Thorns & Roses

-twenty seven-

ELIAS MOORE

I walked into the graveyard with some flowers and two bottles of whiskey in my hands. I found her grave stone and sat in front of it. "Hey, Mom." I whispered as I put the flowers down in front of me. "I'm sorry I stopped coming so often, it just hurts too much to keep coming here."

I sighed to myself when I felt my eyes start to tear up.

"It's been 16 years and it still hurts so fucking much. The nightmares started again. Valentina's been helping me through them and I can tell she's worried about me but I don't know if I want to tell her about what happened. What if she looks at me differently, Mom?" I opened the bottle and started drinking straight out of it. "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me, I can't lose her."

I turned my head up, trying to stop the tears from flowing down but they wouldn't stop.

"I haven't told you about her yet, have I?" I chuckled slightly. "Riccardo wanted to keep her safe so we agreed I'd marry her. I'll be honest I treated her like shit when she first came. At this point, the reasons for me doing that aren't even valid. Mama told me you'd be disappointed at how I acted and, honestly, I think she's right.

I acted like Father when you two first got together and everyday, I'm trying harder and harder to undo what I did. Because she's a fucking amazing person, she makes me a better person and she deserves the entire world. I really do plan on giving it to her." The thought of V alone brought a smile to my face. "I'm always on cloud nine when I'm with her, Mom. Maybe I'll bring her to you one day."

I sat in silence for a while, allowing the breeze to softly hit my body.

"I'm gonna marry her. This time I'll do it right. I'll give her the marriage she's dreamed of. We'll have an amazing little family. She might not be able to have kids but that's ok, we have Boe." I laughed to myself. "Boe's the puppy I got her for Christmas.

Once we get this Sofia bullshit out of the way, we can properly be happy. Don't even get me started on Sofia because that's a whole story in itself. Even the whole Scarlett thing." I sighed to myself, shaking my head. "It's so much more than an infatuation. Mom, I've finally found the most beautiful, special person in the world and look at how many things are in the way of us. But that doesn't matter, does it, because I fucking love her."

At this point I couldn't stop my smile from spreading wider.

"Who'd have thought, huh, Mom? I am in love. You know what, I think it's more than that. I'm absolutely-"

I stopped to think for a second as my mind raced a million miles per second.

"You know what, I don't even know the word to us but it's to the point she's the only thing that's ever on my mind. When I'm not with her all I'm doing is counting down the seconds until I can see her again. Like I can't focus on anything until I'm with her and then when I am with her she's the only thing I can bring myself to focus on."

I took a final sip of the whiskey, realising I had finished both of the bottles.

"I think maybe love is too small of a word to describe everything I'm feeling for Valentina."

I spent the rest of the day, sitting and talking and by the time I realised it was completely dark. I decided to get another bottle of whiskey before going home.

-

Almost a month had gone past and I had taken Valentina to see Mom a few times now. It felt different being there with her; like it didn't hurt as much.