Eminence (Wattpad Edition)

Note 16 - Do You Grieve?

It would be two days before Warren and the others went to the beach. Warren and Jack were in charge of shopping, so they headed to the nearby store after Warren got off work. Jack had been staying over a lot lately, not that Warren minded. With Emanon at the hospital, the company helped the house feel less empty. Over time, the awkward tension between them had softened; they were starting to feel more like real friends now.

Two weeks had passed since Theo and Emanon's legal visit. Surprisingly, time moved quickly. They were now deep into summer, and the heat had been relentless. The original weekend plan for the beach had been postponed; Emanon wasn't cleared to leave the clinic until her daily blood bag dependency ended. Thankfully, she looked much better now, steadier on her feet, skin regaining its color.

The weather had shifted once again, rain over the last two days had cooled things down, and the forecast promised more to come. A perfect window for their rescheduled trip. But even with errands and mild weather, Warren's mind was heavy. As always.

"Hey, Jack..." Warren asked, stopping in the middle of the aisle.

Jack paused, turning to look at him. "Yeah?"

"You haven't been to your house in a while."

"I don't have any furniture there yet."

"You don't have any furniture?"

"I haven't had time. Why? Are you sick of me?"

Warren shook his head with a smile. "No, I've enjoyed your company. It's nice to have someone in the house. I was just curious, that's all."

Jack arched his brow. "Is that all you're curious about?"

"Well..." Warren rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at the nearby shelf of sunscreen bottles. "I was thinking about how you felt about Emanon."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you ever think about Vaan when you look at her? I'm assuming they would look somewhat similar."

Jack's eyes dropped to the linoleum floor.

"When I look at Em... Sometimes. Not every time, but certain smiles, certain laughs. It's almost uncanny." He gave a soft exhale. "And yeah... it hurts, too."

"I've never seen you look hurt since we met," Warren said.

"That's because I have to protect Em. I have to push past it; Otherwise, I can't do what I need to." Jack picked up a pair of cheap sunglasses, inspected them, and tossed them into the cart without looking. "I grieved before. I'm fine."

Warren didn't respond right away. He picked up a bottle of aloe vera, flipping it in his hand.

"Is that enough, though?" he asked. "You've known him since you were a kid. You grew up together. Is two weeks enough to grieve your lover?"

Jack looked up, irritation flashing behind his eyes. "What do you know?"

"Well, I wouldn't call myself a professional griever..." Warren replied, forcing an awkward laugh.

"Is that—are you trying to cheer me up? I don't get it."

"It was only recently that I started grieving my parents. It's already been eight months since they passed, but sometimes it still hits like it was yesterday." Warren glanced at Jack. "And yeah... sometimes I still think about my ex. Even though it's been over a year and a half."

"You still think about your ex?"

Warren squinted. "Is that really the most important part to you?"

"I don't know. Would Em find it important?"