So far I had barely slept since Wille had left. My nights were mostly spent wallowing in self pity, but of course no one else knew that. Or at least I thought they didn't.
One morning I crawled out of bed and shuffled drowsily towards the kitchen. My family was there... along with my friends.
"Uhh what's going on?" I croaked.
"We've decided this has to stop." Sara declared.
Right. Great.
"Stop what?" I asked with as much innocence as I could muster. I even smiled for effect.
"Don't pretend not to know what we're talking about." Mum sighed. She looked tired; really tired. With a pang of guilt, I gazed at each of them in turn: Sara was thinner than usual; Ayub wore clothes that looked like they hadn't been changed for ages. And Rosh, oh, she looked like a completely different person. My eyes dampened. What has she done?
• • •
Scarlet rings circled their eyes, begging to be concealed, but makeup might have made it worse. Her mascara had clearly leaked a long time ago; it seemed fossilised onto their cheeks. Every trace of happiness she usually radiated was replaced by a permanent vacant expression, as if they were waiting for a miracle to happen. Her nails were bitten to stubs, but worst of all was their hair, which was matted and shedding in small clumps. Panic engulfed me; this was all my fault, I was so selfish. My lower lip started trembling, and my eyes stung as if toothpaste had been rubbed in them.
"I-"
"We know, Simon." Mum smiled weakly.
"I'm such an ass." I wanted to slap myself.
How could I not tell that I wasn't the only one hurting?
In all of my grief, I had forgotten that I still had people in my life who cared about me. They would always be there for me. That was when I couldn't hold it in anymore. I ran into their arms and wailed like a pained animal. They patted my back comfortingly- held my head- all the while whispering reassuring words. After a while my breathing slowed. I looked up at them. We were all huddled, and they had their eyes closed, so I closed mine too, hoping the moment would stretch a little longer. We stayed there for what felt like a minute, but it might have been hours. And in this calming cocoon of comfort, I found myself feeling slightly less cold than I had before.
YOU ARE READING
YR: An Afterstory
FanficPrince Wilhelm and Simon battle against their separation after Wille leaves Hillerska behind. They both go through the stages of grief, except one thing always holds true; their love for each other. Will they pursue it to the end? ~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~...
