the last petal ≫ c.h. (discontinued)

s i x t e e n

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After we finished surfing, we went out to lunch at a deli.

We were eating our food and laughing when I got a call from my mom.

I answered it and went outside to have some privacy.

"Hey mom. I miss you." I say into the phone.

"Oh honey, I miss you too. Now... I know you won't want to talk about this, but it has to be sorted out. We're flying you over here tomorrow for his funeral, and his parents want you to sort through his stuff and decide what you want to keep. This will be good for you... It'll help you let go."

I sigh and sit on the bench in front of the deli.

"Yeah, okay. I'll do it. What time is the flight and how many tickets?"

"It's at 7:45, and we got you three, one for you, Katie, and your new friend."

I looked through the window at Michael and Katie talking and laughing.

Katie was close with Luke, this must hurt her too.

"Do you think you could manage one more? Katie made a friend and... I know she'll need the comfort of him to help her get through the funeral." I finally said.

"Thats my amazing little girl, always looking out for others, even when you're down. I'm so proud of you. You're handling this very well, sweetie. I'll check if I can get her friend a ticket right now. They're digital tickets, so I'll email them to you later tonight. I have to go now, my lunch break is over. I love you so much. I can't wait to see you tomorrow."

I sighed, "I love you too, mom. Bye."

I stay where I am with my head in my hands. I feel too overwhelmed, I just need a break from it all.

I hear a sigh and I look up with tears in my eyes, only to see Calum taking a seat beside me.

"What's on your mind?" He gently questions as he grabs my hand and intertwines our fingers.

"I just... I miss Luke. He was my first boyfriend, the first guy I ever cared about. Its hard to just let him go so suddenly."

He nods and stares at our hands.

"Did you love him?" He finally speaks up.

I look at our hands, like he did, "I think so, yeah."

He looked back up at me with sympathy.

"I'm so sorry. This must be really hard for you."

I give him a small smile, as if to thank him.

I look back out to the street. We sit in silence as we people watch.

"Tell me about him. Tell me about your first date, your last date, his favorite song, everything."

"On our first date we were really awkward and it was hilarious. On our last date, he was really quiet... his favorite song was Say Something by A Great Big World, the version without Christina Aguilera. In his opinion, her voice was too whiny so he hated that duet. Every time he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkled. He always called me babe, even when we were fighting. He made me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry. He was my rock, and now... without him, I have nothing to hold onto."

He silently gave my forehead a kiss, "You don't deserve to ever be sad. I wish I could protect you from any kind of heartbreak."

"As long as you don't break my heart, you're doing just fine."

"I won't," He promises, "I could never."

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