The only one somehow able to say something is Xander. “Wait. You’re moving? ToFrance?! That’s on the other side of the fucking globe!”
I nod, appreciating Liv’s comforting back rubs. It’s out in the open now. No more going back. “It’s a complicated story to be honest. I don’t know where to start.”
“With the beginning, asshole,” Sarah retorts, unamused. “You’re leaving in a week and you’re only telling us today? How is that normal? What the actual fuck.”
“Hey! Don’t speak to him like that,” Olivia interjects.
“At the party I met some guy who turned out to be my older brother?” I say, cringing at how crazy it sounds. “He wants me to go to France with him. Permanently.”
“And you agreed? Just like that? What about us?” Xander shouts.
“Yeah, and what about Aoi?” Sarah asks.
Aoi. He’s the most important person in my life. He’s the sole reason I’m leaving. It’s all for him, to protect his future. All I can think about every second of the day is him.
I cover my face, tears threatening to spill. “I don’t know.” My voice breaks, “I don’t know.”
Olivia pulls me into a hug, allowing me to hide my grief on her shoulder. She’s the only one who knows the whole truth. So, when she finally speaks, I completely break down.
“You’re not losing him,” she mutters, low enough for only me to hear. I nod against her sweater, sobbing as her words sink into me. “You’re not losing us.”
Her words make something click in my friends and the next second, we’re all hugging. Sarah and I cry. Xander mumbles curses directed at no one and Liam sniffles, trying as hard as he can not to wail.
We’re a mess. A united in grief messy couple of fish out of water.
I can’t help but snicker, making them stare at me in confusion as they pull away.
“What’s so funny?” Xander asks.
The snicker turns into a fit of laughter. “Nothing. Really. God, I don’t know why I’m laughing.”
And somehow, they don’t need a reason either. There’s none after all. We won’t lose each other, no matter what. Our paths are interlinked, crossing over the other, splitting into smaller roads, but in the end, if they leave the light on, I’ll leave the light on.
“I love you guys.”
“We love you too.”
Sarah resumes her sobs and nods in agreement, allowing Liam to wrap his arm around her shoulder and comfort her.
They’re my people. You can’t lose your people. Even when you turn the light off, you can always find them by simply closing your eyes and letting that bond guide you. Aoi is my person. He’s my family and the love of my life. My friends are my siblings, and nothing will change that.
“We’ll stay in touch!” Sarah says hopeful.
Xander slaps his knee and leans back on the bench, attempting to seem unbothered. “We have phones for a reason. Doesn’t matter that there’s a huge time difference. We’ll make it work one way or another.”
“See? We’ll be fine.” Olivia nudges me in the rib.
Liam smiles tenderly and like the soft-spoken person he is he kindly says, “We’ll come see you off at the airport.”
“Now wipe your snotty noses and let’s go to the arcade! We have to make the most of this.” Xander jumps to his feet.
If Sarah rolls her eyes further, they’ll get stuck behind her skull. “You have absolutely no tact. Gosh, no wonder you can’t find a girlfriend.” He flips her off, granting him a scoff as she ties her ginger hair into a ponytail. “I’ll fuck you up. Try doing that again, I dare you.”
Of course, he walks right into her threat and gives her his middle finger. A loud pig-like scream blares from his mouth as she twists his finger. “Okay! Okay stop! I lost! I give up!”
Sarah is sensitive to say the least. Messing with her is like messing with a goose.
Liam’s bewitched by her beast-like aggression. He isn’t fooling anyone with the two heart-shaped balloons soaring out of his eyes with each blink.
