Unfortunately Just Friends✔️

Chapter 25: Father's Day

Milo

I weave through the different paths with Zoey and Lilly on my tail and finally I reach our destination and take a deep breath before sitting down with each girl sitting on a side. In front of us stand two tombstones one reading Mariah Atlas and the other Jeremy Atlas. Thalia mentioned that Zoey really wanted me to talk about mom and I thought that I would let them visit her after so long.

"I don't think I've ever been here" Lilly said looking around.

"We've been here once I think" Zoey says looking around.

"Twice you ding dongs." I point to the two tombstones.

"When was the last time you came here?"

"Probably right after I came back from the hospital, I needed to vent" I say thinking back. "But it's okay that you guys never felt comfortable coming here. After the second funeral I couldn't bear the thought of coming while the grass was still new. So the second that it settled Thalia threw me in her car and took me despite my constant complaining."

We sit there in silence as Lilly rips the grass and Zoey inspects the tombstones, studying every inch.

"About a week after her funeral, Dad was still heartbroken. He wouldn't even look me in the eyes because he said they looked too much like hers and his eyes would well up." I now have their attention as they looked at me, but like how I am whenever I'm here I can't tear my gaze from the rocks in front of me.

"I remember storming into his bedroom while he was just staring at the ceiling. And I screamed 'that's it dad. We got four girls to take care of'. And I threw these books that I got from the library onto the bed. I was almost 12 and the librarian looked at me like I was crazy when I checked out books about periods and the female body out. And man you should have seen the lady's face at the supermarket when the only things I was buying were motherhood magazines." The two of them giggle making my heart feel warmer.

"Well Dad gave me a small smile and I remember what he said. 'I'm sorry I've been ignoring you Miles. You just look so much like her that it hurts remembering that she's gone. But you're right. You can leave the books and magazines and I'll do my research. You can go play some video games.' And he sat up and opened one of the books and I looked at him with crazy eyes and was like 'dad. They're our girls now. I'm their older brother and I'm going to do anything I can to be the mom they don't have anymore.' And we read those damn books like there's no tomorrow. You guys don't know how pissed I was to find out that they tell you about periods in school. I remembering buying a box of pads just for Juliana to tell me that she's going to help you guys out with that stuff"

"I would have let you tell us about it. She kinda made it awkward"

"Damn straight. I know more than she does" I lean back on my hands as I think of more things to tell them. "I hate to admit it, but I wore her perfume for like a week because I wanted you guys to remember her scent" I shake my head with a ghost of a smile on my lips. "They discontinued the bottle when I got half way through it. It's in my drawer at home along with dad's cologne in a box."

"What was she like? I mean we kinda only have the pictures and what Dad told us but that was so long ago."

"Oh my god she was beautiful. She had this dark brown hair that fell in large curls over her shoulders kind of like Juliana. And her smile sparkled like the stars just like Isabel. Her laugh would fill up the room like Zoey's does. And she had this voice that got squeaky when she got super excited just like Lilly's." The two of them look at me with wide eyes and when I extend my legs out in front of me the two of them lay their heads on my lap and stare at the sky.