A hundred sharp blades dig into my heart. Rising, I take steps back until my back hits the front door, I reach and grab the doorknob. I didn’t think Elijah could look more stressed than he did a second ago. Yet it looks like he’s watchingmewatch a ghost.
The ghost of my past.
“They’re gone,” I force out.
His face pales. “What do you mean, gone?”
No, no, no … don’t make me say it.
Before Elijah moved away, he knew the love my parents brought to a room. They treated him like he was their son. Which made the four of us become extremely close. Not only was my father like the father he never had, but my home also became his home. When he left, they tried to stay strong for me, but I knew they mourned him after his disappearance.
How doesn’t he know they passed away?
I don’t bother wiping the tears streaming down my face. “My parents are dead.”
TWELVE
ELIJAH
I’ve never really lived a “normal” life. Before becoming famous, my siblings and I didn’t have the best childhood. I realized that when my mom became scared of my dad when he was angry.
During the moments of high tension, I would escape to Lily’s place. Just like always, her parents would welcome me with open arms.
The few times I was afraid to sleep at night and wet my bed, she would let me sleep in the spare bedroom. I would wake up in the morning with an enormous stack of pancakes on the kitchen table. Freshly squeezed orange juice and crisp bacon. My all-time favorite meal.
When I went back home, the war would begin. My mom would try to lessen the stress on us, but she never stood a chance against my dad.
Lily’s mom and dad’s unconditional love, which they didn’t need to show me, was tattooed on my brain.
Not only did leaving my best friend hurt, but knowing I hurt her parents made me live with guilt for many years.
I never wanted to disappoint them. Icravedto make them proud of me.
And now I won’t ever be able to say I’m sorry.
They died, thinking I hadn’t given a shit about them and everything they had done for me.
I know she wants nothing to do with me. I don’t blame her. But consideration of personal space flies out of the window when I yank her into my arms.
Instantly, I feel like I’ve made it home, a feeling I’ve been chasing since I left.
My soul nearly leaves my body when I feel her give in to the hug I’m forcing upon her.
Is this what entering heaven’s gates is like?
An intense wave of shivers starts in my stomach and rolls up my body as her fingers dig into my back. Tears stream down my neck from her cheek, where it’s squished between where my neck and shoulder meet.
“I’m so sorry, Lily,” I mumble into the top of her head. “I wish I had known. I would have run here.”
The only response she gives me is a sniffle. I pull her closer, as if she might vanish. The tips of her toes barely touch the ground as I grip her hips, needing to feel like she’s real.
“It’s not your fault,” she mumbles into my skin, making it prickle with goose bumps. “I didn’t tell you because I assumed you wouldn’t care. That wasn’t right of me.”
I nod before leaning the side of my head on hers and speaking directly into her ear. “If you’d called, I wouldn’t have even known. They made me change my number.”
“Who?”
I sigh, feeling her tremors starting to relax. “My old team. If they could control when I used the bathroom, they would.”
