Page 56 of We May Be Fractured
[Now playing ? Home—Gabrielle Aplin]
SIX MONTHS LATER
A aron’s cheek scars tingled, a sure sign rain was on the way.
He tugged his earphones into place and yanked his hood low as he and Landon slipped into the Barbican Centre’s multilevel maze one last time. They loved getting lost here.
Settling atop their usual spot on a low wall, the lyrics of “Something Just Like This” washed over them. Legs tangling together and mouths pressing quickly, they kissed against a backdrop of running fountains and the lively playground.
In less than twenty-four hours, they’d be in Australia, spotting koalas and who knew what else, maybe even catching the Southern Lights. It felt unreal that this trip was finally happening.
Their moment was broken as the music stopped abruptly—a call coming through on Aaron’s phone. Nyle’s photo popped up, snapped at Pride, all heart-shaped glasses and glitter.
“Ignore it,” Landon whispered, his breath warm against Aaron’s neck, lips brushing along his jaw.
Aaron narrowed his eyes playfully, giving Landon’s knee a gentle squeeze through the rip in his jeans. “Bet he’s wondering when we’re heading back. Did you catch his mopey face yesterday?”
“He’s being dramatic. It’s only a month, after all. He’ll survive.”
“Like you survived without me?” Aaron snickered. “We’ve already agreed you’d spend your days recording gloomy podcast episodes and recommending ’90s music.”
“I’d watch my mouth if I were you, especially perched on that wall. One little nudge…”
“It’s not that high.”
“High enough to cause permanent damage.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Aaron said, assessing the crowd. “Too many witnesses. They’d arrest you on the spot, and this time, you wouldn’t get away with just community payback.”
“I’ve been to prison before.” Landon feigned a push, then drew Aaron in for another kiss.
“Thanks for coming to Australia with me. I’m not sure I could’ve done this alone.”
“You’ve thanked me enough. And who would miss a chance to see Australia?”
“You, apparently, with all those horror videos about spiders and snakes you sent me.”
“Just doing homework. We need to know what’s out there, especially if we’re going off the beaten track to scatter your sister’s ashes.”
Aaron grasped the pendant, feeling its reassuring weight. This was his way of bringing Tori to the places she’d always dreamt of.
As Aaron’s phone fell silent, Landon’s vibrated into life.
Without even checking it, Landon answered, “What now?” A pause, then a frustrated, “Yes, we’ll be back. No, we don’t need more beer. And for fuck’s sake, Nyle, they do have it in Australia.” He sighed, pocketing the phone.
“What do they have in Australia?”
Landon shot him a look. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
“Don’t tell me Nyle’s thrown another party?”
A small smile played on Landon’s lips. “You know him.”
Aaron chuckled, then rubbed his neck. His fresh tattoo itched more than the scars.
“Don’t scratch it,” Landon warned gently.
“I’m not a tattoo regular like you.”
“Stop whining. That chest piece of yours is going to be a long haul. We’ve got quite a few sessions lined up.”
“As in…days?”
“Months. Good things take time.”
“Or maybe you get distracted too easily,” Aaron teased, thinking back to their first tattoo session. Not one drop of ink had graced his skin that day; they’d gotten busy in entirely different ways.
Aaron’s phone buzzed again, but this time, a message from Aunt Olivia flashed on the screen, asking if he had everything he needed for his trip.
He’d since moved back in with Landon but was seeing her more than ever, especially on Sundays, when they’d started a new lunch tradition.
Sometimes, Landon joined them; other times, it was just the two of them. Aaron loved it.
In reply, he sent her a picture of the notebook she’d given him the first time he attempted the trip, along with one of Landon, captioned, Got everything I need .
“Ready to go home?” Landon hopped off the wall and offered his hand to Aaron.
Home . Though he’d been sharing a room with Landon for months, the word still made him pause. Standing, he grasped Landon’s fingers.
Side by side, they navigated the Barbican’s stark concrete jungle. As they strolled past rows of dull, identical buildings, Aaron observed the climbing plants that clung to the harsh walls.
He used to see them as stubborn intruders in a cold, unwelcoming world. Now, he saw resilience: they carved out their own space, splashing bursts of green against the grey. Much like him and Landon.
Maybe their feeling of not fitting in wasn’t about the wider world but more about the people who’d raised them, those who only pretended to understand.
Finding where they belonged was about connecting with people who resonated with them—the fighters, the survivors, the misunderstood, those who wore their distrust like a badge.
Not looking for a hero or a fix. Just something to hold on to, someone to share it with.
They were fractured, sure, no gold filling their cracks, but that was what made them real. That was what made them beautiful.
As Aaron and Landon stepped into the house, a buzz of chatter and laughter from the living room greeted them. The moment they popped their heads in, the noise dropped for a second.
Nyle, scooching over on the sofa, invited them to join in. Before Aaron knew it, he was right in the heart of the familiar rumpus. Pinching a few crisps from the coffee table, he slumped beside Landon, struggling to keep a straight face at the scene before him.
Nyle was in the middle of a heated discussion with Maeve about which film to watch, Ria and Fell were on snack and beer duty. On the floor, Luzanne and Jean were having a giggle, trying to play with Kat and feed her some treats.
When Aaron first met this lot, he labelled them as eccentric misfits. But now, they were his chosen family.
And home was waking up to the scent of Landon’s brewing coffee, Nyle’s vibrant shades, and Kat purring on his lap.
It was Ria’s warm laugh, the songs Fell made him listen to at the vinyl shop, and regular check-ins from Aunt Olivia.
It was a cupboard full of quirky mugs, the never-ending supply of peppermint tea, and a fridge door plastered with funny sticky notes and lots of photos.