cocoon || reece bibby

27

5 days later

my heart raced as i stepped into the black limo followed by reece, and i nervously played with the hem of my plain black dress.

reece put his arm around my shoulders, allowing me to rest my head on his shoulder.

"i love you." he said softly, the three words said by him enough to soothe me.

"ditto." i said with a small smile and he kissed the top of my head.

the limo pulled up outside grace's house, as she got in the seat in front of reece and i, her boyfriend that i didn't really know sitting next to her, as they pretty much blatantly ignored our presences.

as grace and i were our mum's only immediate family members there, when we go to the crematorium, we had to sit on the front row, other attendants on the rows behind.

we had to sit next to each other, and reece was on my left, her boyfriend on her right.

reece sat with his palm on my thigh as comfort for me as the service went on, and grace occasionally let a tear slip, but my face was blank the whole time.

it went pretty quickly, as no one spoke other than the lady who's job it was to speak, and after the curtains closed, we all stood to go out, reece and i going first, followed by grace.

i noticed a man who had handcuffs on and a police officer next to him sat at the back, and when he saw me looking at him, he mouthed, "i'm sorry." so i guessed he was my mum's killer.

"fuck, i don't care if you're my long-lost third cousin." i groaned into reece's ear and he chuckled after a few people had come up to me, saying how sorry they were and telling me how they remember when i wasn't even one year old, when of course i wouldn't know who they were.

i felt someone watching me and looked up, seeing the guy in handcuffs from before.

i walked over to him, reece following me hesitantly.

"ella?" the guy asked and i nodded. "i'm mike. i assume you've fingered out who i am." he continued and i nodded again, "you didn't cry?"

"why would i? i never knew her. she ran away when i was five." i scoffed and he looked ashamed.

"that'll be my fault." he mumbled. "i'm sorry for that, but i assume you'll say it made you a stronger person."

i looked at him blankly and he continued. he moved his hands forward to cup my face.

"you're so beautiful." he said, before i took a small step backwards, away from his clammy hands.

"in her will, your mother left two thirds to you, only one third to grace." he said. "she told me to say sorry to you." mike added, and i assumed that would've been when he held the gun to her.

"why did you do it?" i asked, and i didn't really care, i was just curious.

"why not?" he said with a smile, before walking back to the police car.

i felt reece's arms wrap around my waist from behind, his chin resting on my shoulder.

"you okay?"

i nodded and turned in his arms, pecked his lips and wrapped my arms around his neck as his stayed around my waist, and i hugged him.