When It Mattered ✔️

T W E N T Y - T H R E E

Dude. It's done. What. The. Heck. I'm very emotional right now. Even if it was a pretty short story and cliche and maybe perhaps a bit rubbish... Idc. I love them <3
T W E N T Y - T H R E E
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"So this is the way that I say I need you. This is the way that I'm learning to breathe, I'm learning to crawl. I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall. I'm living again, awake and alive. I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies."

"So this is the way I say I need you. This is the way that I say I love you. This is the way that I say I'm yours."
— Switchfoot, Learning to Breathe
~*~*~*~

"Mom, I'm home!" I shouted just as Raven shouted 'Trisha, I'm home!'.

Knowing we wouldn't be seeing each other for a while, Raven decided to spend the holidays back with me at home. We hadn't had much time to actually come to terms with our situation. That we wouldn't be together in only a few weeks. I wasn't sure how I would live without her... If I even could.

"Hey sweetheart," my mother came in looking nervous.

"Gracie?! Is that my Gracie?" I heard my dad run down the steps dangerously before running and sliding across the hardwood floor towards me at a dangerous speed in his white socks.

"Daddy!" I grinned and dropped my bags, running into his arms. You really learned to appreciate your parents more when you lived away from them.

"Did you hear that, Patricia?" My dad smothered me in his tight embrace, "She called me daddy."

"What are you doing here so soon, Gracie?" My mother looked like she wanted to run away or force me out of the house or something.

I pulled out of my dads large arms, tilting my head at my mom who avoided all eye contact with me. "I'm only a day early...I was supposed to come down the 21st, remember? It's only the 20th. Did I do something wrong?"

Raven watched with a frown on her face, clearly picking up something from my mother that I couldn't. I turned to my dad and this time he too avoided my eyes.

"What's going on?" I wasn't sure whether to be angry at the silent treatment, or worried that something could be wrong. "Is Sarah okay?" I asked quickly, feeling my throat close up as I tried to remember the last time I had talked to my big sister.

"Oh, honey! Of course you're sister is okay!" My mother pulled me into a hug suddenly. Her ams were too tight. Something was wrong.

"Tell me." I forced out of my clenched jaw.

It was my dad that broke. "Ethan..." He started, turning my worry into full blown panic.

What about him? Is he okay? Oh god, is he hurt? Did something happen to-

"He's getting married....well, now."

Wait.

Married. Ethan. Married. Ethan. Married. Ethan? Married? My Ethan? My Ethan was engaged? My Ethan was about to be someone's husband? My Ethan?

My head was spinning. My throat was all but closed. I couldn't...I just couldn't.

"Where?" My voice was deadly silent as I glared at my father.