Carrying on the free reads, and skimming over an issue that really does impact people especially at this time of the year. Stay strong, stay super strong.
Walking in a Winter Wonderland © Billy London
“Come on Bailey!” Naomi called to her terrier who yapped at her, his white paws braced on the first step, wagging his tail.
Her sister popped her head around the dinning room door. “Aren’t you coming back?”
She shook her head. “I’ve had enough for one day.”
Her sister’s face fell. “Please don’t go…”
“I just need some air, I’ll be back in an hour.”
“But the park walk is twenty minutes…”
Naomi secured the lead to Bailey’s collar and shoved her arms through her fake fur coat. “I’ll come back.”
Tugging on gloves and wrapping a scarf around her straightened hair and slipped out of the door. Bailey shot off to the greenery across the road before Naomi could even grab his lead. She screamed, running after him as the setting sun burned into her vision.
“Bailey no!” she yelled. Her entire Christmas dinner with cranberry sauce and extra helpings of sprouts sat heavy in her stomach, her feet kicking against her buttocks. Her dog took a flying leap and Naomi only realised why when her boot heel slipped across the frozen ice puddle and knocked her onto her bottom; right on top of a fresh layer of snow.
“Fucking hell!” she roared, leaning to her side to grab her bruised bottom.
“Are you alright?” a deep voice asked.
A huge pitbull rested its paws on Naomi’s knees, its head tilted to the side and its tongue lolling out.
“Daisy, get off!”
Daisy found herself tugged from Naomi. Blocking out the sun, probably the most beautiful man she’d ever met held out a hand to her. “Can you get up?”
Naomi opened her mouth and no sound emerged. Daisy’s owner crouched beside her. “Did you hit your head?”
She shook her head, staring openly at him. Where have you been? With a toned arm, he scooped around her waist and lifted her to her feet. Bailey bounded back to her side, yapping at her heels.
“You’re so naughty, Bailey,” Mr Beautiful told her dog. Bailey whined as if in apology.
“How do you know his name?”
“You were screaming it.” He reminded her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Thank you. I’m okay. It was more of a shock than anything.”
His eyes glinted in the dimming sunlight. “I’m Connan. This is Daisy.”
“I’m Naomi. And you heard me yelling at this one.” Bailey scrambled at her denimed leg before she gathered him up in her arms and buried her face in his chilled, damp coat. “Post turkey dinner walk?”
Connan scuffed at the snow with a booted foot. “I just needed some fresh air. You know when you come back home after being away? And there’s only so much you can take of your family?”
“Oh yeah.” She looked up at him. “I’m back from uni. Everyone’s got eyes on me as if I’m going to…”
Not everyone needed to know.
“Binge?” he asked.
Naomi started. “What?”
Conan nodded to the park. “Do you want to keep walking? I can talk about this if I’m not looking directly at you.”
He started walking, Daisy trotting beside him. Still cradling Bailey, she walked after him. “I spent the last year still dealing with my brother’s ED. I know, men don’t have eating disorders.” He sent her an amused look. “Well, you know what it’s like. It’s something you can control when you can’t control anything else. Being at uni was…” He breathed out heavily.
“A challenge?”
“Yeah. I had to resist the urge to call him every day to check that he was eating and caring for himself and going to meetings.” He sighed. “I got it in the neck for not being supportive of my brother, so I decided to come for a walk instead. I asked Max to come with me, but he’s scared to let himself out of our parents’ sight.”
“It’s hard.” She admitted. “You want to prove yourself to your family but it’s a lot of pressure. It’s so much pressure. The plate my mum made for me was enormous.” It prickled at her eyes to see the look on her mother’s face; so hopeful and eager for her to eat that her stomach closed up at the thought of it. Yet, she had eaten. Everything and resisted the near choking desire to purge every mouthful. “I don’t think anyone understands what it’s like at this time of the year. Everything revolves…”
“Around food. I know.” He sighed. “I’ve asked my family just to back off a bit, but they’re not getting it.”
Naomi shrugged. “It’s hard to explain. I’m sure your brother understands, it’s like losing control again.”
Conan nodded. “And did you?”
She grinned at him. “This is beginning to feel like a session, rather than me taking a walk with my dog with a strange dude.”
He grinned back. “I’m a neighbour. I live down there.”
He pointed to her street.
“Which street?”
“Stanley Road.”
“That’s my road!” she burst out. “How haven’t I met you?”
Conan made a face. “It’s London. No one knows their neighbours. We’ve probably passed each other a hundred times…”
No I would have noticed you. She thought. “Anyway. The answer is no. I didn’t lose control. I ate my Christmas dinner and for the first time in a long time, it was delicious and guilt free. I just didn’t need anyone watching every bite and hovering over me if I got up from the table. I just wanted some water!” She yelled at the sky, laughing. “Everyone else is having booze, and you don’t even have a single bottle of Evian within reach?”
“Fucking rude,” Conan agreed.
Naomi put Bailey down and he forced her to run after him. Conan called out after her, jogging to keep up.
“Sorry, we didn’t have time for a morning walk,” she gasped trying to slow her mental animal down. “What uni are you at?”
“Manchester. Doing physics.”
“Leeds. Music.”
Conan made an impressed face. “We’re not that far from each other.”
Naomi pursed her lips together, trying to suppress a smile. “Why is that a statement to make?”
His face filled with colour. “Just making an observation.” Something vibrated and he removed his phone from his pocket. “That’s my brother. Asking me to come back and tell our parents to chillax.”
Disappointment washed over her. “Oh. Okay.”
“I’ll walk you home.”
She edged Bailey towards their street, feeling all at once alone and abandoned. Conan nudged her shoulder.
“I literally have my phone out, put your number in.” He ordered.
She took his phone from his hand and tapped in her details, not just her mobile but her email address onto her contact. He took his phone back and dialled her. “That’s me,” he said.
They arrived at number 14 and Conan hesitated outside of her door.
“What number are you?” she asked.
“Sixty-six.”
That made her laugh for no good reason. Bending down, he gave Bailey a ruffle and Naomi did the same with the cute Daisy. She lifted her head and found a gentle kiss being placed on her lips.
“Happy Christmas Naomi. I’m just down the road if you want to go for another walk.”
“Okay,” she whispered. He stretched to his full height and waited until she and Bailey were inside. She touched her fingertips to the door as her sister rushed into the corridor.
“You’ve been gone ages! Are you alright?”
She unclipped Bailey’s lead, smiling. “I’m good. I’m really good. Shall we have some pudding?”
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