𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮

24

Narrator/Aylo's mom's home... 3 weeks later...

"You got to go, baby." Ayden's mom wiped his face, fixing his tie. Today was the day of Aisha's funeral.

Emotionally, nobody was prepared. Ayden didn't even want to go. He wasn't going to go. He had paid for the entire funeral arrangements. He hadn't been to his own home since the night he found her. He couldn't stand to go there, knowing he would relapse.

"I'm not goin'." He plopped down on the bed, wrapping himself in the blanket. His mom snatched the blanket off of him and gave him a lecture about how he had to go. He had tuned her out.

"I can't see her like that, ma." He cut her off, sitting back up as his mom handed him his shoes. "I know, baby. But, you got to. She'd want you near her every step of the way. You promised her." She walked out of the room smiling back at him. She also had to go get dressed, because she knew her son would need her comfort.

Ayden turned his head, hearing a soft knock on the door. Teyana walked in dressed in all black and sat down on the bed beside him. They both turned their eyes facing forward at the picture of Ayden and Aisha that sat on the bedside table. Neither of them spoke for a while, not having anything to say.

"Here." Teyana slid him 2 pieces of folded paper. He didn't take it at first, not knowing what it was. She opened his hand and forced the papers into his hold. They focused back on the picture before she got up and walked out of the room, to greet his mother.

Ayden looked down at the paper on his hand. It read "Aisha's letter...". A tear fell on the paper, dampening it. He knew what this meant, so he slid the paper into his bedside table, getting up and walking into the living room. He physically couldn't read that...

Ayden walked into the living room seeing all of his friends huddled around each other, dressed in all black. Teyana noticed the note not in his hands causing her to drop her head down looking at her feet.

Although she felt bad for giving it to him now, she knew she had to. It hurt her even more that she didn't read it...but she figured that wasn't her responsibility.

Narrator/The funeral...

"We'll now have words from Aisha Tamara's loving boyfriend,partner, and best friend. Ayden, will you please come give a few words for our beloved Aisha." The preacher spoke, stepping aside. Ayden's head was dropped low, and he didn't cry since he got here.

"You don't have to go up-" His mother started but was cut off when he rose from his seat walking up to the pulpit with a microphone connected. He sat in silence for a cool minute or so. Mekhi thought about going to grab him, but he finally spoke.

"Aisha..." He started as all of the aunties and grandmas did their dramatic AMEN chants. Teyana bowed her head, listening to the speech while holding onto Mekhi's hand tight. She was squeezing it out of pain.

"Aisha was....my...bestfri-end." He hiccuped, looking forward at the stained glass paintings. Ayden took another long pause, closing his eyes tight. When he opened his eyes, he saw a figure resembling Aisha sitting in the very back, all alone. Aisha was smiling at him, which made him smile as well.

"Baby, I love you. I never...thought it'd be you I wish I could...heal you in all of the places that...that...that you didn't tell me about." He continued, staring at Aisha's pretty face the whole time. She sat with her legs crossed. She wore her hair in it's natural state which was curly and bouncy, this was his favorite hairstyle of hers. She had on a pink dress and diamond heels, what she wore on their first date.

There was cuts on her figure's arm, which made him frown and look down at the bible sitting on the pulpit's top. Her figure stood up and walked towards him. His eyes followed her every move. Eventually she made her way up to him and stood next to him, linking their arms together. He stared at her for a second as she faced the crowd smiling, not making any direct contact with him.