Illuminate

Chapter 32- Eva

Sunday 10:00 AM

"Eva, are you awake?" a voice called as they knocked on the door, awaking me from my sleep.

"I am now," I grunted, flipping over to face the door as it opened. Unsurprisingly, it was Colton. He came to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Sorry to wake you," he said.

"It's alright," I accepted.

"I've just been thinking all night and there's something I want to tell you," he admitted.

"Okay," I said, uncertain.

"I'm going to miss you like hell. It's really going to suck without you here. But, if you really dig down deep and think about why Mom and Dad are doing this, it makes sense," Colton tried to explain.

"Don't even try, I've heard this lecture enough times," I interrupted.

"It's because they love you! And I love you! Time heals. And if you want this family to heal, you have to let it. Don't you want to go back to how it used to be? Before all this crap went down?" he snapped. I paused, unsure of what to say next.

"Of course I do," I said softly.

"I'm not saying what happened with Blake was your fault. But, because it did happen, it really affected you. If you want things to go back to normal, you're going to have to get back on your schoolwork, and get in the right frame of mind," Colton said gently, scooting closer to me. I laid my head on his shoulder and let a thin tear roll down my cheek. "I love you, Eva."

"I love you too," I whispered.

"It's going to be okay, you'll be home before you know it," he promised, kissing my head as he stood up. "Take a few minutes, but I think you're going to want to talk to Mom and Dad. They've been up worrying about you like all night."

"I will," I promised.

"Alright, I'll see you downstairs Evs. If you want help packing, let me know," he offered.

"I probably will later, thanks. For everything," I appreciated.

"Of course," he said with a grin before he left the room. I sat up and looked in the mirror on my wall. I grabbed a tissue from my desk, wiping the tear marks from my face. I quickly threw my pajamas in the laundry bin and grabbed some fresh clothes.

I took a few minutes to collect myself and headed downstairs. My mom was cleaning the kitchen and I didn't see my dad.

"Hi, Mom," I said softly.

"Hi, Honey. What's up?" she asked, sitting down at the island as I sat across from her. I could tell she was trying to be normal, but her pain shined through.

"I wanted to tell you, I'm sorry for being upset. I get it now. I promise," I said sincerely. She grabbed my hand.

"You do?" she asked gently.

"I do," I promised. Without hesitating, she got up and hugged me.

"I love you so much, Eva," she said.

"I love you too," I replied, holding her close.

"I'm going to miss you so much, sweetheart. But, it's going to be good for you. I can't wait to watch you grow from this," she said, letting go and I smiled.

"You're probably going to want to go talk to your dad, he's worried sick about you," she said.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"In his office, I don't think he's doing anything too important though," she said and I nodded. I went up the stairs, slowly. I knew he was going to be hard to talk to, I missed how things used to be. I looked through the glass french doors and saw he wasn't on the phone or anything. I gently knocked and without looking up, he motioned for me to come in. I opened the door as he finally peered away from his computer. I could tell he was surprised to see me.