Chapter 143. That’s The One

2024

Amelia’s POV

The houses got more familiar as I turned onto my street.My heart did that little flutter thing it always did when I came home,equal parts nostalgia and relief.The drizzle had thickened into a proper downpour,but for the first time in a long time,I didn’t mind.Teenage Amelia would probably be shocked at how much I didn’t dislike rain anymore.

As I parked in front of my home,there she was.My mum,standing outside in her usual oversized raincoat,held a ridiculous rainbow umbrella like it was a sword against the gloom.She spotted me and beamed,rushing over before I could even turn off the engine.

I opened the door and was immediately pulled into her hug.

“You made it,”she said as if I hadn’t texted her updates the entire drive.

“I made it,”I smiled,breathing her in.She still smelled like hand sanitizer,vanilla body lotion,and the kind of safety that no one else in the world could replicate.

She took my bag and ushe