𝕯𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖘 𝕶𝖓𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙

𝕭𝖔𝖓𝖚𝖘

𝕬𝖓𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖓𝖞 𝕽𝖎𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘

The phone rings and I set it down next to my computer. I finish typing up an email to one of my contractors.  Those hotels should be built by the end of the month. I send it and immediately hear her answer the phone. 

"Anthony? Wow, I wasn't expecting you to call." I pick up the phone with a smile. 

"C'mon Kamsy, you know me better than that." I heard shuffling in the background like she was moving something around. 

"Why the hell are you up at 6 am? You should be sleeping." 

"I don't have the time to sleep when I have work to do besides Dad is sleeping so one of us has to be doing something." She sighs. 

"I don't see why you didn't just call your brother." I cringed at the thought of him.

"How is he? Everything okay?"

"God, I wish you guys would stop doing that! He isn't fragile!"

"Yeah, he just lost his right leg due to blood loss." It was silent.

"That doesn't mean anything, believe me, I'm his wife and I have been taking care of him since that day."  Find a subject change, right now. 

"How is Paris?" Kamsy laughed. "Nice subject change, genius. Paris is amazing, same for the kids." 

"How many do you have now? 17?"

"Ha-ha. Don't be an asshole, I gave you all 4 of your nephews and niece." I laughed a little.

"Fair enough." My heart strings get pulled a bit at the thought of today and how long it has been. 

"Now that I have you, I think we should talk.."

"No. Not this again."

"Anthony, I love you. We all love you but we still think it is time to move on. It's been 5 years, sweetheart. Leo isn't with us anymore."

"You don't think I know that!?" I lost my shit. I can't deal with this shit over and over again. 

"I was only-"

"Only being too damn nosy for your own good! I don't need anyone telling me how to cope with my loss!"

"We loss her, too. You don't have to be so selfish about it." I heard the tears in her voice. Fuck. 

"Kamsy, I didn't mean to make you-" 

I heard another voice that made my blood run cold. "Anthony."

"Derek."

"Was it really necessary to make my wife cry? She was only repeating the shit we've been telling you for years! I don't care if you are my little brother if you ever make her cry for trying to help again I will take the first flight to the states just so I could kick your fucking ass."

The call ended there. Nothing new, that's similar to how the last one got left off. I stood up from my desk and threw the phone to the closest wall. I watched it shatter into pieces. 

I grab my spare from my back pocket and headed to my bedroom until I passed by Leoanna's old room. My body froze in front of the closed door. I slowly went to open the door, watching a cloud of dust fill the air. I turned on the light and looked at the untouched room. 

I stared at a picture of her and Thea kept by her bedside, I carefully picked up the frame, wiping it with my shirt sleeve. She always kept all her pictures and videos on her phone but it was destroyed in the car accident. I could never hear her laugh again, see her smile. I looked down at my phone and dialed the number I always needed to call when I'm lonely

"HI! You've reached Leoanna, please leave a message and I'll get back to you soon."

You never get back to me however just hearing you makes me feel alive. 

"Hey, Leo." I sounded breathless and I felt myself begin to break on the inside.

"I tried calling everyone again. I messed up just like the last time, if you were here you'd help me express how I am feeling. Like, make me say how sorry I am for pushing them away all these years. Sorry for missing out on watching the kids grow. I can't function without you. You were the person that brought us all together and the person that helped me figure out my shit."

The tears overfilled my eyes causing me to blink. "Jesus fucking Christ, Leo I am so broken without you. Everything around me falls apart when you aren't here by my side. You were supposed to come home and I constantly blame myself for all of this shit. I never got the chance to be more or have more with you. I love you so much. Happy Birthday, Princess."

"This voicemail box is full. Please try again."