Down the road of memories

I will always love you

Elle POV

- Madam!" the flight attendant said to me, shaking me gently. "We are beginning our descent towards Los Angeles. You must fasten your seat belt and straighten your seat.

I did so and watched Los Angeles appear through the window. The sun was setting over the Pacific, casting a golden glow onto the mountains surrounding LA. I was wondering how long I slept. I was happy to be back home. I remembered that after my father's wedding and moved to Chicago, I felt like I didn't belong anywhere. How disturbed I felt when I came to Los Angeles for my father's wedding. My thoughts then flew back to that evening...

Flashback LA to Mike's wedding, 3 years after the breakup

After the meal, I was able to speak with several aunts I hadn't seen in a while having moved to the East Coast, which kept me busy avoiding Duncan, Alyssa and... Noah.

Linda being a fan of Whitney Houston, the song "I will always love you" was heard. The DJ announced the start of the bride and groom's dance and asked Brad and I to join our father. My brother held out his hand and we headed to the dance floor together. It feels weird to think that my brother has grown up. At 13, he's taller than me (although at 5 feet and 2 inches, that's not hard to beat). I also know that his upcoming move to Chicago is stressing him out a bit. I was a little surprised when he said to me while dancing :
- It's good to have you home, Elle. I've missed you since you left for John Hopkins.
- Really, I thought you would be happy that I was leaving so that you could have all the parental attention.
- Linda is cool but she is much stricter than you. She forces me to eat my vegetables.
- She truly is an exceptional woman if she managed to get you to eat your broccoli." I told him, laughing.
- She used a strong argument...
- ... confiscate your video games?
- How did you guess?
- It seems that I am intelligent!" I told him, shrugging my shoulders.
- Enough to get into medicine at John Hopkins!" said my brother, bursting out laughing before becoming serious again. "It's not just Dad who's proud of you, Elle. I believe we all are. I admit that I take pleasure in telling my friends that my doctor sister is going to make me live one of these days.
- No, the offer is refused! I'm not going to make you live, Brad.
- I'm teasing you sister..."he said to me with a wink before becoming serious again. "I'm going to feel really far away from you in Chicago.
- Don't forget that I will always be only a phone call away. I will always love you, Brad!

It was lucky that the DJ told the rest of the guests to come join us on the dance floor because... the way this discussion was going, Brad and I would have both started crying. I saw the daughter of our father's friend walking towards Brad. I knew the two were good friends and I was happy that he had a friend to support him on this day.

At this very moment now alone on the dance floor, I fervently wished that Mark was there! Alyssa would never let Lee come after me to save me and I could already see Duncan making a move in my direction...

I was ready to accept my fate of having to dance with Linda's obnoxious nephew after my brother left me for his friend when I felt a familiar scent of lemongrass surround me and a hand touch my shoulder. I didn't need to turn around to know who was behind me because an electric shock spread through my body at that touch alone. An internal battle arose within me to know if this was a good or bad idea. But maybe he and I need to have this conversation like the one we had at Thanksgiving 2 years ago...