Save Room For Us (18+)

Chapter 37: Grief and New Beginnings

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SweetDumplingss

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Chapter 37: Grief and New Beginnings

Nevaeh

I scanned my eyes around some more and noticed how everyone was in deep despair. Many had tears in their eyes; some had none but had lightly red stained eyes. I noticed a closed dark brown casket in what looked like it could have been a big dining room. The dim lighting softened the edges of the room, casting shadows that seemed to move with the quiet murmur of voices. It was a somber gathering, one marked by the quiet ache of loss rather than loud mourning. The scent of fresh flowers mixed with the faint odor of incense, filling the room with a strange, almost suffocating sweetness.

I wanted to look at Maleek to see if there were any resemblances but I was too scared of making eye contact, because he may have been doing the same thing.

Instead, I asked, still avoiding eye contact, "So who died?"

Maleek answered, "A family friend...My nephew's best friend."

The idea of loss felt unreal, especially when the person you lost was young. It usually felt like it didn't make sense. "How did he die?" I asked, still avoiding eye contact.

"He was killed," he said, which made the silence that followed extremely loud. I finally turned to look at him. Whatever thought I had of me looking like either Teresa or Nathaniel was erased once I saw Maleek. The resemblance was there.

I could feel the weight of Maleek's brown gaze on me as I stood there, trying not to tremble under the intensity of his attention. The room seemed to close in, the hushed conversations of the other mourners fading into the background as Maleek took a step closer. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat louder than the last, as I finally heard his voice, rough and uncertain.

"Nevaeh... I—" He stopped, shaking his head slightly as if trying to process the reality of my existence. "I don't understand. How... how did you find me?"

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. I'd rehearsed this moment in my mind a thousand times, but nothing had prepared me for the emotional storm swirling between us. The man I'd spent days wondering about was standing in front of me, and I could barely form a coherent sentence.

"I... I found out recently," I began, my voice barely above a whisper. "I found out that you were my father." I hesitated for a moment, the weight of the words settling on my shoulders. "It... it explained so much about my life. About how cold my mom—Teresa—has always been towards me."

Maleek's eyes flickered with shock, the lines of his face tightening. "Terry?" he asked, his voice low, almost in disbelief. "You're talking about Terry? My Terry?"

My Terry. There was this soft gentleness when he said my mom's nickname.

I nodded, unable to meet his eyes. "Yeah. My mom. She's always been distant, like she never really wanted me. I could never figure out why. But after finding out about you... I think I understand now. She never told me about you. She never mentioned you, and I never knew why."

A shadow passed over Maleek's face, his eyes darkening with what I could only call regret. He ran a dark brown hand through his hair, looking away for a moment as if trying to gather his thoughts. When he spoke again, his voice was thick with emotion.

"I... I loved her, Nevaeh. I loved Terry," he said, his voice breaking a little. "I loved her more than I can say. But I knew she was already with someone else. She was married. And she loved him, too. I never tried to get in the way of that."