63; third person ✎ᝰ

Riley and Mason walk side by side on the narrow path. The day had soon slipped away from their grasp. The night will soon introduce itself to them. Inevitable was that underlying tension.

Yet it felt comforting to be in each other's presence. That period of separation between them had only intensified a need to be in a close proximity once again. And now here they were.

Their shoulders brush against each other as they trodded along the path. "You've been quiet." A silence had towered over them for quite some time. Mason couldn't help but think about the other girl. Mara's oversized hoodie had given her the warmth she needed on this chilly evening.

Mason nodded lightly. "I know and I'm sorry." She turns to face the girl beside her. "I still have this guilt. I don't know if I could ever rid myself of it." She fiddles with her fingers in the pockets of Mara's hoodie. "I don't even know how to face her. I've known her my whole life and..."

Riley wraps her arms around Mason and pulls her in for a tight embrace. "I know. But you have to remember who it is that you're dealing with. Mara wouldn't ever have the heart to be mad at you. All you can really do is be there for her." She rubs the small of Mason's back. "Okay?"

Mason nods in between the crook of the latter's neck. "I just can't help but feel like I broke her heart all over again..." She sniffled. "Mavis hasn't been around ever since she ended things and Ellie seems to be at this great divide between us. All Mara had left was me and now I ruined that too."

The older woman shook her head firmly. "No, I don't think you ruined anything, Maisie." Riley felt a tug at the hem of her hoodie. "It's like I said before. Mara could never hate you. I don't think anyone could ever be..." She answered. "I think you should talk to her when we get back home."

Home.

Mason was still firm with her decision to avoid Renz. The latter had lied to her after all. All she ever needed was Renz's support. Instead, the older woman had flee'd and lied endlessly.

Home is a studio apartment in the middle of Glebe—a central district with a laid-back feel. It is  an inner-western suburb in Sydney. It has bookshops and galleries and even markets.

It is home now at least for the time being. A home that felt like Renz in every way. From the eclectic
pubs, cafes and the bustling roads. Glebe provides the village atmosphere that houses many intellectual pursuits. It had Renz written all over it. The suburb was magnificent and cosy.

"Will you be there with me?" Mason wondered.

Riley pulls away slowly. "I think it's best you talk to her alone, Maisie." She gently removes the hair that sticks to Mason's wet cheeks. "I know that you're afraid that things may go wrong but..." She shakes her head. "I doubt that'll happen."

Mason swallows the feeling that grows rapidly at the back of her throat. "Okay..." Her voice soft.

Riley smiles warmly as she pats either side of Mason's head with the palms of her hands. "You will always have me right there with you. But it's times like this where you'll have to go without. But do know that I'm right here." Riley points to where Mason's heart lies. "I'm right here."

Mason wells with tears as she pulls Riley in. The embrace is tighter this time. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Riley wondered.

"Because." Mason sniffled. "I missed you like crazy. I can't live without you, Riley. I know it'll sound so selfish but I just can't. And it hurts right there too. Because you were always there in my heart. But you weren't around. And I hated that."

"Shh." Riley rubs the small of her back once again. "I missed you like crazy, too. And I felt the very same way, my love. I hated it just as much that you weren't here. But hey, we're here now."

There was no doubt in Mason's mind that she was home again. It is never always four walls and a roof. Sometimes it just happens to be a person.

And her person stands with her in the middle of the quiet streets of Glebe. They find themselves in each other's arms; the warmth they'd been so desperate to feel for so long. This is home.

They were both home.

And so the night falls down upon them as the sun sets off to sleep. The heaviness of all the hurt and guilt soon wears off. Mason felt less suffocated.

And when the night embraces the bustling night life in this suburban town, they find themselves surrounded in each other's embrace as they wander the streets. A reconnect they both desperately needed. A reconnect that will inevitably lead to their predestined future.

She will always find a home in Riley Marsh. It would not matter where or when. Had she been in the heart of Manila or the bustling streets of Shibuya. Had she been in lively capital of Seoul or in the windy city of Chicago. It did not matter where Riley Marsh found herself. Even here, in the middle of Glebe, Sydney. Mason found her home. The home she would travel far and wide for. The home she will always find most comfort.

Home is where the heart is.

And if home was in Glebe then so be it. That is where Riley Marsh resides in this very moment. In the chilly winter in the month of August. In the intellectual feel of Glebe and its busy night markets. In the land down under.

Mason Kang will always find herself here. And it will never matter where here resides. It is a fact. Mason would find herself in any season, in any season, in any town or city or country.

She is here. Where she truly belongs.