indomitus | f. castle

VI.

"Tell me something, anything."

VI.

"Christ, Frank, how'd you get in here?" I clutch my chest and try to regain my breath.

"It wasn't hard to pick the lock." He says looking at me while petting Max who's laid beside him on the couch. He's not hurt and part of me is relived but also very curious. He looks good in his grey hoodie and black jacket over it. His black jeans once again hang on his hips and he's wearing the same laced up boots as always. He looks hot.

"Good to know." I mutter and plop down on the couch right next to him and set my food on the table and I start to take out the containers. I ordered a lot more than I could eat but everything just looked so good and I couldn't stop myself from wanting to try a lot of it.

"Hungry?" I ask Frank and he nods. I hand him a box of orange chicken with a fork and he digs in. I start with some noodles and my tastebuds go crazy, this is damn good.

I kick off my shoes and sit criss cross on the couch facing Frank which makes him sigh. He already knows I'm going to ask him questions.

"Look, I don't know what's caused you to be so closed off but I promise it helps talking about whatever it is." He tilts his head at me as if he didn't expect me to say that.

"Emma, it's complicated." He shakes his head and sighs.

"Then un-complicate it, I don't want to force you into talking about whatever it is but I think it would be good to. I'm trying to be friends with you but I can't if you won't tell me anything about you, so—" "Okay." I almost ask him again to make sure I'm hearing right.

"Okay?" I set my noodles down and give him my full attention.

He sighs, "okay."

I wait for him to speak.

"I had a family. A wife and two beautiful kids, they were everything to me. My world. I was always getting called out so I was away a lot but when I was home it was like I never left, yeah?" I bite my lip and nod. It felt like that every time Colin came back.

"When I got sent back home after a couple of months it felt like something was different. I was just tired and it didn't feel the same as it use to. That's not the point though. A day after I got back we all went up to the park to have a picnic. Maria thought it would be nice to take the kids out. It was a nice day, I was playing around with Frank Jr. and Maria was twirling around with Lisa. Everything happened so fast after that." Tears well up in my eyes because I knew it was hard for him by the way he stares off into space like he's reliving it.

"I heard screaming and then there was gun shots. Just like that they were taken from me." He tries to get out more words but I put my hand on his arm to stop him. He snaps out of his daze and his eyes meet mine. They are a little watery and my heart breaks for him.

"It's okay, Frank. You don't have to continue." A tear rolls down my cheek and I quickly swipe it away. I shouldn't be crying when he's opening up to me. We sit in silence for a couple of minutes just letting everything process before I decided to talk.

"When Colin died it felt like I couldn't breathe. He was my best friend and we did everything together. We went to concerts together and movies and sports events and we gave each other relationship advice. When he died all of that just disappeared like it never even happened in the first place. Like every moment I had was just lost because he was gone. It took me awhile to realize that wasn't true. All the memories we shared were real and they weren't gone just because he was. The memories you had with your family will always live on through you, Frank. Just like the memories I had with Colin live through me. It's a reminder that we're still breathing and to not take it for granted. It's also a reminder that they are still here with us even when we can't see them."