holding a conversation with me.

I thought for a moment, tapping my bottom lip as if it might magically stimulate my brain into concocting something impressive to say. "Well, I, uh, met the guy who played Barney the Purple Dinosaur." Was what left my mouth instead. I mentally face palmed. It had been so long since we had spoken properly that now I was unsure of what to say.

"You mean to tell me that the purple dinosaur was just a suit?" Brooks exclaimed, feigning shock as he lifted his hand dramatically to cover his heart.

My eyes lingered on his tanned arm, examining his long fingers and the veins that protruded ever so slightly from beneath his skin, creating a trail from his wrist to his bicep. If I'd have been closer, I probably would have been tempted to reach out and trace it with my fingernail. I was glad I wasn't closer.

"Sorry to crush your childhood dreams. Actually, whilst we're at it you should probably ask mommy to tell you about Santa Claus and the tooth fairy too." I joked, twirling a strand of dark hair absent-mindedly around my finger.

Noticing what I was doing, the smile slipped from Brooks' face and was replaced by an unreadably gentle expression. "You still fiddle with your hair." He observed. "You used to do that when you were nervous."

I let the strand of hair drop, meeting Brooks' gaze shyly. I was nervous.

"Yeah, well, if I remember correctly you used to pick your nose, so I think we're even." I teased instead.

Brooks reared back, pressing his head into the back of the recliner as he held in a laugh. "I definitely never did that. I was just scratching, that's all." He defended himself, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly.

I couldn't help the grin that grew on my face. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, nose picker."

Brooks opened his mouth to give a smart ass retort, no doubt, but was cut off from doing so when Mia wandered in singing an awful rendition of the Friends theme song. "Alright, let's get this show on the road." Mia sung as she flopped down onto the couch. The movie resumed playing, but I held Brooks' eye for a moment longer, trying to lie to myself over how great it had felt to talk to him normally again.

Because deep down I knew that despite any kindness he showed me, it was going to be a long time before he let me in again like he had before.

Maybe he never would.