Eric never had friends, especially not during his upbringing. Only one person showed him kindness, and that was you. You were his safe haven during his formative years. When his mother was too fucked up to handle him during his teen years, you were the person he ran too. Eric didn't stay in high school long, he fell into the same patterns as his mother. As everyone used to say he would. What you thought was sharing the occasional joint became a lot deeper for Eric, a lot harder too.

He didn't view it as that much of a problem, until he found himself in that fuckin' pink jumper for the third time in two years. Eric could barely understand why the cops kept sending him back to rehab, he was sure he would have just been sent to jail by now. But, God, was he grateful for it when he met Shelley. His whirlwind romance, she turned his life upside down. Flipped it right back on it's head when she passed, this time it felt even worse to be at the bottom. Eric had tasted goodness, pure good, for once in his life. Shelley had shown him the love he had been craving his entire life, and it was taken away from him almost as quickly as he gained it. His life was getting worse than ever, until...

You. How could he ever have forgotten the love you showed him? Maybe he was too young to realise the care you showed him. Maybe the drugs wiped it from his brain. The rain hits his face as he stares across the street into the darkness, but he can still make out that it's you. He'd recognise you anywhere, he might have forgotten how your love felt, but he could never forget that face of yours.

Shouting your name out across the almost empty street, the streetlights barely lighting Eric's face. His hair was different, and his skin was littered with tattoos you were yet to learn about. But there was no denying it was him. A smile on his face for what felt like the first time since Shelley, as he jogs straight over to you, his arms wrapping around your figure. "God, it's good to see your face." He breathes out, feeling like he's home.