I Promise - Scömìche

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Letter

A/N: Final chapter! I'll be writing a new book. Any title ideas? 

Scott's POV

We're back, but we're in Texas. Remember that singing thing we always did? They're having that again this year, but there's a small change. Starting this year, all the money will be donated to an organization that I started. It's a surprise for Mitch. The organization is for lung cancer. Mitch and I are singing tonight. I'm singing Clarity by Zedd, and Mitch is singing a song he wrote. I'm choosing this song because Mitch has been getting a lot of hate because of our marriage, and they say our love is stupid. So, why not? I think he'll appreciate it.

"Scott?" Mitch asks me before we go on stage.

"Yeah, babe?"

"The song I'm singing is a song I wrote a really long time ago, and I don't mean it anymore. It's when the whole thing with Kirstie happened. Anthony said I should sing it because the song shows my vocal strength. I didn't want you to think I still meant it."

"Thank you for telling me."

"Please welcome to the stage Scott Grassi-Hoying!"

"That's you." Mitch says. "Break a leg." he winks and finds a seat in the grass. This year, I'm standing and doing a more fast song, so the lights are better and it's not as quiet. As the music begins, I find a deep breath and try to find Mitch. When I see him, he gives me a thumbs up just like he did in high school.

"High dive into frozen waves where the past comes back to life. Fight fear for the selfish pain, it was worth it every time. Hold still right before we crash 'cause we both know how this ends. A clock ticks 'til it breaks your glass and I drown in you again. 'Cause you are the piece of me I wish I didn't need. Chasing relentlessly, still fight and I don't know why. If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy? If our love's insanity, why are you my clarity?"

Everyone's clapping along and having a great time. When I finish, the crowd applauds and whistles.

"Now, it's time for our crowd favorite, Mitch Grassi-Hoying!" I kiss Mitch's cheek and whisper an 'I love you' in his ear before he gets on stage. I can tell that he's still passionate about this song. As soon as Mitch sits down and points to the sky just like he does before every performance, he begins to play the piano, and tears start streaming down my face. I don't want to reminisce what happened a couple of years ago.

"I am done, smoking gun. We've lost it all, the love is gone. She has won, now it's no fun. We've lost it all, the love is gone. And we had magic. And this is tragic. You couldn't keep your hands to yourself. I feel like our world's been infected and somehow you left me neglected. We've found our lives been changed. Babe, you lost me. And we tried, oh how we cried. We lost ourselves, the love has died. And though we tried, you can't deny. We're left as shells, we lost the fight. And we had magic. And this is tragic. You couldn't keep your hands to yourself. I feel like our world's been infected and somehow you left me neglected. We've found our lives been changed. Babe, you lost me. Now I know you're sorry and we were sweet. But you chose lust when you deceived me. And you'll regret it, but it's too late. How can I ever trust you again?"

I stand up and walk to the swings. I couldn't watch him sing that any longer. It may have been a couple of years ago, but it kills me to know what he thought. He couldn't even trust me. I look back to see Mitch's tears falling, and I know exactly what caused those tears. One is that I left, and two is that he still feels this way a little bit.

"I feel like our world's been infected and somehow you left me neglected. We've found our lives been changed. Babe, you lost me."

The crowd goes absolutely ballistic. He walks off stage and finds me on the swings. 

"Hey, why'd you walk away?" he says, sitting in the swing next to me.

"Mitch, you don't understand that it kills me to know I did that to you."

"It's in the past, Scott."

"No it's not, Mitch. Don't you see that? You were crying up there because you still feel a little hate for me for what I did."

"I was crying because you left, Scott!" he says standing up in front of me.

"What?"

"You promised me on that hospital bed that no matter how much pain you were going through, you wouldn't leave! You broke that promise, Scott." I stand up and pull him into my chest.

"I'm so sorry, Mitch. Look at me. I may have walked away, but I didn't leave."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Scott, can I talk to you?" Skye asks.

"Sure." I walk over to Skye and Mitch finds his new friend, Kevin, and starts talking to him.

"Mom wanted me to give you this." She hands me an envelope. She walks away, and I sit on the swing set and read it, and it brings tears to my eyes. I walk over to Mitch, and he sees the tears. 

"Are you okay, love?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, babe."

"Now to talk about this organization, please give a round of applause for Scott Grassi-Hoying!" says the announcer. I walk up on the stage and Mitch takes a seat on the grass with Kirstie and her husband Avi.

"Hi, everybody." I say. "This organization is close to my heart, as it may be to yours as well. Mu husband, Mitch, fought lung cancer, but was lucky and his fight was short. He lost his hearing for awhile, but he still woke up every day with a smile on his face. And today, he is as healthy and strong as he was before the cancer was in him, but this organization isn't named after him. It's named after someone who fought stage four lung cancer, but sadly lost this fight after seven years. This organization is called the Nel Grassi Organization." Tears come to Mitch's eyes. Mitch's mom left me a letter before she passed away. I just got it today, and I'd like to read it to everyone." I unfold the paper, and I clear my throat. "Dear Scott, I always knew you and Mitch would end up together. I know we never officially met, but Kirstie told me all about you. She said that you and Mitch will love each other and will be perfect together. If that's true, Scott, I want you to promise me a couple of things. I want you to promise me that you'll always make Mitch happy, whether it's in a marriage, relationship, or friendship. I want you to promise you'll never give up on him. He needs some stability in his life, Scott, and I'm hoping you'll be his rock. I want you to promise me that he can trust you in good times and in bad. I want you to promise me that he continues singing. The last promise is this: promise to love and cherish him forever. Can you promise me these things, Scott? Can you promise to love him for the rest of your years?" Tears start to swell in Mitch's eyes. I walk down to where he's sitting and I wipe the tears escaping from his eyes. I take his hands and kiss them, and I whisper into his ear two words.

"I promise."