Airplanes || M.G.C

8

Song for this chapter:
Halo - Ane Brun, Linnea Olsson
______________________________________

A few months have passed since Michael and I became official. And since my coughing episode, they've only gotten worse and more consistent. I never got a cold or the flu.

Michael and I were just hanging out in my apartment, the windows open, music playing while we talked. Sneaking in a few kisses while we talked. It had been quiet for a few minutes when Michael asks me.

"DJ, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course you can, mikey."
"Can I meet your parents?"
"W-why do you want to meet them?"
"Well you talk about them so much, you seem so close, and now we're in a relationship so I would like to meet them. If that's okay? I don't have to if you don't want to."

I really didn't know how to respond to that. I didn't know how to tell mikey... my parents are dead.

"Umm... I mean, if you want to.. that can be arranged." Is all I can manage to say.

"Really?" His eyes light up, I smile and nod. I haven't visited my parents in a while so I guess today would be a good time.

"Yeah, how about we go see them now?"

"Wait, now?! Shouldn't you call them or something?"

"No, it's fine! I promise."
"I thought maybe it would be like in a week. But now is fine."
"We don't have to go now, we can go another time. I just figured since you're already here..."
"I'm fine. Today's fine. Let me go home and change. I'll be back in 30 minutes."

"Your clothes are fine, mikey." I smile
"But, I just wanted to make a good impression." He smiles bashfully, I put on my shoes.
"They don't care what you wear. Let's go." I close my windows, grab my essentials. Getting into my car, I started my way to the cemetery.

"Before we go, I need to stop somewhere real quick." Michael nods, and I stop at a flower kiosk to pick up something for their graves. Once I picked something for the both of them, get into my car, Michael looks at me and ask.
"Uhh.. I probably should've asked this sooner, but what are your parents names?" He chuckles and I giggle.
"It's fine... um.. my dad is Joel, and mom is Lucy."

Then back to driving to the cemetery. We were now in the suburbs instead of the city. Approaching a stop sign, I could see the cemetery where they were "put to rest". The cemetery now closer, I slowly started to pull onto the narrow roads, looking over at Michael, he looks confused. He looks like he's trying to put things together. I feel bad for just throwing this at him but I didn't know how else to say it. I wonder what kind of scenarios he's thinking of?

Eventually we come across where their tombstones were, but they weren't. I park my car and turn off the engine. Grabbing the flowers I bought earlier, I get out and I start to walk towards their graves. Michael was slow, but he joined me. I was feeling a little emotional, but I kept myself together.

"Michael... I want you to meet my parents.. Joel and Lucy." I look over at him and smile, to which he smiles back. I sat on the patch of grass that separated the two of them and placed the flowers on each of their resting places, Michael then sits in front of me.

"Im sorry." He looks at me sympathetically.

I smile, "It's okay."

"How?" He asks... the one word that makes me worry... the one word question that could make him go away, and that's not exactly what I want anymore.

"Michael... everything I'm about to tell you is my story.. my story that made me who I am.. the reason why I didn't want to be in a relationship in the first place. If what I'm about to tell you makes you want to run and not be together, I understand." I stare at the ground but I managed to look up and look into Michaels eyes and I could tell by his expression that he understands everything I'm about to tell him.

"I can tell your nervous. Nothing you say will make me go away. I'm in this for the long run. I promise, DJ."

I take in a deep breath, exhale, and I started to tell Michael my story.
"I had I pretty good childhood until the death of everything. If they fought, I never saw it. They always gave me the things I needed. It was something you would read out of a book, I had that. Then the morning comes when they are telling me good bye and kissing me. Later that same day my aunt gets a call and she breaks down. Me being so naive, I didn't think about it what so ever, my day went on, but that same night all of my family comes to my house, and my aunt Lorelai, tells me that they died. Within a second I changed into the person I am today."

I take in another deep breath, "I wrecked havoc, I locked myself in my room and didn't come out of there I think a day and a half. I screamed and yelled at my family, I sassed back, I broke the rules they gave me. Almost everything else you can imagine, I did it. Then when I think I was about 13 I came up with a plan."

"A plan?"

"Yeah.. I plan for me.. for my life... the death of my parents really fucked me up considering we were close... my parents were so close to taking me on this trip they were going on, but as you can see, I didn't go. The trip got extended and they didn't want me to fall behind in school.. Michael if I had went on that trip... I would've been dead right now, this very moment."

I was getting a little worked up, but I just took a moment and I continued to tell my story.

"I felt like I deserved to die, and I thought I deserved to die slowly and painfully. So when I found out that smoking long enough could kill you, that's when I started to smoke. My plan had three easy steps. One, smoke. Two, don't fall in love. Three, die." I could feel tears brimming in my eyes. "Michael, you ruined my plan. You've obliterated it and it's gone. I haven't been smoking as much. I'm falling for you so hard and so fast. I don't want to die anymore, I wanna live and be with you."

"DJ, what I'm about to tell you, I understand if it scares you and makes you want to run, and you don't have to say it back, but if I don't say it, I'm going to really regret it." Michael holds my hands and looks me in the eyes. "I love you."

I was shocked. I think I loved him... I'm not sure, but he knows me better than anyone. I probably do, I'm just scared to admit or say it. Hell, he knew those words would scare me. I then just feel myself leaning in slowly, slightly turning my head and kissing him. It was different than all of other kisses, those were rushed, hot, needy. This one was meaningful, slow, breathing taking.

As much as this kiss was making me weak in my knees. Did I actually love him?